Public asked to search properties, buildings for anything ‘out of the ordinary’
The father of a young boy missing since late July has issued a statement appealing to the public for help.
Andrew Jansen has not seen Vincent “Vinnie” Jansen, 7, since July 22. The boy’s mother, Dawn Walker, is also missing.
“I am desperately begging for your help in spreading the word of their disappearance even further,” Jansen wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
He said that everyone in Saskatchewan needs to know what Walker and his son look like.
On July 25, RCMP located Walker’s truck at Chief Whitecap Park, near the Riverside Country Club. Some of Walker’s personal items were found nearby, but there was no trace of her or her child.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Greg Abbott said police searched by air, land and water so far for Walker and her son, but nothing new had been found over the weekend. He said RCMP’s general investigations unit is working with police from Saskatoon.
Walker, 48, also known as Dawn Dumont Walker, served as chief of staff for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations for 10 years and is an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Andrew described Vincent as a loving, thoughtful boy, whose smile, laughter and energy lights up the house “from morning to night.” Now, he wrote, their house feels empty.
“Our hearts are filled with concern and are aching without him. His little sister looks up to him, always following him around, trying to get into his room and bugging him when he attempts to play video games without her,” Andrew wrote.
Call for public help
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) on Tuesday called on the public to help where they can. Okanese First Nation Chief Richard Stonechild said any little tidbit of information could be helpful.
“We’re going to do everything we can to support these efforts and bring closure to this investigation, to bring closure to the family,” Stonechild said.
“If you can take some time to check your property, to check your home. Whatever properties you may have in the rural areas: check the abandoned buildings for anything that’s out of the ordinary.”
No indication of abduction, no Amber Alert: police
Investigators involved with the search for Vincent and Walker said on Tuesday that the criteria have not been met to issue an Amber Alert for the boy since there is no indication of an abduction.
Still, Saskatoon Police Service Staff Sgt. Grant Obst said, “Our investigators are looking at all the considerations.” He added that numerous organizations were now involved with the search efforts for Walker and Vincent.
FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said the organization would continue to treat Vincent and Walker’s disappearance as if it were an Amber Alert.
The FSIN is offering a reward for information leading to Walker or Vincent’s discovery, though no details were shared on Tuesday about what that reward would be.
Cameron says more information will be released about the reward in the coming days, with approval from the family and from chief and council.
In his statement, Andrew also said he has started a Gofundme appeal to fund a possible reward and his search efforts.