Jeanette Chief, left, and Violet Heathen were last seen alive in the same city on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Photo of Chief by CBC News, photo of Heathen from family via CBC
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced charges against a man accused of murdering two women from the Onion Lake Cree Nation. Jeanette Chief was 48 when she went missing on June 1, 2007. Her body was found a few days later in a river. Violet Heathen was 49 when she went missing on May 15, 2009. Her body was found on November 7, 2009. Both women were last seen alive in Lloydminster, a city that lies on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan. They were from the Onion Lake Cree Nation, whose reserves are located about 30 miles north and also straddle the border.
An aerial view of Lloydminster City Hall looking North along the Alberta / Saskatchewan border. Photo by Jason Whiting via Wikimedia Commons
Authorities say Gordon Alfred Rogers, 59, killed both women. He was arrested on Tuesday and the charges were filed on Wednesday. "The RCMP utilized members from several specialized units in both provinces during the course of the two murder investigations," the agency said in a press release. The RCMP held a press conference on Friday and Tom Chief, Jeanette Chief's nephew, read a statement on behalf of the family. A statement on behalf of Violet Heathen was also read. Get the Story:
Mounties reveal details after charging Alberta man with 2007, 2009 murders of aboriginal women (The Edmonton Journal 3/25)
Red Deer man charged in murders of two Onion Lake women (CBC 3/24)
RCMP identify Alberta man charged in deaths of two aboriginal women (CP 3/24)
Red Deer man charged with murder in historic homicides of women near Lloydminster (Global News 3/24)
Alberta man arrested in connection with death of two women (CBC 3/23)
Man charged with murder in deaths of Jeanette Chief, Violet Heathen near Lloydminster (The Saskatoon StarPhoenix 3/23)
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