Three years after death, family of Thunder Bay, Ont., homicide victim appeal to police, public

Colleen Belesky describes her late son, Corey Belesky, as a strong and handsome young man who loved animals and cared deeply about his family.

It’s been three years since he was found dead in a residence on Brent Street in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Nov. 1, 2022. The Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) determined his death was a homicide, but no arrests have been made in connection with the case.

“Not only he died that day, but I also died,” Colleen Belesky said during a news conference in the northwestern Ontario city on Monday. “My life ended when Corey's life ended.”

The 31-year-old was a member of Marten Falls First Nation, a remote Ojibway community more than 400 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. 

In honour of the third anniversary of his death, his family and First Nation are appealing to the public for information — and are also calling on the TBPS to allocate more resources to the case.

Surrounded by relatives holding photos of Corey and a map of the north end neighbourhood where his body was found, Colleen Belesky spoke about her son through tears.

“We, Corey's family, are asking anyone with information — with any kind of information — to please come forward,” she said. “We need justice.”

Corey Belesky’s family is behind one of several complaints received by Ontario’s inspector general of policing in April 2024 about the way the TBPS handles death and missing-person investigations.

That October, Ryan Teschner announced he would conduct an evaluation of the police service in response, which "is expected to be completed in late 2025."

Anna Betty Achneepineskum is a deputy grand chief with Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), a political territorial organization that represents 49 First Nations across Treaties 9 and 5, including Marten Falls.

During Monday’s press conference, she said NAN is eagerly awaiting Teschner’s report, “not only for Corey's family, but [for] the other First Nation families that have endured some injustices when it comes to investigations.”

CBC News has reached out to the Inspectorate of Policing for an update on Teschner’s investigation and is awaiting a response.

Corey Belesky’s family says they are not satisfied with the communication they have received from the TBPS. 

“They just want at least to hear from the Thunder Bay police once a month, even if it's to say ‘we're still working on it at this time, we don't have any leads,’” Anna Betty Achneepineskum said.