Arrest of suspect in 2007 killing of Métis woman 'lightens the load' for family, brings hope for other MMIWG
'In our wildest dreams, we never ever thought it would happen,' says relative of Crystal Saunders, 24
Dozens gathered around a sacred fire in Winnipeg's North End on Tuesday to remember a Métis woman found dead over a decade ago, after a suspect was arrested in connection with her death.
Crystal Saunders, 24, was last seen getting into a vehicle at the corner of Sargent Avenue and Sherbrook Street in Winnipeg on April 18, 2007.
The next morning, an off-duty police officer found the woman's remains in a ditch near St. Ambroise, a community about 80 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
Her killing remained unsolved for years, but 42-year-old Kevin Charles Queau was linked to Saunders's death thanks to advancements in DNA technology, Manitoba RCMP revealed Monday.
Cynthia Roulette, grandmother of Saunders's first cousin, told gatherers around the fire that her family never thought the day would come.
"It doesn't bring her back to us, but it lightens the load in our heart, and we know she's at peace," she said.
"Rest in peace, Crystal," said Roulette, before a fiddler began to play Amazing Grace.
On Monday, Manitoba RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson described Saunders as someone who was well-liked and friendly. He also said she struggled and was exploited.
An unknown man's DNA was found on Saunders's remains in 2007, but it was considered "insufficient" at the time to be placed in the national DNA databank, so the crime went unsolved for years.
Lasson said police caught a break in 2014, when advancements in technology found a link to the DNA sample. Queau, who is originally from Winnipeg, had been convicted of previous offences outside of Manitoba.
Queau was arrested in Vancouver over the weekend and charged with second-degree murder in Saunders's death, RCMP said. He is expected to be taken to Winnipeg in the coming days.
"In our wildest dreams, we never ever thought it would happen. Never," Roulette told CBC News at the Tuesday vigil.
"But it has. Creator is good."
WATCH | Vigil for Crystal Saunders Tuesday night:
People at the vigil sang and dropped pouches of tobacco into the sacred fire in tribute to Saunders.
Queau's arrest is welcome news to others whose loved ones are missing and murdered, like Sue Caribou, whose niece Tanya Nepinak went missing in 2011.
"When I saw the news, it gave me hope that there's going to be other families that will have that closure," Caribou told CBC News at the vigil.
"It took so long, but [Queau's] in jail now, and maybe the others that are out there will finally get caught with this new technology."
'A moment of closure'
Saunders was incorrectly identified as a member of Sagkeeng First Nation for years, but RCMP said Monday that she was in fact Métis.
Kat Patenaude, media relations advisor at the Manitoba Métis Federation, says the distinction is important.
"We need to know, because then we need to not just rally behind the family, but the community and communities that are affected by it," she told reporters at the event.
"It's sad when it happens to any one of our relatives, but it always hits that extra layer home when it's somebody from your own nation."
Patenaude said the MMF wanted to show their support for Saunders's family at the event.
Queau's arrest "gives hope … but it also reopens old wounds," she said.
"It's not a moment of celebration. It's a moment of closure."
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With files from Emily Brass and The Canadian Press