Young was last seen on April 19 playing outside the house where he lived with his aunt and uncle in Red Earth Cree Nation, about 300 miles northeast of Saskatoon. Despite extensive land, air and boat research in the community and the surrounding area, the young boy has not appeared since that day. After the spring thaw, volunteers from the local First Nations will refocus on the Carrot River, especially at a crossroads about five kilometers downstream from Red Earth, known locally as “Y”. The Carrot River originates in Lake Wakaw and flows northeast through the Red Earth Plains on the Saskatchewan River near The Pas, Man. “There are a lot of log jams along the river and this is one of them,” said Shoal Lake Cree Nation leader Marcel Head. “The guardians of knowledge have always indicated that only from their own experience do these areas tend to catch any kind of debris or objects floating along the river, and this is what the search team wanted to try and focus on.” Young’s parents live in Shoal Lake Cree Nation, which is active in the search. Police and volunteers continue to search for five-year-old Frank Young in the area around Red Earth Cree Nation. (Google Maps) Carrot River RCMP Sergeant Richard Tonge said police are also focusing on the Carrot River. “As the river begins to recede, the Saskatchewan RCMP regular support team plans to travel to the community this weekend to conduct a thorough, targeted search of the river. One of their goals will be to try to locate any objects. “They may be related to Frank,” Tonghe said. He said police have used all their resources to search for Young, including aircraft, boats and underwater recovery teams. Unless new information is provided, there will be no additional air or ship searches, Tongue said. The last aerial search was carried out by helicopter on June 11. The last police boat search for Young was on June 18. However, the RCMP will continue to search for Young on foot and his case is active, Tonge said. According to Red Earth Cree Nation leader Fabian Head, local first nations are on the rise as the search entered its 64th day on Tuesday. “Our local ATVs, boats and motor equipment have started to break down and need service,” said Head. An awareness walk near Young’s Red Earth’s home was held on Tuesday to let people know that the search is ongoing. Red Earth Cree Nation took an awareness walk for five-year-old Frank Young, who has been missing for two months. (Chief Fabian Head) Both Fabian and Marcel Head have said that provincial and federal governments should also offer more support to pay for Young’s growing search costs. “The price of fuel has risen significantly and it is quite difficult to have to work with your old resources,” said Marcel Head. The head of Red Earth said that 611 volunteers have covered 92 square kilometers in search of Young so far. Both leaders said they continue to view the search for Young as a rescue mission. “I know the family is still very optimistic and optimistic that Frank will be back soon,” said Fabian Head.
