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It’s been nearly four years since Ashley Morin disappeared, and this year will mark the fourth time her family will walk the 136 kilometres from Saskatoon to North Battleford in her memory.
Morin, a 31-year-old woman from the Ahtahkakoop First Nation, was reported missing from North Battleford on July 10, 2018.
Standing outside Saskatoon Police Service headquarters Thursday, in front of the statue memorializing missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, Ashley’s cousin Mike Bird said this year will mark their last annual walk.
“Even though this will be our final walk for Ashley, we’re not giving up,” Bird said. “We’re going to continue to get answers, and this weekend will be part of that.”
In 2019, on the first anniversary of her disappearance, Saskatoon police said Morin’s case was being investigated as a homicide.
At the same time, the RCMP also issued information about a van spotted near one of the areas where Morin was last seen.
The van appeared to be windowless, and was lighter on the top with a darker colour along the bottom of the vehicle. Police said they are still hoping for information on the person who may have been driving the van at the time.
Speaking on behalf of Morin’s mother and sister, her goddaughter Shawna Spyglass read a prepared statement.
“Why? Why? Why? That’s the big question,” Spyglass read. “My daughter Ashley, my pride and joy, has been missing since July 10th, 2018. One thousand, four hundred and fifty-nine days. Not a day, hour, minute goes by I’m not thinking of you.
“Picture yourself in my shoes,” she continued. “If she was your daughter, sister or niece, could or would you be able to bear the constant pain? She is our shining star with the warmest big smile and heart. And you took her from us … Ashley was not yours to take, and she is not yours to keep.”
The Morin family is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone with information that will bring Ashley back to her family.
“There are people out there that have information,” Spyglass said. “There are people out there that have details. There are people out there that know what has happened.”
Dutch Lerat, second vice-chief with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, also spoke about Morin.
“We are appalled by the number of missing and murdered women here in the province, and we are here to ensure that this wonderful family knows we are standing behind them,” he said.
The walk for Ashley will take place from Friday through Sunday.
