Jennifer Catcheway, 18, phoned her mom on June 19, 2008 to say she would be home in Manitoba’s Portage la Prairie that night to celebrate her 18th birthday, but she never arrived.
Her parents say they have not spoken to officers in years, but continue to search for Jennifer themselves. In October 2017, her family spoke at the MMIWG inquiry hearings in Winnipeg and they believe the RCMP never handled the case correctly and don’t even know who the detective is assigned to her case.
On June 19, 2018, Jennifer’s 28th birthday and 10 years since she disappeared, her family celebrated and mourned. “She would’ve had a chance to have a family, be married, because she would have been 28 now,” said Bernice, Jennifer’s mother.
Each year the family has an annual fundraiser to raise money for their summer and fall search efforts. To mark the anniversary, this party had a fireworks show and the Portage la Prairie mayor and council and First Nations leaders were in attendance.