Shannon Alexander 17 & Maisy Odjick 16, Msg 09/06/08, Kitigan Zibi in Quebec Canada

[sarahhod]

SEARCH FOR MISSING GIRLS


OTTAWA (Sun Media) -- The organizers of a search for two teenage girls who went missing last fall are hoping the melted snow will turn up, at best, a clue about their disappearance, at worst, two bodies.
A bus will take Ottawa volunteers to the Maniwaki, Quebec and Kitigan Zibi First Nation reserve May 2 to scour the area where Shannon Alexander, 17, and Maisy Odjick, 16, disappeared.
The girls went missing from their native community of Kitigan Zibi in Quebec, 150 kms north of Ottawa, on Sept. 6, 2008.
Police, family and friends have no clues, saying only that they do not believe the girls ran away. Odjick and Alexander left behind wallets and clothes.
They're hoping the girls are alive and safe somewhere, but are prepared to learn they're not. Last week, the body of 17-year-old Tara Lyn Poorman was found after a snowbank melted in Regina. Poorman had been at a party on Dec. 12 and hadn't been seen since.

http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1535980

[sarahhod]

April 10, 2009—16-11 (http://www.nationnews.ca/index.php?option=com_zine&view=issue&id=23:april-10-2009-16-11)



In Brief

Volunteers Needed in the Search for Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander


The families of Maisy Odjick, 16, and Shannon Alexander, 17, have joined forces with the team from Search and Global One in an ongoing effort to recover clues to the teens’ whereabouts.
The girls, who are both from the Algonquin Kitigan Zibi reserve near Maniwaki, Quebec, disappeared last September 5. At the time, police listed the girls as runaways despite the fact that they disappeared without personal effects, such as their purses which contained their identification and money.
The search will resume on Saturday, May 2, within the Kitigan Zibi and Maniwaki. Food and drinks will be available for all volunteers.
Shannon Alexander is 5'9, has pierced ears and weighs about 145 pounds with brown eyes and short black hair.
Maisy Odjick is 5'9, has brown eyes and hair, and weighs 130 lbs. She has two piercing on her bottom lip and one on left nostril.
All those looking to volunteer can find more info at: http://findmaisyandshannon.com (http://findmaisyandshannon.com/)

[sarahhod]

[/URL]
MONDAY DECEMBER 1, 2008

A Reward of $10,000 has
been posted. Please
circulate this information
wherever you can. The
more people who know
about Maisy and Shannon,
the closer we might get to
finding them.

http://findmaisyandshannon.com/sitebuilder/images/MAISY3-171x177.jpg
http://findmaisyandshannon.com/sitebuilder/images/shannon_small-147x178.jpg

[URL]http://findmaisyandshannon.com/ (http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/serving_ottawa/major_crime/missing_main.cfm)

[sarahhod]

Missing Kids: Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander

2008 October 6

From Tony Romeyn of I AM MiSSING (http://iammissing.ca/)

http://hazel8500.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/image001.jpg?w=236&h=175 (http://hazel8500.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/image001.jpg)

Shannon Alexander is five-foot-nine, weighs about 145 pounds and has brown eyes and short, dark brown hair. She has facial acne, pierced ears and wears a silver necklace with a feather on it.
Maisy Odjick is described as about six feet tall and weighing 119 to 125 pounds. She has short brown hair, a pierced left nostril and two piercings on her lower lip.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of any of the missing girls, please call Ottawa Police at 613-236-1222, Sureté du Québec at 819-310-4141 or the Kitigan Zibi Police Dept. at 819-449-6000.
Parents plead for girls’ Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander safe return

Friends went missing from reserve north of Ottawa last month
Brendan Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, October 04, 2008
OTTAWA-With their teenage daughters now missing for a month and no leads as to where they might be, the parents of Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander fought through tears on Saturday to ask anyone with informati
on about the girls’ whereabouts to come forward.
“I just want my daughter home, so I can hear her voice again,” said a near-sobbing Laurie Odjick, Maisy’s mother.
Bryan Alexander, Shannon’s father, appealed directly to his daughter.
“I don’t care what situation you think you’re in, I don’t care, we’ll fix it when you come home,” he said. “I miss you, baby.”
Maisy, 16, and Shannon, 17, have been missing from the Kitigan Zimi Anishinabeg First Nation near Maniwaki, Que. - about 130 kilometres north of Ottawa - since Sept. 5.
Mr. Alexander was the last person to see the girls that day, when he left them at his home to help paint his son’s house in Ottawa. He said he gave each of the girls some money, made sure there was food in the fridge and told them he’d be back in a day or two. When he returned, there was no sign of either of them, and all of their belongings, including their clothes and wallets, were still at home. There was also no sign of forced entry.
Their parents said the girls are best friends and they are believed to still be together.
The families and friends of the missing teens have set up a website at www.findmaisyandshannon.com (http://www.findmaisyandshannon.com), as well as a Facebook group, where they are collecting donations for a reward to give to anyone who provides information that leads to the girls’ safe return. So far, they have collected more than $4,000.
Police have received reports of several apparent sightings of the girls on both sides of the Ottawa River, but all have been proven wrong or are unconfirmed.
The RCMP’s aboriginal liaison officer, Cpl. L.W. Russett, said the investigation is no further along today than when it began last month.
“Nothing has surfaced. There’s no new positive intelligence,” he said, adding that the search has now expanded to Ottawa.
Ms. Odjick and Mr. Alexander were joined yesterday by the country’s most prominent aboriginal leader, who added a renewed sense of urgency to the search for the teens.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine said the response when First Nations women go missing is often too little, too late.
“(Maisy’s and Shannon’s) disappearance is just one more example of the lack of attention paid when our young women go missing,” he said, adding the complacency is rooted in racism and discrimination. “What we see nationally is brought home to us here with this situation.”
Only two weeks ago, a group called Walk4Justice walked from British Columbia to Parliament Hill to demand a public inquiry into the 3,000 unsolved cases of missing and murdered Canadian women. Some estimates say as many as 80 per cent of the women are aboriginal.
Mingling with Ms. Odjick’s and Mr. Alexander’s obvious pain was anger with the lack of attention given to their children.
“What angers me is that Boomer the lion got more attention and press than these children have had and they deserve more than that,” Ms. Odjick said, referring to the lion cub who broke out of its owner’s care and was running loose around the Kitigan Zibi reserve last May.
Following the press conference was the third annual Sisters in Spirit vigil on Parliament Hill, organized by the Native Women’s Association of Canada to honour the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
Shannon Alexander is five-foot-nine, weighs about 145 pounds and has brown eyes and short, dark brown hair. She has facial acne, pierced ears and wears a silver necklace with a feather on it.
Maisy Odjick is described as about six feet tall and weighing 119 to 125 pounds. She has short brown hair, a pierced left nostril and two piercings on her lower lip.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of any of the missing girls, please call Ottawa Police at 613-236-1222, Sureté du Québec at 819-310-4141 or the Kitigan Zibi Police Dept. at 819-449-6000.

http://hazel8500.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/missing-kids-maisy-odjick-and-shannon-alexander/

[sarahhod]

Missing Persons

Have you seen Maisy or Shannon?

http://www.ottawapolice.ca/images/shannon_alexander.jpg SHANNON ALEXANDER, age 17, of Kitigan Zibi First Nation, Quebec, has been missing since September 5, 2008, from the Maniwaki Quebec area.
Shannon has brown eyes and brown/black hair. She has acne and pierced ears. Shannon wears a silver necklace with a feather on it. She has a scar on her left knee.
Shannon is believed to be with her friend Maisy Odjick, who has also been missing since September 5, 2008.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Shannon, please contact Sûreté du Québec at 819-310-4141, or the Kitigan Zibi Police Deptartment at 819-449-6000.


http://www.ottawapolice.ca/images/maisy_odjick.jpg MAISY ODJICK, age 16, of Kitigan Zibi First Nation, Quebec, has been missing since September 5, 2008 from the Maniwaki Quebec area.
Maisy has brown eyes and black hair. She has a pierced left nostril and two piercings on her bottom lip.
Maisy is believed to be with her friend Shannon Alexander, who has also been missing since September 5, 2008.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Maisy please contact Sûreté du Québec at 819-310-4141, or the Kitigan Zibi Police Deptartment at 819-449-6000.

http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/serving_ottawa/major_crime/missing_main.cfm

[sarahhod]

Help Find Maisy and Shannon (http://missingjustice.mvmnt.ca/?p=131)

By admin (http://missingjustice.mvmnt.ca/?author=1) | Published: April 15, 2009

http://missingjustice.mvmnt.ca/wp-content/uploads/maisy3-171x177.jpghttp://missingjustice.mvmnt.ca/wp-content/uploads/shannon_small-147x178.jpg
Maisy Odjick, 16, (left) and Shannon Alexander, 17, (right) went missing from their reserve, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation (close to Maniwaki and Ottawa) on September 5th, 2008, just days before the Walk4Justice rally hit Ottawa. Numerous First Nations women and men had just walked from Vancouver to Ottawa to raise awareness about violence aganist Indigenous girls and women, and they arrived at parliament with a list of 3000 names of missing and murdered women that they had compiled along the way, only to discover there were two more names to add to the list. The list was presented to the government (one of Harper’s aids), and was accompanied by a call for an inquiry into the many unresolved, uninvestigated, untalked about cases.
Maisy Odjick is about six-feet tall and weighs 119 to 125 pounds. She has short brown hair, a pierced left nostril and two piercings on her lower lip.
Shannon Alexander is five-foot-nine, weighs around 145 pounds and has brown eyes and short, dark-brown hair. She has facial acne, pierced ears and wears a silver necklace with a feather on it.
Despite the fact that both girls’ belongings, including their wallets with money still inside, were left behind, police spent months speculating about whether or not they had run away, and several “sightings” were apparently had in various Ontario towns in recent months. None of these sightings have been confirmed, however, and no real information on either of the girls’ whereabouts has yet been found. Their disappearance is viewed as highly suspicious. Their families continue to worry and live with horrible uncertatinty.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Maisy or Shannon, please call 1-819-449-6000 to contact the band police department.
For more information, or to donate money for a reward, visit http://findmaisyandshannon.com/index.html.


http://missingjustice.mvmnt.ca/

[sarahhod]

http://ca.missingkids.com/photographs/RCMP20081229348c2.jpg
Case Handled By:http://ca.missingkids.com/orglogos/RCMP_en_CA.gif The Royal Canadian Mounted Police - (877) 318-3576

MAISY ODJICKCase Type: MissingDOB: 6-Nov-1991Missing Date: Sex: FemaleAge Now: 17Height: 185 cm (6'0")Missing City: GATINEAUWeight: 54 kg (119 lbs)Missing State : QUEBECHair Color: BrownMissing Country: CanadaEye Color: BrownCase Number: RCMP20081229348Circumstances: Shannon Alexander and Maisy Odjick are missing. They were last seen in the Gatineau, Quebec area.

http://ca.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=20081229348&orgPrefix=RCMP&seqNum=2&caseLang=en_CA&searchLang=en_CA

[sarahhod]

http://ca.missingkids.com/photographs/RCMP20081229348c1.jpg
Case Handled By:http://ca.missingkids.com/orglogos/RCMP_en_CA.gif The Royal Canadian Mounted Police - (877) 318-3576

SHANNON ALEXANDERCase Type: MissingDOB: 29-Mar-1991Missing Date: Sex: FemaleAge Now: 18Height: 176 cm (5'9")Missing City: GATINEAUWeight: 64 kg (141 lbs)Missing State : QUEBECHair Color: BlackMissing Country: CanadaEye Color: BrownCase Number: RCMP20081229348Circumstances: Shannon Alexander and Maisy Odjick are missing. They were last seen in the Gatineau, Quebec area.

http://ca.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=20081229348&orgPrefix=RCMP&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_CA&searchLang=en_CA

[Roamer]

http://findmaisyandshannon.com/index.html

Moreover, Amnesty International is
generously donating a bus for search
volunteers leaving from Ottawa to Kitigan
Zibi on Saturday May 2nd. Please consult
here (http://www.findmaisyandshannon.com/Call-for-Volunteers.html) or the 'Volunteers' tab above for
more information.

[sarahhod]

(http://www.ctv.ca/mar/photo.html?pname=http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20090423/450_ott_missing_poster_090423.jpg&win_width=645.0&description=Shannon Alexander (left) and Maisy Odjick (right) have been missing since Sept. 5, 2008.&slug=Natives_Missing_090423)
http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20090423/160_ott_missing_poster_090423.jpg
Shannon Alexander (left) and Maisy Odjick (right) have been missing since Sept. 5, 2008.

http://www.ctv.ca/mar/images/p.gif Missing Que. teens highlight native disappearances

Updated Thu. Apr. 23 2009 6:27 PM ET
The Canadian Press

MONTREAL -- The mysterious disappearance of two teens from a northwestern Quebec town and the lack of exposure that has followed is symptomatic of a double standard toward missing native women, rights' advocates say.
The search will resume on May 2 for Maisy Odjick, 16, and Shannon Alexander, 17, best friends who have been missing for more than seven months.
A group of volunteer searchers will focus on an area in Maniwaki, Que., a small town about 140 kilometres north of Ottawa that borders the Kitigan Zibi First Nation reserve.
Laurie Odjick says not knowing what has happened to her daughter has been a nightmare.
"It's just not knowing, not knowing if she's still alive," she said in an interview Thursday.
"We have hope that she is still alive ... but we need closure either way."
Police initially believed the best friends had simply run away, but relatives of both girls insisted some other fate had befallen them because they left the apartment of Alexander's father with little more than the clothes on their back.
Odjick has had issues with the way police have investigated the case. Despite the time that has lapsed, she said police still seem to think the girls have run away.
"I don't think they have (changed their hypothesis) -- I can count on one hand how many times the police officers have called me here at home," Odjick said.
"Every time they talk to me, they make that assumption -- 'where do you think they went?"'
Native organizations said cases of missing native women are too often dismissed by police and ignored by mainstream media.
By the time a response comes, it's often too late, said Ellen Gabriel, president of Quebec Native Women.
A study by the Native Women's Association of Canada has documented 513 cases involving aboriginal women who have disappeared or been killed since 1980.
The majority -- nearly 75 per cent -- have gone unsolved.
"This is a situation that demands the public's attention," Gabriel said.
"We want to see police forces and judges and politicians to be as alarmed at this situation as we are."
Mainstream media are also complicit, often ignoring stories involving native women, she said.
"Laurie Odjick said there was no attention when her daughter and Shannon went missing," Gabriel said.
"But when Boomer the cat went missing the media had helicopters, there was all kinds of attention for the lion cub in the same community."
Odjick said it's hard not to compare her daughter's case with other high-profile disappearances and the difference in the way they have been treated.
In particular, she points to the case of Brandon Crisp, a 15-year-old from Barrie, Ont., who was also believed to have run away and who was found dead after widespread searches and heavy media attention.
"We had no search team, there was no media involved, there was nothing," Odjick said.
"When I made my plea for help, there was no one there. To me, we weren't important enough."
Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, a Quebec victims' rights advocate, says a single police force -- specialized to deal with such cases -- should investigate all such disappearances in the province.
The fact two separate police forces -- Kitigan Zibi police and Quebec provincial police -- are investigating the case reveals a jurisdictional problem that has officers working at cross-purposes.
Police also did not heed the family's repeated pleas that the teens could not have run away.
"We find that's the case often, the hypothesis of the family doesn't match that of the police," Boisvenu said.
"Police need to listen more to what the family is telling them."
Odjick is still holding out hope her daughter's alive and says she will solve her daughter's disappearance
"Nothing was done for these girls," Odjick said.
"I know my daughter's rights were violated because she didn't get a proper investigation."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090423/Natives_Missing_090423/20090423?hub=Canada

[sarahhod]

Case of missing Quebec teens highlights lax attitude to native disappearances

April 23, 2009 7:10 p.m.


MONTREAL - The mysterious disappearance of two teens from a northwestern Quebec town and the lack of exposure that has followed is symptomatic of a double standard toward missing native women, rights' advocates say.

The search will resume on May 2 for Maisy Odjick, 16, and Shannon Alexander, 17, best friends who have been missing for more than seven months.

A group of volunteer searchers will focus on an area in Maniwaki, Que., a small town about 140 kilometres north of Ottawa that borders the Kitigan Zibi First Nation reserve.

Laurie Odjick says not knowing what has happened to her daughter has been a nightmare.

"It's just not knowing, not knowing if she's still alive," she said in an interview Thursday.

"We have hope that she is still alive ... but we need closure either way."

Police initially believed the best friends had simply run away, but relatives of both girls insisted some other fate had befallen them because they left the apartment of Alexander's father with little more than the clothes on their back.

Odjick has had issues with the way police have investigated the case. Despite the time that has lapsed, she said police still seem to think the girls have run away.

"I don't think they have (changed their hypothesis) - I can count on one hand how many times the police officers have called me here at home," Odjick said.

"Every time they talk to me, they make that assumption - 'where do you think they went?"'

Native organizations said cases of missing native women are too often dismissed by police and ignored by mainstream media.

By the time a response comes, it's often too late, said Ellen Gabriel, president of Quebec Native Women.

A study by the Native Women's Association of Canada has documented 513 cases involving aboriginal women who have disappeared or been killed since 1980.

The majority - nearly 75 per cent - have gone unsolved.

"This is a situation that demands the public's attention," Gabriel said.

"We want to see police forces and judges and politicians to be as alarmed at this situation as we are."

Mainstream media are also complicit, often ignoring stories involving native women, she said.

"Laurie Odjick said there was no attention when her daughter and Shannon went missing," Gabriel said.

"But when Boomer the cat went missing the media had helicopters, there was all kinds of attention for the lion cub in the same community."

Odjick said it's hard not to compare her daughter's case with other high-profile disappearances and the difference in the way they have been treated.

In particular, she points to the case of Brandon Crisp, a 15-year-old from Barrie, Ont., who was also believed to have run away and who was found dead after widespread searches and heavy media attention.

"We had no search team, there was no media involved, there was nothing," Odjick said.

"When I made my plea for help, there was no one there. To me, we weren't important enough."

Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, a Quebec victims' rights advocate, says a single police force - specialized to deal with such cases - should investigate all such disappearances in the province.

The fact two separate police forces - Kitigan Zibi police and Quebec provincial police - are investigating the case reveals a jurisdictional problem that has officers working at cross-purposes.

Police also did not heed the family's repeated pleas that the teens could not have run away.

"We find that's the case often, the hypothesis of the family doesn't match that of the police," Boisvenu said.

"Police need to listen more to what the family is telling them."

Odjick is still holding out hope her daughter's alive and says she will solve her daughter's disappearance

"Nothing was done for these girls," Odjick said.

"I know my daughter's rights were violated because she didn't get a proper investigation."


On the web: http://www.findmaisyandshannon.com/

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/canada/article/218079--case-of-missing-quebec-teens-highlights-lax-attitude-to-native-disappearances

[Roamer]

I agree with them in this case. There is never enough attention paid to Native Americans in this country or in Canada.

[packy]

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Mother+renews+plea+help+find+missing+girls/1527465/story.html

OTTAWA — Laurie Odjick, mother of one of two teen girls missing from the Maniwaki area for almost 8 months, made a renewed plea for help Thursday while announcing that a second co-ordinated search for the girls will take place May 2.


“I am making a plea for anyone to come down to help us with the search,” Odjick said, struggling through tears, at a press conference at a downtown hotel.

A $10,000 reward — made up of donations from friends and supportive organizations — is being offered by the families for any information that leads to Maisy’s and Shannon’s safe return.


For the first few months of the investigation, the KZPD exclusively handled Maisy’s file while the SQ had Shannon’s, but the two police forces have since combined both files. (more at link)

[Claycat]

These were tall, beautiful young women! This is so sad!

I agree. If you are from a different ethnic background or poor, LE and media don't pay nearly the attention they ought too!

[sarahhod]

Lab to determine if bones found near Maniwaki are human

The Ottawa Citizen
May 11, 2009 9:02 AM


OTTAWA — Quebec provincial police have sent bones found near Maniwaki, where two teenaged girls disappeared last summer, for lab analysis to see whether they are human.
The bones were found by Kitigan-Zibi police about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, and they called in the provincial police.
The bones were found beside Road 107 near Road 117 in Grand-Remous. A police spokesman in Montreal didn't know who first noticed the bones.
It was too late at night to investigate the scene, so officers stayed there all night. On Sunday morning more investigators arrived from Montreal to take photos and remove the bones. They've been sent for lab analysis, but for the moment no one knows whether they are human or from an animal.
Maisy Odjick, 17, and Shannon Alexander, 18, were last seen in the area on Sept. 5, 2008. Their family has been frustrated by the lack of clues to their disappearance.
Police said it will take several days at least to get information about the bones.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/determine+bones+found+near+Maniwaki+human/1584417/story.html

[sarahhod]

Remains found near Quebec First Nation sent for assessment

Last Updated: Monday, May 11, 2009


Bone remains found near the Kitigan Zibi First Nation community in Quebec over the weekend are being tested to see if they are of human origin, according to provincial police.
Police said they found the remains off a gravel road north of the reserve where Highway 107 and Highway 117 meet, about 145 kilometres north of Ottawa.
The remains have not been confirmed as human, said police, and there is no reason to connect the discovery with the disappearance of two teenagers from the reserve in September.
Shannon Alexander, 17, and Maisy Odjick, 16, went missing from the Maniwaki community on Sept. 6, 2008.
News of the discovery has many in the community fearing the worst.
"I'm thinking about the two girls," said Maria Buckshot who lives in the community.
"Because, it could be anything. It could be anywhere. We are still in shock, very much," she said. "My husband and I, we pray every day — safe return for them. But so far, we haven't heard anything."
The police said they expected to know the results of the tests on the remains later this week.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/05/11/ottawa-kitigan-zibi-remains-first-nation.html

[Faith]

May 11, 2009
The Search for Maisy and Shannon

http://www.dominionpaper.ca/files/imagecache/weblog/weblogs-img/MAISY3-171x177_0.jpg?http://www.dominionpaper.ca/files/imagecache/weblog/weblogs-img/shannon_small-147x178_0.jpg?

http://www.dominionpaper.ca/files/imagecache/weblog/weblogs-img/p1060297_0.jpg?http://www.dominionpaper.ca/files/imagecache/weblog/weblogs-img/p1060318_0.jpg?http://www.dominionpaper.ca/files/imagecache/weblog/weblogs-img/p1060357_0.jpg?

On May 2nd, the search for Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander continued, on the Kitigan Zibi reserve, 8 months after the two girls went missing. The search was organized by the Odjick family, with the help of Amnesty International, which donated 2 buses to help transport volunteers from Ottawa who wished to help with the search. The two buses were filled, and many more showed up on top of that. All in all, over 240 people came to help scour the woods around the reserve for any clue at all that might lead to answers. Four member of the Missing Justice collective in Montreal attended.

The search was led by Search and Rescue Global 1, a pro-search team run entirely by volunteers. The SAR team was overwhelmed by the number of volunteers, so some people had to wait in the community hall for their turn to join a search team.

We were divided into groups of 15-20 people, with 2 team leaders. Everyone had a stick of some kind to help them push aside some of the thick brush that we would encounter. We lined up for instructions: we were to yell ’stop ‘ along with a number we had been given whenever we saw anything that might be a clue. A clue could be anything at all: a beer bottle, a piece of cloth, strange litter, anything.Then, a team leader would come and find us, look at the clue, and maybe choose to radio it in.

At times distracted by nightmarish visions of what we might find, at times pre-occupied with getting through the insanely thick bush unscathed, we walked through the woods, in as straight a line as possible given the fact that we were supposed to go through all obstacles as opposed to around them. There were a few times when we lost site of the people beside us, but it was never long before someone yelled ’stop.’

Nothing of interest was found, and even with 240 volunteers searching from early morning until dark, only a small fraction of the land was covered. Talking to people during breaks, and while eating, revealed that people had very different political backgrounds and ideas about violence against First Nations women, and about Maisy and Shannon’s case in particular, but the common link was always: it’s horrible; answers are need. We were extremely well-fed that day, as numerous volunteers from the community had generously prepared mountains of food for us all. It struck me, how every aspect of the search was volunteer-run, except for the few police who were hanging around.

I spoke to a member of the Search and Rescue team who has been helping with searches for 5 years now. This case is not the first missing woman case he has taken part in, but it is the first missing person case of Indigenous women. He also said that usually the police are the ones to get a hold of their search team, and the ones behind most of the organizing, but that in this case, it was the all the family members themselves. I asked how rare this was and he said that it was the first search he had done where the family had been the ones to contact them directly.

Laurie Odjick, Maisy’s mother has publically condemned police negligence and incompetence in this case.

I later spoke to an SQ officer who does not see any difference in the way cases of Indigenous women are treated; he does not see any racism in the police force.

“We’re not playing the race card,” he said.

He would not volunteer any information about the case, except to say that they were keeping all options open, including the possibility that the girls ran away, inspite of the fact that their wallets, cash included were left behind when the disappeared. Further, their cases are being looked at separately to a certain degree in spite of the fact that they were last seen together and that they disappeared at the same time.

Towards the end of the search that day while we were sitting around taking a break, a man that several of us admitted later to wanting to talk to, revealed his identity. Before that, he had been keeping to himself, and seemed to want it that way. But when I finally asked where he was from, he told us that he was Maisy’s dad. He lives in Six Nations now, but had come for the search. He looked very young, and he also looked very tired.

We were all quiet for a while then, and he left soon after to get some rest.

http://missingjustice.mvmnt.ca/

http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/%5Buser%5D/2650

[Faith]

THURSDAY AUGUST 6, 2009

Today, it has been 11 months since Maisy and
Shannon disappeared. The police have not updated
the neither of the families on what is currently going
on with this case. Even though there is no related
activity at the present time, we need to continue to
fight for these girls as they are STILL missing. Our
continued goal is to have our story nationally told and
thoroughly investigated.

MONDAY AUGUST 3, 2009

On August 29, 2009 there will be a golf tournament in
Maniwaki,QC that is being held by the Algonquin
Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council. We will be
fundraising during this tournament to raise monies for
a billboard to be put on highway 105 in Kitigan Zibi,
QC.

WEDNESDAY JULY 22, 2009

During the Assembly of First Nations National Chiefs
Election, Pam Sickles (Shannon's grandmother), and I
(Maisy's aunt), got a chance to talk about Maisy and
Shannon. We raised awareness to the fact that they are still
missing and we thanked the Assembly of First Nations for
their help with publicizing the missing girls. We also thanked
our community, the Kitigan Zibi Chief and Council, for all of
their help.

http://findmaisyandshannon.com/

[DesertWalker]

Missing Quebec girls sought in Ontario

Last Updated: Thursday, September 3, 2009 | 2:48 PM ET

CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/credit.html)


http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2009/09/03/tp-090903-missing-girls-odjick-alexander.jpg
Maisy Odjick (left) and Shannon Alexander (right) disappeared without a trace a year ago. (Courtesy of Odjick and Alexander families)

The investigation into the disappearance of two teenage girls from Maniwaki, Que., a year ago is now focused in Ontario, police say.


That's because most of the possible sightings of Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander in the past year have been in Ontario, reported the Ontario Provincial Police, the Quebec provincial police and the Kitigan Zibi police at a joint news conference Thursday in Ottawa.


Odjick was 16 and Alexander was 17 when they were last seen at a bus stop in Maniwaki, about 145 kilometres north of Ottawa, on Sept. 6, 2008. Odjick lived on the Kitigan Zibi Anishnibeg First Nation reserve, while Alexander lived in Maniwaki, just off the reserve.


In the past year, the OPP have followed up on tips and possible sightings from Ottawa to Saugeen Shores on Lake Huron in Western Ontario, said Det.-Insp. Chris Gilipin. She added that the OPP have added the two girls to their provincial missing persons web page.


http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2009/09/03/ottawa-090903-police-news-conference.jpg

Most of the possible sightings of Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander in the past year have been in Ontario, reported the Ontario Provincial Police, the Quebec provincial police and the Kitigan Zibi police at a joint news conference. (CBC)

Capt. Jacques Piché of the Sûreté du Québec said police are investigating under the assumption that the girls are still alive.


"We're hoping that they're still alive, we have no information otherwise," he said.


On Thursday, police reported that most tips about the girls came in during the first three months after their disappearance in 2008.


"One of my biggest goals by being here today is to ensure that these girls' faces get back into the public view and the public eye," said Kitigan Zibi chief of police Gordon MacGregor. "Maybe we can incite some sort of information flow again as we did earlier."

Families not told of conference

Laurie Odjick, mother of Maisy Odjick, said police had not told the girls' families about the news conference, but she attended after hearing about it from a CBC reporter.


http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2009/09/03/ottawa-090903-laurie-odjick.jpg
Laurie Odjick, mother of Maisy Odjick, said she hasn't heard from police in about eight months. (CBC)

"Of course, I want their [the girls'] pictures all over," she told reporters afterwards, but she added that she hadn't heard from investigators for around eight months. "So for them, saying they've been collaborating with the families — they haven't been talking to me."


Odjick did not appear to have much faith that the possible sightings of the girls would help find them.


"When I come to Ottawa myself, I see Maisy on every corner," she said. "I think I see her. I do a double take."
She urged members of the public to follow anyone who looks like Maisy or Shannon and give the police a specific location.


"If it was your child, I would think you'd want that to happen also."


Odjick has long expressed frustration with the way the investigation has been handled by police.


At the news conference, Odjick asked MacGregor why the girls' files were originally separated, one with the Kitigan Zibi police and the other with the Quebec provincial police. MacGregor said that was just to get the ball rolling and did not affect work on the case, which investigators realized over time was "a bigger situation" than they thought.


Odjick said she thinks she knows why the investigation was slower and less thorough than she expected.


"I think it was because they were labelled as runaways from the beginning that a lot of things didn't go right."


But she added that shortly after Maisy and Shannon disappeared, Brandon Crisp, 15, ran away near Barrie, Ont. He was found dead three weeks later after a massive search and widespread media attention that Odjick feels contrasted with Maisy and Shannon's case.


"You just see the amount of support that family got and you know what? We didn't get none of that."
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/09/03/ottawa-missing-girls-shannon-odjick.html

[Claycat]

This is just unbelievable! Two precious young women go missing, and LE drops the ball.

[nanabillie]

I hope with this little bit of media coverage that they will soon find out something about those precious girls. It just isn't fair. As we have seen many times and will continue to see.

[nanabillie]

I hope this link is OK.
http://www.findmaisyandshannon.com/

[nanabillie]

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=29370673390

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/object3/180/25/n29370673390_8240.jpg

Information

Category:Common Interest - Description:These two young girls went missing from their reserve, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, on Sept 5. Their disappearance is being viewed as highly suspicious. The reserve is located not far from Ottawa and Ottawa actually rests on their traditional land. PLEASE keep these young women in your thoughts and if you have any information please contact the band police department at 819-449-6000 or a local police department.

Maisy Odjick is described as about six-feet tall and weighing 119 to 125 pounds. She has short brown hair, a pierced left nostril and two piercings on her lower lip.

Shannon Alexander is five-foot-nine, weighs about 145 pounds and has brown eyes and short, dark-brown hair. She has facial acne, pierced ears and wears a silver necklace with a feather on it.

Violence against Aboriginal women is far to common in this country and we need everyone in the community to help bring these young girls home safely. This issue is not getting nearly enough press or coverage.

This is especially sad as the Walk4Justice was just in Ottawa on September 15 to present the cases of over 3000 missing/murdered women from communities across the country to the Government of Canada. (read)
These two young girls went missing from their reserve, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, on Sept 5. Their disappearance is being viewed as highly suspicious. The reserve is located not far from Ottawa and Ottawa actually rests on their traditional land. PLEASE keep these young women in your thoughts and if you have any information please contact the band police department at 819-449-6000 or a local police department.

Maisy Odjick is described as about six-feet tall and weighing 119 to 125... (read more) (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=29370673390#)
More at link

[nanabillie]

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/maisy-odjick

[nanabillie]

http://delilah1234.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/shannon-alexander-and-maisy-odjick-missing-one-year/

Vanished
Shannon Alexander and Maisy Odjick, Missing One Year

2009 September 5


by delilah1234

http://api.ning.com/files/Win6tyxjpYSUPUdcon5CPaP-3dBOTY05cAU0YC-EK1oX0mIMxpvv8XlpZ8dqvhX6Mfi0c8X5ekAL1e8bgEsQdO6rI d6J-mKE/sandm.jpg
SHANNON ALEXANDER, 17, Kitigan Zibi First Nation
Missing Persons
Have you seen Maisy or Shannon?
SHANNON ALEXANDER, age 17, of Kitigan Zibi First Nation, Quebec, has been missing since September 5, 2008, from the Maniwaki Quebec area.
Shannon has brown eyes and brown/black hair. She has acne and pierced ears. Shannon wears a silver necklace with a feather on it. She has a scar on her left knee.
Shannon is believed to be with her friend Maisy Odjick, who has also been missing since September 5, 2008.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Shannon, please contact Sûreté du Québec at 819-310-4141, or the Kitigan Zibi Police Deptartment at 819-449-6000.
MAISY ODJICK, age 16, of Kitigan Zibi First Nation, Quebec, has been missing since September 5, 2008 from the Maniwaki Quebec area.
Maisy has brown eyes and black hair. She has a pierced left nostril and two piercings on her bottom lip.
Maisy is believed to be with her friend Shannon Alexander, who has also been missing since September 5, 2008.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Maisy please contact Sûreté du Québec at 819-310-4141, or the Kitigan Zibi Police Deptartment at 819-449-6000.
Name Maisy ODJICK
Last Seen 9/6/2008
Date Of Birth 11/6/1991
Age At Last Seen 16
Gender Female
Race
Height (Metric) 185 cm. to cm.
Height (Imperial) From 6 ft 0 to ft
Weight (Metric) From 054 kg. to kg.
Weight (Imperial) From 119 lbs. to lbs.
Build Slender/thin
Name Shannon ALEXANDER
Last Seen 9/6/2008
Date Of Birth 3/29/1991
Age At Last Seen 17
Gender Female
Race Aboriginal
Height (Metric) 176 cm. to cm.
Height (Imperial) From 5 ft 9 to ft
Weight (Metric) From 064 kg. to kg.
Weight (Imperial) From 141 lbs. to lbs.
Build Slender/thin
Vigil for Maisy and Shannon
To commemorate one year since their disappearance
Host: The families of Maisy Odjick & Shannon Alexander
Type: Causes – Rally
Network: Global
Price: n/a
Date: Sunday, September 6, 2009
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Kitigan Zibi at the Home Hardware
Street: 79 Kichi Mikan
City/Town: Maniwaki, QC
View MapGoogle
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Phone: 8194413055
Email: mjacko@findmaisyandshannon.com