10 years on, people in Regina remember Tamra Keepness
Annual barbecue held as reminder she's still missing
This weekend marks 10 years since Tamra Keepness disappeared — a missing child case the city of Regina will never forget.
The five-year-old girl vanished from her home on Ottawa Street in the middle of the night. She was last seen on July 5, 2004.
Her disappearance sparked the largest search in Regina's history, with hundreds of police, family members and volunteers scouring the city and surrounding area. No trace was found of her.
A $25,000 reward, recently boosted to $50,000, was offered for information that would help crack the case.
Police received 1,500 tips and interviewed 500 people, but nothing led to an arrest. She's presumed dead, but people keep hoping.
On Friday, people gathered in a Regina park for the 10th annual Tamra Keepness Barbecue.
Regina Police Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said she hopes the event will encourage people to come forward with information.
"The problem is that over time, information coming in has slowed down to a trickle," Popowich said. "That said, we still get two, three tips a month. Each of those is evaluated and then we pursue that."
Eric Beaudin, a spokeswoman for the Regina Treaty-Status Indian Service, said the organization will continue to support the barbecue until Tamra is located.
The event took place at the Core Community Park on 11th Avenue, close to the street where Tamra lived.