`It was never just a fire,' says victim's mother
Women's deaths in North Battleford blaze being treated as homicides
Alyssa Lecaine was getting ready for a new chapter in her life.
On Christmas Eve, the 25-yearold mother of one went gift shopping with her sister and grandmother after they had lunch with Lecaine's mother, Marilyn Smith. Lecaine — who was moving into her mother's house — had left some odds and ends at the house she had lived in on 108th Street in North Battleford. She went back there for what was supposed to be a quick stop to pick up a Christmas gift bag.
Her grandmother and sister waited outside. “Alyssa went in and never came out of that house,” Smith said in an interview.
First, there was an explosion, Lecaine's sister and grandmother told Smith. Then the house burned.
“It was never just a fire,” Smith said.
On Dec. 24, 2021, the remains of Lecaine and Daphne Bear, 20, of Sweetgrass First Nation were found in the home on 108th Street.
Their deaths are under investigation as homicides. Police determined the two died prior to — and not as a result of — the fire.
RCMP said the investigation in partnership with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is ongoing, so it has no further information to provide. RCMP have not publicly confirmed that an explosion took place, only describing it as a fire.
`SHE WAS FINALLY COMING HOME'
Memories of Lecaine — of her love for being barefoot, of paint seeming to always be in her hair and on her clothes — came to Smith as she spoke. Her daughter shared her love of crafts with her seven-year-old daughter, and built her a playhouse in the backyard.
“Alyssa was an awesome mother,” Smith said.
Her granddaughter often talks about Lecaine, though the sevenyear-old girl understands that her mother has died.
Smith remembers her daughter as vibrant and carefree.
The aftermath of her daughter's death was compounded by comments and rumours in the community that labelled Lecaine as a substance user. Smith said Lecaine had her struggles and was working on them.
“She was finally coming home,” Smith said.
In late April, police released footage of a person wearing a dark-coloured jacket with trim around the hood and “distinctive” brown or yellow-coloured boots running in the back alley between 108th and 109th Streets in North Battleford. According to RCMP, the person crosses 10th Avenue and enters an alleyway.
“Investigators would like to speak with this person as they may have important information about Alyssa and Daphne's deaths,” Supt. Joshua Graham, the officer in charge of major crimes for the Saskatchewan RCMP, said in the release.
RCMP asked anyone with surveillance cameras in the area to check footage for images the cameras may have captured of the unidentified person between 3 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 24.