The family of a missing First Nations man who was last seen in the northern Manitoba city of Thompson is still pleading for answers more than five months after he disappeared.
Troy Gilbert Saultier, 24, was last seen at an address on Ashberry Place in Thompson, about 650 kilometres north of Winnipeg, on the afternoon of May 11, his family said at a June press conference.
At an emotional press conference in Winnipeg on Thursday, his mother, Carla Saultier, said she believes her son is dead, and she’s seeking closure for the family.
“Something happened to my son.… I know in my heart my baby is gone,” she said.
“We just want to know where he is so we can take him home and put him at rest.”
Troy Gilbert Saultier, 24, was last seen more than five months ago in Thompson, Man. His family says they have received little information from RCMP since he went missing, and they are asking the public for help. (Submitted by Karalyn McDonald)
Troy’s father, Dwight Saultier, said the family has received few answers from the RCMP.
He thinks they’re focusing on criminal charges Troy faces rather than treating his disappearance as a missing person case.
“RCMP hasn’t given us much hope that they are out there trying their best for us. Right now they are looking for a wanted man with warrants. They’re not looking for my son as a human being that went missing,” said Dwight.
RCMP confirmed to CBC News on Thursday that Troy is wanted on charges of uttering threats, sexual assault with choking, assault while choking, breaking and entering, and failing to comply with release orders.
The police force’s general investigative section is still investigating his disappearance, RCMP said.
Spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre said in an email that an RCMP team conducted a ground search in the area where Troy was last seen alongside a group of volunteers, but “nothing came from it.”
Carla said she has called police several times for information about her son’s whereabouts, but was hung up on twice.
“I get no answers, no nothing,” she said, stressing that it is out of character for Troy to run away or not contact his family for this long.
She fears that he is buried somewhere and police won’t be able to find him — especially with the coming snow.
Troy’s brother, Dwight Saultier Jr., agreed that it’s not like him to disappear like this.
Dwight Saultier Jr., Troy’s older brother, says the family is seeking answers so they can have closure. (Felisha Adam/CBC)
“I would just like him to be back with us. We want answers,” said Dwight Jr.
O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation Chief Shirley Ducharme said Troy’s disappearance has left a “deep and painful void” in the First Nation, about 130 kilometres northwest of Thompson.
“Troy was a son, a brother, an uncle and a nephew. His disappearance has touched all of us,” Ducharme said.
She also said Troy’s disappearance is not an isolated case, pointing to a larger pattern of Indigenous men and boys going missing at an “alarming rate.”
The names of more than 250 Indigenous men and boys who went missing or were murdered in Manitoba have been collected in a recent database created by advocate Alaya McIvor.
“We need to ensure that Indigenous men and boys like Troy are not overlooked or forgotten,” Ducharme said.
“To those in power, we are demanding change. We will not stop searching, we will not stop asking questions and we will not let Troy’s story fade.”
Troy is described as five feet three inches tall and weighing 110 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing blue clothing, RCMP said in a previous release.
His family said he has tattoos on his right arm, including on his hand.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909 or 204-677-6911, or make an anonymous tip via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
