The disappearance of Walker and her son prompted extensive land, air and water search teams, as well as a vigil and walkout held as people feared for their safety. The two were spotted in Oregon City, Ore., on Friday, but how and why they ended up south of the border after being presumed missing is still unclear. Saskatoon police said Friday that the couple was found safe after entering the country “illegally,” but few other details were released. People close to Walker say the fact that she and her son were found alive has been overshadowed by public speculation and criticism. “Her situation needs understanding and compassion and needs to be heard,” said Cathy Walker, Dawn’s younger sister. Kathy attended a rally of support for Dawn in Saskatoon on Sunday night. “[Dawn] she deserves our support, rather than pointing fingers,” he said. “I think we need to look at the larger system at play here and how that influenced her to take such drastic action.” Dawn is a prominent Indigenous author and senior official of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations who has been described as an advocate for other Indigenous women. The 48-year-old member of the Okanese First Nation was first reported missing to police on July 24 after friends and family had not heard from her – behavior deemed out of character. He was last seen on July 22 at a business in Saskatoon. On July 25, police found her truck and other personal belongings in Chief Whitecap Park, just south of Saskatoon near the South Saskatchewan River. Police learned that someone in the area had found Dawn’s purse a few days earlier. Emergency crews, community organizations and volunteers spent days searching around the South Saskatchewan River for Dawn and her child with no results. Kathy said it was an overwhelming sense of joy and relief to learn her sister and nephew were alive. “When we were looking, there were so many different possible scenarios that came up, and that — finding them alive and well was the best, and nothing else mattered at that time.”
Community members ask for patience
Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte said the joy has been overshadowed by people using social media to vilify Walker. “We really needed the public to try to understand that in these complex situations, when someone with that profile and ability and that intelligence, obviously something is critically, critically wrong,” he said while attending the rally of support in Saskatoon. “We don’t know. But it was enough to make him leave abruptly.” Okemaysim-Sicotte is the co-chair of Iskwewuk Ewichiwitochik (Women Walking Together), a grassroots group in Saskatoon that supports families of missing and murdered Indigenous women. She said people are angry about the resources being used to search for Dawn and the emotional toll felt by people worried that she and her son had been hurt. The conditions are confusing, he said, but urged people to be patient and wait for a fuller explanation. Dozens of people gathered at Chef Whitecap Park near Saskatoon for a candlelight vigil in support of Dawn Walker and her son when the mother-son duo was still reported missing. (Yasmine Ghania/CBC) In Regina, Joely Bigeagle-Kequahtooway released an emotional video on social media after she too read the negative reaction to Dawn online. “This poor woman is facing legal action and possibly the threat of having her son taken away from her, and what she needs is for the community to rally around her and support her, her mental well-being, her emotional and spiritual and physical well-being.” . he said. “…the police and these authorities, they just weren’t there for her. And the question that has to be asked is why?” An online fundraising campaign organized by Idle No More is running to support Dawn’s legal defence. $13,087 had been raised as of Monday morning. Saskatoon police said Friday their investigation was moving quickly. They are scheduled to hold a media briefing at 11 a.m. CST on Monday.
