First Nation devastated by deaths of two 14-year-old girls St. Theresa Point chief believes drug use likely a factor; lifeless teens were discovered outside after hours in bitter cold By: Chris Kitching Posted: 7:00 PM CST Friday, Mar. 3, 2023 Last Modified: 7:31 PM CST Friday, Mar. 3, 2023 Updates

A northern Manitoba community is reeling over the deaths of two 14-year-old girls found in the cold Wednesday morning in an incident Indigenous leaders fear may be linked to a drug crisis.

RCMP believe the friends were exposed to temperatures as low as -23 C for several hours before they were discovered near homes in St. Theresa Point at about 8 a.m.

Family members identified one of the children as Dayna Shingoose, whose 31-year-old mother Ashlee Shingoose disappeared in Winnipeg a year ago.

“It’s been hard, it’s very hard,” Theresa Shingoose, Ashlee’s mother and Dayna’s grandmother, said by phone Friday.

The girls’ families are waiting for autopsy and toxicology results to learn more about their deaths.

Crisis workers are providing support to relatives, friends and others who knew the pair.

Family members were devastated to learn Dayna and her friend were dead, said Theresa.

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think,” she said. “I loved her very much. She was a good girl.

“She wanted to be with her friends all the time. You know how teenagers are like.”

St. Theresa Point is in the remote Island Lake region about 450 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Chief Elvin Flett said the teens were found about four metres apart in snow between two houses.

He and Theresa identified Dayna’s friend as Emily Mason. Her family could not be reached for comment.

First Nations safety officers were the first to arrive at the scene.

They transported one of the girls to the nursing station because it appeared she might still be alive, said Flett.

Both girls were pronounced dead at the health facility. Their bodies were flown to Winnipeg for autopsies. Toxicology results are not expected for several weeks.

There are fears substance use was a factor in the deaths.

“It was a very sad event,” said Flett. “In this case, they don’t believe (the teens) died of hypothermia itself.”

He said drug traffickers have become a problem in the community, giving free samples to young people.

“It was a very sad event. In this case, they don’t believe (the teens) died of hypothermia itself.”–Chief Elvin Flett

“They’re getting youth hooked at an early age,” he said. “It’s a situation that’s a bit troublesome not only for us, but for all First Nations. It’s a very big crisis. We know that.

“I don’t doubt that what happened to the girls is the outcome of this problem.”

The community of about 5,000 residents doesn’t have enough resources or powers to deal with the problem, he said.

Flett wants St. Theresa Point to be given the ability to screen luggage for drugs at the local airport, which is on Crown land. And he said the community also needs more safety officers.

The First Nation is accessible only by air and winter road.

Dayna, a Grade 9 student who lived with her grandparents, told Theresa she was going to hang out with a friend when she left Tuesday evening.

“I told her, ‘I think you should stay home because it’s cold,’” the grandmother said.

“She would come home and always say, ‘Hi kokum, I love you.’”–Theresa Shingoose

Theresa and her husband Albert became worried and started calling around when Dayna, who has an 11-year-old brother, didn’t return home.

Theresa said she wasn’t physically able to help search for her granddaughter.

She described Dayna as an affectionate teen who loved to dress up in nice clothes.

“She would come home and always say, ‘Hi kokum, I love you,’” said Theresa.

“Kokum” is a Cree word for grandmother.

Theresa said she returned from a trip to Winnipeg Monday with new clothes and boots for her granddaughter.

“She was really happy,” she said.

Ashlee’s disappearance was hard on her daughter and the extended family, she said. From time to time they get word of a possible sighting, including one received Thursday.

“Of course, we do get those calls where people say things that are not true, just to get our hopes high,” said Theresa.

Ashlee was last seen in the area of Henry Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg on March 11 last year. Police are investigating unconfirmed sightings of her in November.

“The missing persons unit continues with this investigation, including following up with sightings and tips that were provided,” spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon wrote in an email.

Ashlee’s father travelled to the capital in January to conduct multiple searches for her downtown and in the North End and West End areas. He was joined by St. Theresa Point residents and Bear Clan Patrol members.

Heartbroken father desperate to find daughter

The deaths of Dayna and her friend are among multiple recent tragedies to affect northern First Nation communities.

RCMP said a 28-year-old woman died Wednesday after a snowmobile got stuck near South Indian Lake. She spent about 12 hours in the cold and became unresponsive while being rescued by two community members.

In Norway House, a nine-year-old girl died when she was hit by an SUV Feb. 24 while crossing a road in the afternoon.

At least five homicides have occurred in northern First Nations since Jan. 1.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching