Saskatchewan Foster Death

August 25, 2013 permalink

Saskatchewan foster boy Lee Allan Bonneau has died. The six-year-old died on the grounds of the Kahkewistahaw First Nation while under care of the provincial Ministry of Social Services.

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Community in shock over boy's death

By Kerry Benjoe, Leader-Post, With Files From Vanessa Brown August 24, 2013

Lee Allan Bonneau was pronounced dead on Aug. 22, 2013, hours after he was reported missing on the Kahkewistahaw First Nation

Photograph by: Supplied photo , courtesy RCMP

The Kahkewistahaw First Nation is a community in mourning, its chief said on Friday.

"We are working with a crisis team to ensure the families are supported during this time of grief,"said Chief Sheldon Taypotat. "We are a small community and a tragedy such as this affects us deeply."

He extended condolences on behalf of the chief and council to the family of sixyear-old Lee Allan Bonneau on Friday afternoon, at a news conference held on the First Nation, 12 kilometres northeast of Broadview.

The little boy was found fatally injured on the First Nation shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. He was transported to hospital in Broadview where he died of his injuries.

Taypotat made the statement beside the Kahkewistahaw Education and Sports Complex where the little boy was last seen on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., playing with dogs.

Bonneau's mother described her son as a funloving boy with a deep laugh who loved the outdoors, in a statement released by the RCMP.

Instead of getting him ready for Grade 2, the family is now preparing his funeral.

"We respectfully ask for your prayers for the families affected by this," Taypotat said.

He said the site where searchers found Bonneau is considered sacred. Plans are underway to host traditional First Nation ceremonies there in his honour.

Although several community members were present for the news conference, they quickly left after the chief made his statement.

Raymond Shingoose, executive director of Yorkton Tribal Council Child and Family Services, said Bonneau was not in the care of his agency.

However, YTCCFS was providing support services for the community because Kahkewistahaw falls under the agency's jurisdiction,

"Just like any community this can happen anywhere in Saskatchewan or Canada," he said. "(The community) is taking it quite hard and we are doing whatever we can to provide what we can in any way possible."

He said the agency is working closely with the community, the RCMP and with the Ministry of Social Services.

Shingoose said he did not have any information to explain why Bonneau was on the First Nation.

The province has confirmed the boy was in the care of the Ministry of Social Services.

Bonneau was reported missing by his caregiver at 10 p.m. Searchers located the critically injured boy 20 minutes later, in an open area along a tree line, with injuries that investigators have determined are consistent with a suspicious sudden death.

On Thursday, RCMP Major Crime Unit - South, Regina RCMP Forensic Identification Services, and Regina RCMP Police Dog Services conducted a thorough search of the area. Investigators obtained statements from witnesses.

Friday afternoon, RCMP prepared to launch the dragonfly - a helicopter with a camera - to aid in the investigation.

"It is used in these types of investigations to get a bird'seye view of the scene itself," RCMP spokesman Sgt. Craig Cleary said.

"The big thing that we are waiting on right now is the cause of death from the autopsy," said Cleary.

So far, no charges have been laid and no one is in custody.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about Bonneau's death to contact Broadview RCMP at 306-696-5200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

kbenjoe@leaderpost.com

Source: Saskatoon StarPhoenix