Onion Lake woman sixth arrested in Laverdiere homicide case

by battlefordsNOW staff

RCMP have made a sixth arrest in the Tiki Laverdiere homicide investigation.

The Major Crimes Unit North and Lloydminster RCMP arrested 33-year-old Soaring Eagle Whitstone at a home in the Border City on Aug. 6.

She is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a motor vehicle.

Whitstone will make her first court appearance on Aug. 8 in North Battleford at 9:30 am.

Five others are facing charges in connection to Laverdiere’s death.

Nicole Cook, 36, is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a motor vehicle. The Edmonton woman was arrested on July 31 in Fort Saskatchewan.

She is the mother of Tristen Cook-Buckle, whose funeral Laverdiere attended on April 27 on the Thunderchild First Nation, days before she went missing on May 12.

Jesse Sangster, 23, was arrested on July 28 in Edmonton. He is facing charges for accessory after the fact to murder and theft of a motor vehicle.

Both appeared in court last week and were remanded until Aug. 30.

Shayla Orthner and Danita Thomas, who are charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a motor vehicle, made their second court appearance later Friday morning.

They were the first two arrested in the case on July 20 and 23. Both were remanded into custody and will return to court on Sept. 6 via closed-circuit television from Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert.

Brent Checkosis, 18, is facing charges for accessory after the fact to murder, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a motor vehicle. He appeared via CCTV from Saskatoon and was remanded until Sept. 6.

Laverdiere was reported missing on May 12 and last seen in North Battleford on April 29.

Human remains were found in a rural area outside of the city on July 11 and confirmed to be the Edmonton woman’s on July 17.