Inspector says Wabasse case lacked physical evidence to be treated as murder

THUNDER BAY – A city police inspector says a lack of physical evidence makes it “improbable” that the death of Jordan Wabasse was a homicide, despite allegations that emerged at a coroner’s inquest earlier this week.

Thunder Bay Police Service Insp. Don Lewis was called to the stand Friday morning at the inquest examining the death of the 15-year-old from Webequie First Nation, as well as six other students from remote communities who attended high school in the city and died between 2000 and 2011.

Lewis was asked about testimony heard on Wednesday from Riley Freeman, who told the inquest a friend had said he pushed Wabasse off the James Street Swing Bridge.

“I’m satisfied with the information that was collected would make the theory improbable,” he said in response to a question asking if he believed the testimony.

Lewis elaborated the nature of the openings in the ice under the bridge, being far enough away from the bridge it would not be likely for a body to travel that distance to hit open water, and that there was no visible disturbance in the snow in the area did not support the theory of a body falling from the bridge.

He added there were no obvious signs of trauma found on the body, which was found nearly three months after his disappearance, during the autopsy that would be consistent with falling off the bridge and into the ice-covered river.

Wabasse, who came to Thunder Bay to attend the Matawa Learning Centre, was last seen on the night of Feb. 7, 2011, exiting a city transit bus at the Holt Place stop on Mary Street, about a block from his boarding home. He did not return home and was reported missing the next morning.

His hat was found a week later near the shore of the Kaministiquia River in the area of the bridge, which would be at least a 2.5-kilometre walk in the opposite direction of his boarding home.

Lewis said during the course of the three-month search there were ground search efforts by the Emergency Task Unit, other city police officers, Lakehead Search and Rescue and volunteer and community searchers. Resources such as dive teams, drones and helicopters from the OPP were used, as well as an RCMP marine search unit.

Three civilians in a boat found a body floating in the Kaministiquia River on the early evening of May 10, 2011 about 650 metres east of the bridge. The body was identified as Wabasse by the police service’s forensic identification officers the next day.

Lewis said the missing person case is categorized as “solved, complete and non-criminal” in the force’s records, though that is for statistical purposes. While it is not being actively investigated, the sudden death of Wabasse remains open and could be revisited in the event of new evidence.