Family of missing Indigenous man fear he may have fallen through the cracks of the DTES
VANCOUVER – Rex Smallboy hasn’t heard his son’s voice in 11 days.
And he’s “horrified” after hearing stories of police inaction in cases involving those whose last known whereabouts are in the Downtown Eastside.
While police say 99 per cent of people reported missing in the city each year are found safe, the family is worried those disappearing in the DTES are falling through the gaps.
“My son has never gone missing before,” said Rex Smallboy, who left his job in entertainment this week to search for his son. “He doesn’t have a cellphone, I usually call his supportive housing building each week to check in on him.”
The last time Darius was seen by Broadway Youth Resource Centre staff was Nov. 3.
Since then, his dad, two sisters and aunt Jamie have plastered hundreds of posters of the 23-year-old’s face around the DTES, where he was last spotted near the corner of Main and Hastings by a friend.
“I wouldn’t be down here searching all hours of the day if it wasn’t past the point of worrying,” said Jamie Smallboy, a volunteer of Sisterwatch, which collaborates with the Vancouver Police Department to address DTES disappearances of Indigenous women.
“His family or friends haven’t seen or heard from him in many days.”
When Jamie approached patrol officers seated in their car this week, she was told that “many addicts do not want to be found,” and that Darius is probably out partying — “on a binge.”
The family is urging the police to make Darius’ disappearance a greater priority.
Of the 10 cases currently listed as outstanding missing persons on the Vancouver police website , as of Saturday, Darius was not included.
“Every report of a missing person is immediately investigated by a patrol officer and a risk assessment is completed at the outset,” said Const. Tania Visintin of the VPD.
“Each case is prioritized based on risk and investigated in a timely manner, particularly when vulnerable people are involved.”
The VPD has previously told the media there are several factors it considers before it makes a public appeal for information about a missing person.
“For example, if we believe a person is potentially suicidal or likely to self-harm, making a public appeal could put them in danger because it could cause them to follow through with their suicidal ideations,” Visintin said in October.
Rex Smallboy last spoke with his son days before he went missing, recalling a “light” had returned to Darius’ eyes.
“When he arrived, he had blisters at the bottom of his feet because he’d been walking around so much. I made sure he slept for a few days at my place to detox.”
When his son came to, his father said they spoke about his plans to recover.
Darius agreed to seek treatment for a painkiller dependency that took hold of him last year after undergoing surgery for a broken collarbone.
“He was always the kid teachers bragged to me about. He was a volunteer with Indigenous youth at the Red Fox Society,” Rex Smallboy said.
The duo had set up Darius with a treatment plan at a local Indigenous health clinic.
Since reporting his son missing, Smallboy said the VPD has not made any followup attempts.
“After I told them about his issues with painkillers, they just said to keep them updated.”