Community members gather in the Regina’s Heritage neighbourhood for a BBQ to mark 20 years since the disappearance of Tamra Keepness.
Tamra, who was five years old at the time, was last seen at her home in Regina on July 5, 2004.
The community BBQ is held at Pepsi Park near Tamra’s home, as a reminder to the public of her disappearance and to bring awareness to the community.
“Every year we come back to Pepsi Park to have the barbecue to ensure that Tamra’s always remembered,” said Natasha Kennedy, the executive director of Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services (RT/SIS).
“When (Tamra) went missing, it was one of the first times that I seen community organizations and RPS come together to work collaboratively alongside each other.”
The Regina Police Service (RPS) partners with local organizations to host this event that draws a large turnout every year.
“I think really for the community, it’s a case that really sticks in everybody’s mind,” said RPS deputy Chief Lorilee Davies.
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“It’s sort of a parent’s worst-case scenario in terms of your child going missing. And then for this period of time (of) not having an outcome is definitely something that I think makes it stick in people’s memories.”
At the time of Tamra’s disappearance, Erica Beaudin was the executive director of the Saskatchewan First Nations Women’s Commission which was under the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN). This was the commission’s first missing person’s case.
Since then, Beaudin has provided supports to the Keepness family on both the personal and professional level since Tamra’s disappearance.
“I was deployed there immediately. Our area, which consisted of two individuals at that time, went and met with Lorena Keepness (Tamra’s mother) … to let her know who we were and that we would assist with search and rescue as well as provide supports to the family through advocacy,” said Beaudin, who is currently the chief of Cowessess First Nation.
“They were a very private family prior to Tamra going missing … some of the family members are now deceased. Tamra’s mother is now deceased and went to her grave not knowing what happened to her child.”
The RPS renewed a reward offer of $50,000 for information leading to the closure of Tamra’s disappearance case. Since then, no one has stepped forward.
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