A Lac La Ronge Indian Band councillor in Grandmother’s Bay says you can’t put a price on bringing closure to the family of a missing person.
That’s why Leon Charles says his community was willing to spend over $100,000 to buy a remote underwater vehicle that eventually spotted the remains of an elder in Otter Lake.
The body of 66-year-old Solomon Roberts was found Saturday morning after 89 days of searching.
He had been missing for three months after going through the ice in his snowmobile.
Charles says it was a bittersweet moment when they brought the late elder’s body to the surface.
“Once we were able to find him and bring him to the surface, it was quite emotional – really emotional and mixed feelings,” he says. “I’m just happy we were able to do what we wanted to do – bring closure to the family and the community.”
Roberts’ body was found 500 metres away from where he went through the ice in November.
Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson says Roberts would often check the thickness of the ice as a community service.
“And he always would check the ice so that people would know when it was safe to cross or when the ice was thick enough for snowmobiling or for walking,” she says
Charles says Grandmother’s Bay is willing to send the underwater vehicle and trained volunteers to any northern community that finds itself in a similar situation.