Sask. RCMP investigated 33 homicides in 2025, maintaining elevated pace

Saskatchewan RCMP continued to face a high volume of homicide cases in 2025, following a previous record year in 2024.

In 2025, the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes branch investigated 33 manslaughter and murder cases with 39 victims, compared to 41 files with 43 victims the previous year. Of those cases, 31 files, with 34 victims, occurred in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction.

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Over the last five years, RCMP conducted the following investigations in Saskatchewan jurisdiction:

• 2021: 31 homicide files with 36 victims,
• 2022: 33 homicide files with 43 victims (including all victims of the mass casualty),
• 2023: 31 homicide files with 31 victims,
• 2024: 39 homicide files with 41 victims,
• 2025: 31 homicide files with 34 victims, and
• Jan. 1 to Feb. 4, 2026: one homicide file with one victim.

Supt. Josh Graham, officer in charge of Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Branch, said the volume of 2025 homicide files remained elevated after the 2024 record year.

“The work doesn’t stop for our teams. Homicide files in our jurisdiction are at a rate that requires significant investigative capacity,” he said.

The Saskatchewan RCMP’s Homicide Investigation Unit (HIU), which is part of the Major Crimes Branch, is responsible for investigating murders, homicides and manslaughters. This unit’s investigators also routinely support frontline officers by consulting on sudden or suspicious death investigations.

“Behind every homicide statistic is a person who has been taken from their loved ones, and a family living through an unimaginable loss. Our investigators are always mindful that their job is to uncover the truth, give a voice to victims, provide answers to families. The cases we take on aren’t easy; they stay with our officers, but our teams remain committed to investigating with professionalism and compassion,” said Supt. Graham.

Of the victims in cases investigated by the Saskatchewan RCMP in 2025:

• three were children age 12 and under,
• three were teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19,
• 12 were young people in their 20s,
• 10 were in their 30s,
• six were in their 40s,
• four were in their 50s, and
• one person was in their 60s.

Five of these victims were located in RCMP’s South District, 11 were in Central District, and 18 were in North District. Five victims were also located on Fire Hills First Nations Police Service jurisdiction.

In addition to 2025 investigations, investigators continued to work on at least 30 unsolved homicide or suspicious death files from previous years.

The HIU laid charges against 28 individuals in relation to the year’s investigations including seven first-degree murder charges, 17 second-degree murder charges, and four manslaughter charges. Of the individuals charged:

• 25 are male (89 per cent) and three are female (11 per cent),
• eight were youth between the ages of 13 and 19 (30 per cent),
• nine were in their 20s (33 per cent),
• two were in their 30s,
• five were in their 40s,
• two were in their 50s, and
• two were in their 60s.

Investigators also solved 23 of 2025’s 33 homicide files, with 10 remaining under investigation.

• 12 were solved within 24 hours,
• six were solved within one week,
• three were solved within one month, and
• two were solved in less than six months.

Operational Insights

According to RCMP, homicide, murder, and manslaughter investigations require quick coordination and extensive teamwork. In 2025, several incidents showed significant caseload managed by investigators:

• two manslaughter/murder files occurred on the same day in separate communities on three different occasions;
• there were 11 manslaughter/murder files with 14 victims in the last two months of 2025. These included single, double and triple homicides; and
• three of these files, with five victims, occurred over the course of approximately 27 hours in November.

“Periods of intense investigative activity test every part of our system. Our teams’ demands escalate immediately. In November, our HIU leaned on the Serious Crimes Unit, another experienced unit in the Major Crimes Branch, to assist with an investigation. Despite the pressures, our teams remain focused on the important role these investigations play in public safety and ensuring every victim and family receives the thorough investigation they deserve,” said Supt. Graham.

The HIU investigators, operating out of Regina and Saskatoon, were deployed to more than 30 communities for 2025 homicides.

“Behind every file are broad and evolving challenges that our investigators navigate every day. Much of this complex work happens out of view from the public,” said Supt. Graham. “We know the demands won’t stop in 2026. As we continue investigating unsolved files and managing any new cases, we’ll remain focused and committed to serving communities across Saskatchewan.”