Death of First Nations teen in Thunder Bay surrounded by mystery, lawyer says

"Big questions" remain about how the body of a First Nations teenager turned up in river three months after the boy was last seen in 2011 in Thunder Bay, Ont., according to his family's lawyer.

Christa Big Canoe represents the families of six of the seven First Nations students whose deaths in Thunder Bay are the subject of an inquest, including the parents of Jordan Wabasse.

Friends of the 15-year-old testified at the inquest that they watched him get off a city transit bus a short distance from his boarding home on the night of Feb. 7, 2011. His body was found on May 10, 2011 nearly two kilometres away, in the Kaministiquia River.

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"There's a big time lapse and a big distance lapse that's not really explainable by any evidence yet," Big Canoe said.

The Wabasse case stands out for another reason, she said.

"This is the first case where we don't hear of other people being with the deceased youth prior to death," Big Canoe said. "So it leaves a lot of big questions like who actually saw Jordan last."

The family also wants to know if the Thunder Bay police investigation into Wabasse's death remains open and, if so, whether it is being actively investigated, she said.

Wabasse came to the city in the fall of 2010 from Webequie First Nation, with dreams of playing organized hockey at an indoor rink and plans to attend school.

In Webequie, the high school has three portables and few course options. Hockey is played outside after the rink is shoveled by hand.

Testimony about Wabasse is expected to wrap up on Thursday. That will mark the end of first phase of the inquest that began in October and examined each of the seven deaths individually.

The second phase of the inquest begins in February when experts will be called to give contextual evidence about the lives of First Nations students in Thunder Bay.

The inquest is scheduled to end in March with recommendations from the jury about how to prevent future deaths.

Watch live streaming video from the First Nation student deaths inquest here.

Follow CBC Thunder Bay reporter Jody Porter as she tweets from the inquest.