Second-degree murder charge laid in Wapemoose disappearance

Two people have been charged in connection with the murder of Jenaya Wapemoose.

The 22-year-old Regina woman was last seen March 27 and hadn’t been heard from on social media since April 7. She was reported missing to the Regina Police Service on May 7.

In late June, the police said in a media release that the case was “considered suspicious, based on the evidence gathered in the extensive investigation of her disappearance.”

In a release issued Monday, police said human remains were found Saturday in an area northeast of Regina.

Police Chief Evan Bray stressed during a media conference Monday afternoon that the remains haven’t been positively identified, but the police believe the remains are those of Wapemoose.

Bray added Wapemoose’s family had been told of the discovery and he offered his condolences to her loved ones.

“What a stressful time for a family to be going through, missing a loved one, waking up every day hoping there will be news as to whether or not their loved one has been found,” Bray said.

“The fact that this is being investigated as a homicide investigation is something that obviously transitions it from a missing person case to something that means that she has, we believe, died as a result of the actions of someone else.

“That sort of news sends the family on a bit of a different emotional journey. There’s a lot of pain, a lot of anguish that the family is going through.”

The Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service and the Regina Police Service Forensic Identification Unit are attempting to identify the remains.

On Monday, Eric Lee Alvin Kakakaway, 23, appeared in court to face charges of second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a human body. As well, Jeannette Mavis Kakakaway, 30, made her first court appearance on a charge of accessory after the fact to murder.

Bray noted investigators were ready to lay the murder charge whether or not they had found a body.

“It was basically the culmination of an investigation,” he said. “This investigation has been going on since the moment Jenaya was reported missing. Over the last month, we’ve made some very significant, positive steps forward in the investigation and ultimately, this weekend, we saw the positive results of that investigative work resulting in two charges being laid and the location of a person who we believe to be Jenaya.”

Bray said the accused are related, but he didn’t know how. He also noted that Wapemoose and the Kakakaways knew each other.

Since Wapemoose’s disappearance, searches have been staged without turning up anything. The arrests were made Friday and Saturday and the Kakakaways were in court Monday.

“We were, through investigative processes, able to essentially knock down some barriers and unlock some doors that opened up and gave us exposure to different factors that really led us to what has been a successful conclusion and ultimate charges being laid,” Bray said.