Leanne Benwell, 27, was reported missing in April 2007 after her mother, Connie, hadn’t spoken to her for over a month. The Salt River First Nation woman’s body was found in a remote area in Wetaskiwin, Alta., on June 21, 2007.

Edmonton RCMP closed the case five years later, after a medical examiner determined her death was not criminal in nature, according to her mother, who strongly rejects that conclusion.

“My daughter wouldn't just go and lay down in some farmer's field and die like that. That’s stupid,” she said, adding that she believes her daughter met with foul play.

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Connie said right before Leanne disappeared, she had called to say she was worried someone was after her, but she wouldn’t say who it was.

She had been living on the street and was believed to be involved in the sex trade, her mother said. Her boyfriend didn’t report her missing right away.

“I don’t think that the police are doing what they have to do to locate these people or work with families,” she said, adding she hadn’t heard from police for more than 1½ years.

Connie said she had been trying for several years to get police to take a second look at Leanne’s case without success, until now. She hasn’t been able to obtain any documents in Leanne’s death.

She recently went to a gathering for missing and murdered Indigenous women in Edmonton and sent a handwritten note asking for an update to an RCMP officer who was speaking to the crowd.

“He was showing the note to some investigator guy and they were looking around, so I waved and then he came over and spoke to me,” she said, adding that an RCMP officer called her before she left Edmonton for her northern home 13 hours away.

“I was giving him a little bit of information, like to get him up to speed with it. He said, 'Everything you're telling me here is not in this file,'” she said. “I was really happy that I went to that meeting.”

Alberta RCMP will meet with mother

Alberta RCMP confirmed that a major crimes officer has begun to review Leanne’s file and will meet with Connie to update her on the investigation.

Connie has a message for all police working on cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“Let people know where you're at. Just let them know that you haven't forgot about them,” she said. “There’s a lot of families in limbo.”