Whitehorse honours 3 victims of homicide in memorial walk
Drumming and prayers held at house where 2 women found dead in McIntyre subdivision
Relatives, neighbours and people from throughout Yukon marched on Wednesday evening in Whitehorse to remember three of their own.
They left flowers, photos, signs and prayers at a house in the McIntyre neighbourhood, to honour Wendy Carlick and Sarah MacIntosh, two women who were killed on Murphy Street on April 19.
People were also mourning Greg Alvin Dawson, who police found April 6 in the neighbourhood of Riverdale.
All three deaths have been deemed homicides, though RCMP do not believe the incidents in Riverdale and McIntyre are connected.
The community march gathered hundreds of people, some from as far away as Dawson City.
Those assembled heard songs and prayers in Southern Tutchone. Many in the crowd held handmade drums or wore traditional regalia, such as button blankets and beadwork.
Kwanlin Dün Councillor Sean Smith spoke to those assembled.
"We're there to help in whatever way we can," Smith said.
"We thank the RCMP for being present and for understanding what we're going through. The many losses we've had over a number of years."
The march recognized some of those people.
Many signs featured tributes not only to Wendy Carlick, but also her late daughter, Angel. In 2007 authorities found the 19-year-old's body in a wooded area near Whitehorse. Her case is considered an unsolved murder.
Marchers also passed a house on their route with a sign in the window reading "Justice 4 Allan Waugh." Waugh was killed in his house in the McIntyre subdivision in 2014. The murder has not been solved.
The march also went near walking trails where, in 2014, 17-year-old Brandy Vittrekwa was beaten to death by a teenage boy. He was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail.
- 2 years later, family of murder victim Allan Waugh still looks for answers
- Angel Carlick's mother still waits for answers, 9 years later
- Brandy Vittrekwa's killer gets 2 years jail, 1 year supervision
Whitehorse RCMP have said 35 investigators have so far been involved in the investigations into the three recent deaths and they've spoken to more than 100 people around the territory. RCMP do not believe there is a risk to the public.
Funeral services have been announced for Sarah MacIntosh. They will be held at the Kwanlin Dün First Nation's potlatch house in Whitehorse on Friday.
Services for Wendy Carlick will be held Saturday at the recreation centre in Watson Lake.