No charges likely in deaths of two Indigenous teens

Bodies of Tammy Keeash, Josiah Begg found in May in Thunder Bay waterways

No charges are expected to be laid in the deaths of two Indigenous teenagers whose bodies were discovered in Thunder Bay waterways in May, following a coroner’s investigation that involved York Regional Police.

“I’m not aware of any charges and I’m very knowledgeable about the cases,” said Ontario’s Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer.

Huyer asked York Regional Police in June to investigate the deaths of Tammy Keeash, a 17-year old from North Caribou Lake First Nation, and Josiah Begg, a 14-year old from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation. York police were assisted by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.

The decision followed calls from 77 northern Ontario Indigenous leaders for the RCMP to investigate the deaths of Keeash, Begg and one other amid concerns of systemic racism within the Thunder Bay police force.

“I do feel that it was quite valuable to help have a more in-depth and better understanding of the circumstances of these two deaths,” Huyer said.

Keeash and Begg are the sixth and seventh Indigenous teens since 2000 to die in the waterways of Thunder Bay, where both local police and the civilian board tasked with overseeing them are under investigation in relation to concerns raised by Indigenous leaders.

The Thunder Bay Police determined there was no “evidence to indicate criminality” in Keeash’s death. Her body was found in the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway on May 7 — a day after she disappeared from her foster home. APTN reported Keeash was drinking with three family members on a hill near the floodway when she went missing.

“She was still alive when they left her,” Pearl Keeash, Tammy’s mother, told APTN.

Begg, who was in Thunder Bay for medical appointments with his father, also disappeared on May 6. His body was found in the McIntyre River on May 18.

While Huyer said he is unable to publicly release the details of the coroner’s investigations, he hopes it has given both families a better understanding of the circumstances of their children’s deaths.

“It’s always tough because we can’t answer every single question,” he said. “Sometimes if there’s nobody with the person when they pass, then we can’t know exactly what happened,” With files from Tanya Talaga