Three and a half months.
That’s how long it has been since Gloria Gladue’s body was found in Manitoba.
Gladue, a 44-year-old grandmother, was last seen in Wabasca Oct. 9, 2015. Last June, Grant Arthur Sneesby was charged with second-degree murder and offering indignity to remains.
On Oct. 4, Gladue’s children marched alongside about 70 other people in Athabasca’s Sisters In Spirit event in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Her daughter, Nicole Gladue-Weesemat, spoke at the event, which was organized by the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre. She said her family is still grieving after the loss of her mother.
“It was an honour to be here,” she said, speaking to the crowd. “This is our first time here. We’re a little nervous, but we’re really grateful.”
Gladue-Weesemat said in an interview she came to Athabasca’s Sisters In Spirit event after her family received an invitation from the friendship centre.
“We just decided here, because you guys were nice enough to constantly — as much as you could — share her story since she went missing and was found,” she said. “So we kind of wanted to pay our respects back, and it’s a little closer to home.”
According to Alberta Court Checks, Sneesby has not submitted a plea to the charges and is next scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Jan. 14-18 in Slave Lake.
Gladue-Weesemat her mother was buried in Sandy Lake, and a memorial potluck would be held on the anniversary of her disappearance.
Event
From the Athabasca Seniors Centre along Main Street to the riverfront, a drummer kept the pace as people of all ages carried signs marking missing loved ones.
At the riverfront, people dropped blue flowers in the water, and a prayer was said in memory of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
After walking back to the Seniors Centre, the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre provided a dinner for everyone who attended.
