Police confirm found remains belong to missing 4-year-old

Two months after the search was declared a recovery mission, the body of a missing four-year-old Prince Albert boy has been found and identified.

Prince Albert police confirmed the body of four-year-old Sweetgrass Kennedy was found July 14. Officials with the James Smith Cree Nation confirmed the boy’s body was found along the North Saskatchewan River near their reserve. RCMP collected evidence at the scene which was sent to Saskatoon for examination and the Office of the Chief Coroner confirmed the remains were Kennedy’s.

Kennedy was reported missing on May 10. After extensive interviews with witnesses and the revelation of new evidence, police announced the search would become a recovery effort one week after Kennedy was reported missing.

The search efforts involved trained search and rescue personnel, the Saskatoon Police Service Air Support Unit, the Prince Albert Fire Department, Saskatchewan Emergency Management Fire and Safety crews and representation from the Prince Albert Grand Council.

Civilian searches were also conducted on the day Kennedy was reported missing before police called those efforts off, citing safety concerns.