After an 81-day search for Frank Young, his community gathered to lay him to rest.
The funeral service for the five-year-old was held in his home community of Shoal Lake on Friday.
More than 250 community leaders, friends, classmates and relatives attended the service for Young, who went missing from a home on Red Cree Nation on April 19th.
Following a more than two-month search, Young’s body was found on July 9 in the Carrot River, which runs through the community, not far from where he was last seen.
Toys and decorations of his favourite cartoon show, Paw Patrol, lined tables as community leaders paid their respects to the boy whose story captured the hearts of Canadians.
“It will take time to heal,” said Tammy Cook-Searson, who lost her son in a drowning incident 29 years ago. “There will be challenging days ahead.”
“There will still be a lot of questions.”
She encouraged Young’s parents to draw on the support of the community and to understand the grieving process.
“You can’t blame anybody. You just have to find a way to support each other and to also seek help.”
More than 600 volunteers from all over Western Canada came to help with the search, while donations, prayers, and thoughts came from across the country.
Shoal Lake Cree Nation Chief Marcel Head said those donations will help build a memorial at the location where Young was discovered.
“We walked with you during those times of searching,” he said to the family, as he offered his condolences.
He also said the two communities of Red Earth and Shoal Lake would continue to stand by their family in their time of need.
“To help ease that frustration, to help ease that anger.”
Police say there was no indication of suspicious activity or foul play, but the investigation continues.
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