Friends and family of the late Gerald Supernault, a Sugar Cane man who was killed 10 years ago, will be gathering on Saturday, Aug. 25 for a memorial awareness walk to bring attention to the case, which has gone unsolved for a decade.
Silver Supernault, Gerald’s niece, has been organizing the event, saying it’s an opportunity for friends and family to gather in remembrance, while also bringing attention to the fact that the case remains a mystery.
“For the majority of us, it is a memorial, but also a celebration of life,” said Supernault. “We want to do it in Gerald’s honour to reinforce the fact that we still think about him on a daily basis. We’re hoping that it will also help all of us get some answers and some closure.”
According to published media reports, Gerald Supernault, who was 37 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen leaving the Toosey Reserve wearing black pants, black shorts and hiking boots around Aug. 7 or 8, 2008.
On Oct. 5, 2008, Supernault’s body was found on the Sugar Cane Reserve, 12 kilometres south of Williams Lake. Ground and aerial searches were initiated for Supernault after he was reported missing Aug. 22
Autopsy results revealed that Supernault had been the victim of foul play, and the missing persons case was upgraded to a homicide investigation.
Silver Supernault states that despite often remaining in direct contact with the RCMP in regards to Gerald’s death, they have not heard any new information in quite a while.
“We haven’t heard too much from the RCMP in terms of new information recently,” said Supernault. “They (RCMP) do keep in close contact with us, and they have been very supportive of us in that aspect. When they do hear anything, they tend to notify us.
“I guess it is the overturn in the RCMP in regards to who handles the case,” said Supernault. “It makes it very tough stability-wise.”
Supernault explained that family and friends from across the province — with some coming from Merritt and Chilliwack —will be in attendance for the memorial awareness walk, as well as hoping that the turnout ranges anywhere between 50 and 100 people.
With the walk starting in Boitanio Park, the family would like to drum, sing and pray through the core of Williams Lake, all in the goal of bringing awareness to the city of Williams Lake, the RCMP and Sugar Cane Reserve that the case remains unsolved.
Ultimately, Supernault is hoping that the event is a positive event that will commemorate a man that “meant so much to his family.”
“It’s important that we build awareness for it,” said Supernault. “The first four years after Gerald’s death, my grandmother held a one-day powwow in memory of him. We haven’t done anything, in terms of public events, since 2012.
“It was important for me to organize something, because I just recently moved back to the community last year. I realized that this year marks 10 years, so I think it would be great to get the family and friends of Gerald together in a positive way. We don’t intend for it to be negative at all, we just want to remember him and continue to spread awareness the way we can.”