'It's a tough haul': 3 years after she disappeared, family of Happy Charles seeks closure

Three years after she was last seen, the family of Happy Charles says they just want closure.

The 42-year-old woman was last seen on April 3, 2017, in Prince Albert, Sask.

Police in Prince Albert continue to investigate her disappearance, and on Friday, they appealed to the public for any information about where she is.

Carson Poitras, Charles's step-father, said the last year has presented its own challenges to the family. 

While they were able to check a few areas, Poitras said the family wasn't able to search as much this year as they have in the past.

He said he underwent open heart surgery in January of this year and prior to that, he had undergone multiple other heart-related procedures in 2019. 

"It's tough too, because we know with the timelines, things aren't going to be very pretty when we do find something," he said.

"We're really hoping that with the media exposure that somebody might grow a conscience and let police know, or let us know where we can find our daughter and bring her home."

He said at this point, the family isn't even looking for a conviction on the matter — they just want to know what happened to Happy Charles.

Adding to their personal pains, human remains were found near Prince Albert in December 2019. The family thought they may have been Charles's, but they turned out to be those of 30-year-old Dylan Chretien.

Poitras said that was particularly hard on Charles's daughters, who have had their own ups and downs through the past year.

"They try to deal with things on their own sometimes, and sometimes it hits them pretty hard," he said. 

Regina Poitras, Charles's mother, took to Facebook on Friday sharing her thoughts to mark the day her daughter went missing.

"You shattered our lives, you showed us how vulnerable we all are. You taught us desperation, we learned patience," she wrote. 

"You taught us fear, we learned our strengths. You showed us the evil in the world. We found the love and the help of friends, family and strangers."

'You get hopeful'

Poitras said the Prince Albert Police Service dedicated an officer to Charles's disappearance, but so far, there haven't been any breaks in the case. 

"I know she's working hard, as well as the P.A. police force — they're really watching out, finding any clues about the whereabouts of our daughter," Carson Poitras said.

"It's a tough haul. It really is. You hear things, you get hopeful, you think you're going to get the answers, and then you end up with nothing. It's a roller-coaster of a ride that we're on."

Charles was last seen in the vicinity of the Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, at 45-20th Street W.

She's described as having brown hair and eyes, a scar on her left cheek, and a tattoo of a rose on her right hand. Charles is five feet, one inch tall and weighs 115 pounds.

"Whatever the truth is, the family and all those connected deserve to know what happened to their loved one," Prince Albert Police Service Sgt. Kathy Edwardsen said. 

"We urge anyone who has any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward and help police find the truth."

Anyone with information about Charles's disappearance is asked to contact Prince Albert Police at 306-953-4222 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.