Two weeks since the Carry the Kettle quadruple homicide, no arrests

Over the weekend, the remaining two victims in the Carry the Kettle homicide were laid to rest.

Scott Eashappie, Chief of Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation, said, the community is still in disbelief.

“Each day our nation is trying to hold itself together and I’m very grateful for that,” he said.

“Our community members are trying to comfort each other.”

Read more:

• ‘Sad and disappointed’: Communities mourn with Carry the Kettle
• Funerals held for Carry the Kettle homicide victims
• Cowessess First Nation speaks about the Carry The Kettle tragedy

Funerals for Tracey Hotomani and Shauna Fay — who were both mothers — were held this past weekend.

Fathers Terry Jack and Sheldon Quewezance were laid to rest earlier this month.

Hotomani and Jack were both from Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation. Eashappie said he knew both of them well.

“Through my young adult years, Terry has became a really good friend of mine,” he said. “We spent a lot of time with each other. He worked for me for roughly three to four years.”

Eashappie said he spoke with Jack multiple times a week and always checked in on him.

“(He was a) big-hearted man,” he said. “He really loved his family, his community, his kids. He was just a genuine, very nice man and a strong believer in his Christian way.

“You couldn’t ask for a better person.”

As for Hotomani, Eashappie said she was like a little sister to him.

“I grew up with her through our high school days,” he said. “I spent a lot of time with their family. Her older brother was one of my best friends. So, I spent a lot of time with her.

“(She) always had a smile on her, (she was) always joking, teasing.”

Eashappie said he can’t believe she’s gone.

“It’s really sad to think of her leaving her kids behind,” he said.

“It’s just really hard to think about that, just for a young mother to be to be gone that fast.”

Eashappie has spent a lot of time with the families of the victims. He’s in contact with them almost daily to ensure everyone has what they need.

“If there’s any information that I may receive, I will usually call one of the family members and talk with them and just brief them on anything that I hear, just to help bring them a little bit of closure to their feelings,” he said.

Eashappie said with each passing day, the community continues to look for answers while trying to find comfort.

Resources have been made available to the families and community members.

It’s been two weeks since the tragedy. Eashappie said it’s concerning that no arrests have been made.

“Each day we’re looking for answers,” he said.

“As a chief I’m busy contacting the investigators, the File Hills (First Nations Police Service). I’m going around and visiting homes and just trying to ensure that the safety of our nation is a priority at this time.”

Eashappie said a handful of people have come forward with tips

“I’m very grateful for them coming forward,” he said.

“I’ve sat down with about six people and I’ve taken them right to the investigation team, introduced them and left them there with them to take statements from them.”

He said each tip will hopefully bring them one step closer to finding answers.

Eashappie urges anyone with information to come forward, saying the family of Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation would appreciate it.