Walk honours missing First Nation women

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On July 22, a Missing Sisters Walk was held in honour of missing First Nation women, many of whom are members of Saskatchewan First Nations.

The family of Daleen Bosse (Muskego) initiated the walk. Daleen was 25 years old when she went missing from Saskatoon on May 18, 2004.

Daleen's parents, Herb and Pauline Muskego, describe her as being a loving wife and mother to a four-year-old daughter. They said their daughter was an outgoing and friendly person.

"We want her to come home and to not be afraid."

Walkers and runners joined the Muskego's throughout the week to raise awareness of the plight of more than 500 missing First Nation women. The participants left Onion Lake First Nation on July 18 and arrived in Saskatoon on July 22.

"Of course, we dedicated the walk to our daughter, but we also did this to create a further awareness for all Native women who are missing and to those who have been murdered and there hasn't been any closure to the families," said Pauline.

The Muskego family hoped to have 500 people take part in the walk to reflect the number of women who are missing. In the end, there were only about 100 people who arrived in Saskatoon, but Pauline said it was still a great turnout.

The Muskego's want to make a plea to their daughter, that if by chance she picks up this paper, they want her to know that she is wanted back home and they want to know that she is still alive.

"Of course, we want her to come home, but maybe she's going through things in life that we are not aware of and she just needs to deal with it alone," said Herb.

"If she just contacts us or someone she knows, just to let us know that she's alive is all that matters."

Sgt. Donald Yonkman of the Saskatoon Police Service has been working closely with the Muskego family since January 2005. Up until that time, the case was being treated as missing persons case. In January 2005 it was assigned to Yonkman who handles the cold case and major crime files.

"We are following up on all kinds of information," said Donald Yonkman. "The Muskego's have been getting calls about sightings all over Canada but nothing has been confirmed."

Yonkman said he is still processing some of the evidence gathered through the investigation and is still in the process of getting statements from people that Daleen encountered the night of her disappearance.

"We had followed up and spoken with the person who had last seen Daleen and it might be just a coincidence, but her vehicle was found within a block of this individual's place, where at the time this person was residing. In that sense that is suspicious," said Yonkman.

Pauline and Herb continue to stay positive about finding their daughter, but Yonkman isn't as optimistic about locating Daleen alive.

"We, the police, have felt that there is suspicion of foul play but there's nothing to support that," said Yonkman. "Pauline and Herb are hoping that she's alive, but deep down they know that she might be deceased."

The Muskego's have been following every lead that comes in. They have received calls from people claiming to have seen Daleen in Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, as well as in communities in Saskatchewan. They have travelled to these various locations to follow up on the leads, but have found nothing to help them find their daughter.

"We get tips and we chase them in hopes of finding Daleen," Herb said.

If people have information regarding the Muskego case, Yonkman asks that they call him at (306) 975-8335. If someone thinks they have seen Daleen in their area, he suggests they contact the nearest police station.

Daleen is 5 ft. 5 in. in height and weighs about 170 lb. She has black shoulder-length hair and wears glasses.