The two families were found in a marsh near the borders of Quebec, Ontario and New York State. One infant is still missing.
AKWESASNE — After receiving calls about shouting heard near the St. Lawrence River Wednesday night, officers with the Akwesasne Mohawk Police headed out to patrol the waters.
But even with the use of night vision goggles, they couldn’t detect any sign of human activity in the choppy waters along the Quebec shoreline.
The next day, police found six, then eventually a total of eight bodies in a marshy area in the community that straddles the border between Ontario, Quebec and New York.
Police say the deceased — believed to be two families of Indian and Romanian descent — were trying to cross into the United States from Canada. Among them were two children under the age of three, both Canadian citizens.
“Unfortunately, these situations happen. It’s not something new,” Akwesasne Mohawk Police chief Shawn Dulude said of people trying to cross. “We’ve seen it happen in the past, and hopefully as we move forward … it’s something we can one day eliminate.”
The police search began when a man from Akwesasne, Casey Oakes, was reported missing on Thursday. The 30-year-old was last seen boarding a small, light blue boat on Wednesday night and is yet to be located.
A boat matching the same description was found in the water near where the bodies were discovered.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police deputy chief Lee-Ann O’Brien told reporters the water was choppy when Oakes boarded Wednesday night, around 9:30 p.m., with heavy winds and rain in the area.
Asked if she thought the boat was equipped to carry several people, she said she doesn’t believe so.
“It was a very small vessel, nothing fancy,” O’Brien said.
Police say they have intercepted 80 people trying to cross illegally into Canada or into the United States through the Mohawk territory since January.
O’Brien, however, said it was too soon to know whether the deaths can be linked to a smuggling network operating in the area.
She also stressed there is no reason to believe the deaths are a result of the recent closing of the Roxham Rd. irregular crossing.
“This has nothing to do with that closure,” O’Brien said. “That closure was people seeking refuge leaving the U.S. for Canada, these people were believed to be gaining entry into the U.S.”
Akwesasne police are working with Immigration Canada to assist with identifying the victims and notifying the next of kin. They are also increasing surveillance on the river.
“We’re trying our best,” O’Brien said. “We’re a very small police service.”
Asked about the calls received Wednesday night, Dulude said they came in around 9:30 p.m. and from his understanding, “they were not calls of distress or people screaming for help.”
“It wasn’t nothing out of the norm,” he said.
Authorities located the first body in the marsh around 5 p.m. on Thursday during an aerial search conducted at the request of the Canadian Coast Guard.
Throughout the day on Friday, search crews could be seen wading through a marshy area near the local marina with the help of a light airboat. A Sûreté du Québec helicopter also scanned the river.
The last two bodies, of a second infant and another woman, were retrieved from the water during the day.
Near the search site, a small crowd gathered outside a recreational centre to keep a condolence fire burning from early morning. Mental health experts were also on-site to support members of the community.
Down the road, Mae Lazore, whose backyard gives to the marsh in question, said residents are used to seeing people try to illegally cross the borders in the area.
Lazore, 58, often notices people getting dropped off at different places along the river or walking the road in the early morning hours.
“It’s been happening forever,” she said. Last year, photos shared in the community showed five people in a sinking boat. The people made it to shore, Lazore said, but probably only because the water was shallow.
“It needs to stop, or calm down or something,” Lazore said. “It’s pretty upsetting to know a baby passed, and a little child.”
In February, the Akwesasne police had issued a warning about a recent increase in “illegal entries through our lands and waterways.”
In a statement at the time, the police force reminded the community smuggling is a crime and spoke of migrants recently needing to be transported to hospital.
“While human smuggling in our community is a public safety concern, please be reminded that illegal immigrants are human beings,” the department wrote. “These individuals are still deserving of respect and should not be exploited for monetary gains.”
During a news conference in New Brunswick on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there are still many questions about what happened to the two families.
“This is a heartbreaking situation, particularly given the young child that was among them,” Trudeau said.
“We need to understand properly what happened,” he added. “And do whatever we can to make sure we are minimizing the chances of it happening again.”
Quebec Premier François Legault offered his condolences to the families, calling it a horrible tragedy, as did Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
“No one should have to go through such an ordeal,” Plante wrote on Twitter.
Akwesasne straddles the border between Ontario, Quebec and New York and has long been used to smuggle goods between the U.S. and Canada.
The Tsi Snaihne district where the bodies were found lies on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, east of Akwesasne’s Kana:takon district and the southern portion of the community in the U.S.
On Friday afternoon, police said the search for Oakes will continue into the weekend.
When Oakes was last seen, he was boarding a boat from the east end of Cornwall Island. He was wearing a black vest, face mask and tuque.
Despite the circumstances, police said it was too early to draw a direct link between his disappearance and the deaths.
Oakes was charged last year at the Valleyfield courthouse with the Criminal Code offence of operating “a conveyance in a manner that, having regard to all of the circumstances, is dangerous to the public.”
He was also charged with assault with a weapon. The case was investigated by Akwesasne police.
When he failed to show up in court on July 18 as ordered, a warrant for his arrest was issued. He was apprehended in August and was released on bail. The next date in his case is scheduled for the end of May.
With files from Paul Cherry of the Montreal Gazette.
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