Dead player misidentified causes shock

A lot of the players looked alike, a spokesman said on Monday

HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan — One of the deceased in the crash that killed 15 people en route to a hockey playoff game in western Canada was misidentified, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice said Monday, partly because the players all had blond-dyed hair and similar builds.

The province’s ministry of justice said the body of Parker Tobin was mistaken for that of Xavier Labelle.

It said Labelle is injured but alive, and Tobin is among the deceased. The accident occurred Friday. Drew Wilby, spokesman for the ministry, said the error wasn’t discovered until Sunday.

“The new information came to light last night that raised questions with the health care professionals. In turn they were able to identify Xavier Labelle as Xavier Labelle who of course we had previously said was Parker Tobin,” Wilby said. “A lot of these boys looked alike.” Wilby and the Office of the Chief Coroner apologized for the misidentification.

“To find who they had thought was their loved one wasn’t their loved one I can’t even fathom,” Wilby said. “I don’t know enough could ever be said. All I could do is offer our sincerest apologies.”

The news comes as this shattered town mourned its revered local youth hockey team, trying to come to grips with a devastating highway accident Friday that also injured the other 14 people on their bus.

Over the weekend, Tobin’s family had tweeted that their son was alive.

“This is one of the hardest posts I have ever had to make. Parker is stable at the moment and being airlifted to Saskatoon hospital,” Rhonda Clarke Tobin wrote.

Meanwhile, Xavier Labelle’s family had confirmed his death over the weekend, with his brother Isaac writing in an Instagram post that he was heartbroken.

“All I can say is miracles do exist. My deepest condolences to the Tobin family,” Labelle posted on Facebook on Monday.

Matthew Labelle, a second cousin of Xavier, said that “it’s obviously been quite the roller coaster for our family.”

Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench called it “an unfortunate mistake.” “It’s hard to comprehend that,” he said. Broncos club president Kevin Garinger said he was contacted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police early Monday about it and said the error makes a difficult situation more challenging.

“At this point, I just want to reach out and support the families,” Garinger said. “It’s not about understanding anything.”

The Broncos were a close-knit team who dyed their hair blond for the playoffs. Among the dead were Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber.