Community rallies to try to find Tamra

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It's every parent's worst nightmare-a missing child.

It's been over a month-and-a-half since five-year-old Tamra Keepness went missing from her Regina home and the search for her continues. From the beginning those search efforts have been aided by people from across the province, each wanting to do their part in efforts to bring little Tamra home.

Tamra went missing sometime between 11 p.m. on July 5, when her mother sent her off to bed, and noon the next day, when she was discovered missing.

The first week of the search was headed up by Regina Police Service and was aided by Search and Rescue Regina and volunteers from the community. When the police-directed search ended on July 13, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) stepped in to continue looking for Tamra. The police continued to help the FSIN co-ordinate the search efforts and keep lines of communication open between the police service and the FSIN, but the majority of the searchers at that point were Aboriginal volunteers. Among those taking part in the search were experienced trackers from some of Saskatchewan's northern communities-Montreal Lake, Hall Lake and La Loche among them.

Elizabeth Popowich, public information officer with the Regina Police Service, couldn't comment when asked if this type of outpouring of help and support is usual in cases like this. She said she has nothing to compare it to.

"I think that we could probably all say that we've never had a case like this. We've never had a child missing for so long," she said.

"But at the same time, the outpouring of concern and the offers to help have been tremendous, both from the non-Aboriginal community and the Aboriginal communities."

At the beginning of August the police, acting on new information, led a search on Pasqua First Nation northeast of Regina.

"And again the Montreal Lake searchers were invaluable in covering that area, because it's pretty rugged country, lots of ravines and bush and so on. And then of course the Pasqua First Nation was very generous, not only in cooperation, but, I mean, they had a group of people who were at the band hall and cooking and looking after the searchers. And so again it was another example of just tremendous support,." Popowich said.

Some of the tips that police have received have come from Elders who have had visions or dreams about Tamra, and the information has been welcomed by investigators, Popowich explained.

"Right from the start, when we initially put out our news release requesting any information that could help lead us to discover where Tamra Keepness is, I think that we tried really hard to make it clear that we were going to accept information in whatever form and whatever way people wanted to contact us," she said.

"When we had our search teams out initially, of course, they really focused on the neighbourhood around the Keepness home, because that certainly would be the most probable place of finding a child who'd wandered. But then there were some searches that occurred on 13th Avenue West and in the southeast part of the city that were directed more by those visions or dreams. And then there have been other areas searched based on the same sort of information."

The information coming from these Elders' visions is being given such weight for a number of reasons, Popowich said. Not only does the police service want to send a message to the Keepness family and other First Nations people that they are respectful of First Nation culture, but some of these visions might be a way for some people to share information they have about the case.

"We don't have any way of knowing when we get information what the source of it is. And in some cases it may be that someone is trying to find a way to disclose something. And so it may be conveyed to us in that way," she said.

"And then the other thing too, is that, I think that for us as a police service, or for our investigators, to make uptheir minds that there was only one way to solve this case and that we were the keepers of the one way would be wrong. There are many things in the world that we don't necessarily have to understand. And so I've had investigators say to me, 'If it helps us to find her, I'm not going to question where it comes from.' And so I think that, with everyone focused on the same goal, it wasn't a difficult step to take, to consider dreams or visions of First Nations people."

"I can say that the Regina city police were very gracious and respectful of our ways," FSIN Vice-chief Guy Lonechild said of the way the police responded to the visions of the Elders. "And that, I think, impressed First Nations leadership and added to the morale of family members and people who were involved with the search and rescue effort. We had, I think, a real coming together, that we are all one community. That this little girl, regardless of racial background, is a little girl that everybody feels is one of their own."

Lonechild said he was impressed with the response from First Nationscommunities who have rallied to help with search efforts. He also praised the commitment of Chief of police Cal Johnston and the other members of the Regina Police Service, many of whom have been working night and day and giving up their vacation time to work on the case, and commended the work of the FSIN staff, who have made the continued search efforts possible.

When she was interviewed on Aug. 11, Popowich said there were no new developments in the case that could be reported on publicly.

"But we can say that it's still very much an intensive investigation. We've got seven of our most experienced investigators assigned to it full-time."

Those investigators have been authorized to use whatever resources they need for their investigation. They can assign tasks to other people within the department, and can also draw resources from other police agencies, including the RCMP and other municipal polie forces.

That extra manpower comes in handy in following up on all the leads that have come in regarding Tamra's disappearance. Popowich estimates about 1,000 tips have come in so far. She encourages anyone with any information they think might be linked to Tamra's disappearance to provide that information to the police.

"We would like any and all information that people might feel is pertinent."

"We feel that we're making progress," Popowich said. "I think our chief had at one point mentioned that every bit of information that's come our way has been hard won. It's been a difficult investigation. I think every day that goes by that we don't find her is hard on people. But we're going to keep looking until we find Tamra."

Tamra Keepness is 3'5" tall and weighs 40 lb. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with any information about Tamra's whereabouts is asked to contact the Regina Police Service at 306-777-6364 or 1-866-80-TAMRA (1-866-808-2672) or e-mail the information to tips@police.regina.sk.ca. Information can also me called in to Crime Stoppers at 306-545-8477 or 1-800-222-8477.