Prince Albert police continue to search the North Saskatchewan River for the body of a boy who went missing last week.
Police confirmed yesterday that after talking to witnesses, they believe four-year-old Sweetgrass Kennedy fell into the water and drowned while playing along the river bank with other children on Thursday May 10.
Speaking at a press conference, Prince Albert Police Service Inspector Jason Stonechild says they do not believe foul play was involved in Kennedy`s death.
“At this point we cannot discern how he fell in but this is not a criminal investigation,“ he says.
Hundreds of volunteers have been involved in the search effort including those from Grandmother`s Bay, Stanley Mission and Stony Rapids.
Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management has also played a part.
When emergency services personnel turned their focus to the river bank last Friday, they asked civilians not to take part because of the dangers associated with the strong currents of the river.
However, the search effort has continued to rely on the expertise of First Nations communities including the specialized sonar tracking equipment they are able to provide.
Nevertheless, Stonechild says in spite of an extensive search of the river that has gone on for close to a week, they have had no luck as of yet.
“We have now covered every square inch down the Saskatchewan River, right into Trapper`s Lake which is estimated, with the winds in the river, to be 160 kilometers.“
Stonechild says emergency services personnel will continue to comb the river in the hopes of finding Kennedy`s body.
(Photo: Prince Albert Police Service Inspector Jason Stonechild. Photo by Fraser Needham)