Remains identified as Brower, last seen 11 years ago

As Alberta Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations Cameron Alexis waited to give support to his family, who are searching for his first cousin Misty Potts, he received news that the skeletal remains found April 19 near Rollyview, AB, had been identified. They belonged to Delores Brower.

“It’s sad to hear… that a historical Aboriginal woman has been found,” said Cameron, who holds the AFN national portfolio for murdered and missing Indigenous women, justice and police.

On April 28, the RCMP confirmed the remains were that of Brower, who had been reported missing May 2005. She had last been seen in May 2004 in Edmonton. She was a sex trade worker in the city.

For Mikisew Cree Nation Chief Steve Courtoreille, who was in Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation also to support his relatives, the identification of the remains is another blow. Brower is from Fort Chipewyan. Amber Tuccaro, another Fort Chipewyan resident, went missing in 2010. Her remains were found in 2012 in the same area as Brower. According to the RCMP the remains of Katie Sylvia Ballantyne, 40, were previously located in that area as well. Ballantyne, a crack cocaine addict, was reported missing on April 27, 2003, and her remains were recovered July 7, 2003. RCMP say the remains of all three Indigenous women were within an eight kilometre radius.

“It’s amazing how (Brower’s) remains were there around where Amber was, how they could have missed that…it could be (the same perpetrator) and someone that’s not afraid to be seen in the area so he wouldn’t be out of place,” said Courtoreille, who also serves as Grand Chief for Treaty 8.

Sgt. Josée Valiquette, spokesperson for RCMP “K” Division, would not say how close Tuccaro’s remains were to Brower’s.

Both Tuccaro’s and Ballentyne’s investigations remain open, says Valiquette, who would not confirm if a single suspect was being considered in all three cases or if there were any suspects.

“Until somebody is arrested or charged with these matters, we’re not going to speculate,” she said.

The Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet informed the RCMP of the method of death in Brower’s case, says Valiquette.

The Brower investigation is now being led by the RCMP Historical Homicide Unit supported by KARE, Edmonton Police Services and the RCMP Major Crimes Unit.

“While we are saddened to have confirmation that Delores’s remains have been found, there is a sense of thankfulness as well. We loved Delores and are grateful to have some closure,” said Brower’s family in a statement released through the RCMP.

Eva Potts doesn’t know what closure means. Her sister Misty was last seen on March 14 on the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation. Scouring Edmonton’s inner city and searching the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and the neighbouring Paul Nation have yielded no results.

But in her grief and growing anxiety, she reaches out to the Brower family.

“I’m so sorry for your loss… you’ll never get closure. You’ll only learn to live with that kind of pain because we know, because we lost somebody, too, who was really great in our lives,” she said.

One more missing Indigenous woman and the remains of another, says Alexis, underscores the severity of the situation and the government’s need to take action. The AFN continues to push for a public inquiry into the issue although federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt has denied the request.

Valcourt recently came under criticism when he said 70 per cent of the solved murders of Aboriginal women were committed by people of Aboriginal descent. The RCMP later confirmed the figure. But the piece-mealing of the information has led to an outcry from many First Nations leaders, including Alberta Chiefs, who sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper demanding Valcourt’s resignation. Courtoreille says they have yet to hear back.

But Courtoreille says First Nations leaders cannot afford to wait for government action and must speak out. He says he was disappointed that a recent conference held in Edmonton on murdered and missing Indigenous women was poorly attended by Chiefs.

Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation Councillor Josh Alexis says leaders must be joined by community members.

“My message to the youth and to people is to look after each other before it gets to these points. We have to continue to put the pressure on the government and the agencies to do their due diligence to look after our people, but as Indian people we have … a duty to each other to look after each other,” said Alexis.

Photo Caption No. 1: (From left) Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation band councillor Josh Alexis, Eva Potts, Treaty 8 Grand Chief Steve Courtoreille, and Alberta Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations Cameron Alexis speak out on missing women.