Family of missing Ashley Morin issues $25K reward for information ahead of final awareness walk

Ashley Morin's family says they will not stop searching for answers, and are offering a $25,000 reward for information that would reunite them ahead of leaving on their fourth and final awareness walk.

On Sunday, it will be four years since Morin, then 31-years-old, went missing from North Battleford. In July 2019, one year after her disappearance, Saskatchewan RCMP said they believed Morin was the victim of a homicide.

Shawna Spyglass, Morin's godsister, read a statement on behalf of Morin's mother that said there's not a minute that goes by without thinking about her.

"We as a family hardly celebrate any holidays or gatherings, as it hurts so much. A huge piece of our family is missing and she's out there somewhere," she said.

"We are never giving up."

"You never really know what a family goes through until it happens to your own family," Spyglass said afterward, choking back tears.

Mike Bird, Morin's cousin and a spokesperson for the family, said that Friday's walk will be the final walk

Dorthea Swiftwolf from the victims services unit with the Saskatoon Police Services said the family decided this is the final year of the walk because "traditionally we do things in [groups of] four."

"This is the fourth year that she's been missing, the fourth year that the family has no closure," she said.

The family said they will be leaving from the police station at 10 a.m. on Friday following speakers, drummers and an opening prayer for the three-day and 135 kilometre trip to North Battleford.

They invited family and friends to join them for the walk.

Morin has long black hair and brown eyes. She was was last seen wearing grey sweat pants, a black t-shirt with white writing on it, a black hat and sunglasses.

In 2019, the RCMP released a photo of a two-tone — lighter colour on top and darker on the bottom — and apparently windowless van in one of the locations where Morin was last seen on July 10, 2018, at about 9:30 p.m.

The police's photo is at the corner of 96 Street and 16 Ave in North Battleford.

'Somebody knows something'

The family renewed their calls for information asking that people call police or Crime Stoppers with any information they have about her whereabouts.

"Somebody knows something, and we know that," Bird said. 

"Help us bring Ashley home, she needs to come home. It's been four years, four long years."

Dutch Lerat, second vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, stood in front of the statue honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls on the steps of the Saskatoon Police Service headquarters and said the organization is "appalled" by the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Saskatchewan.

"We are standing beside them in their quest for not only answers, but to find their missing one and bring them home," he said.