The Manitoba Metis Federation has doubled its reward for information leading to the return of a woman who’s been missing for more than a decade.
The MMF held a digital press conference on Thursday to announce additional funding measures for Jennifer Catcheway who went missing on June 19, 2008.
Currently, there is a $10,000 reward standing for anyone who can provide details on her return. The MMF will be adding another $10,000 to the reward money.
Bernice and Wilfred Catcheway have been looking for their daughter for 12 years and have not given up hope that they will be able to find her one day.
“We know that there is somebody out there, that somebody has information. It has been 12 years in the making, and nothing has come out of it yet,” said MMF president David Chartrand.
“They just want their baby home. If that person is out there listening, imagine for a fraction of a second, that it is your family going through this. 12 years of pain. 12 years going to bed at night wondering if a morning is going to come where a hint will finally be there or a clue that you’re going to go ‘finally,’ and find your baby and bring her home.”
The Catcheway family has been conducting its own investigations over the past 12 years. Recently, their probe led them to the Duck Bay and Grand Rapids area, where Jennifer was last seen.
“I told Bernice, with my discussion with her, that Jennifer must be so proud of her parents that they have never given up on her. They never just said ‘Let the police do it. Let the government do it. Just let somebody else bring my baby home.’ They took upon themselves to do everything in their power,” said Chartrand.
The family will be putting up posters and billboards around the Grand Rapids area as a public call for aid to help bring Jennifer home.
“Twelve years ago, that’s the beginning of our journey – a nightmare. It’s been a nightmare. Because of so many misleading tips that we’ve been given, and we have to follow every tip, everything you hear,” said Bernice.
“Whether it’s something outrageous, we still have to follow those leads and those tips, which took us to different areas, different communities, three different communities. In those times, we’ve excavated three dumps, we excavated three dumps looking for Jennifer. And it’s so heart wrenching and it’s so hard.”
Jennifer’s family strongly believes that someone knows where Jennifer is.
“Somebody last laid their eyes on her. Jennifer didn’t just disappear. Somebody took her. Somebody stole her from us. All I want is to bring her home,” said Bernice.
Nicole Wong is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
