$50K rewards renewed in 2 Regina cold cases

The Regina Board of Police Commissioners decided this week to continue to offer $50,000 rewards for two cold cases in the city.

The first is in connection with the disappearance of Tamra Keepness 18 years ago.

Keepness was five years old when she was last seen in her Ottawa Street home on the evening of July 5, 2004.

Later that year, police issued a $25,000 reward for any information leading to her whereabouts. The figure was increased to $50,000 in 2014, where it's remained.

The second $50,000 reward is for information about the triple homicide of a Regina family.

Gray Nay Htoo, his wife, Maw Maw, and their three-year-old son, Seven June, were found dead in their Oakview Drive home on Aug. 6, 2010.

The family members were Karen refugees who had moved to Canada from a refugee camp in Thailand a few years before they were killed.

Between city police and RCMP, more than 200 interviews involving Karen translators from communities across Canada and one from the United States have been conducted, according to a report put before the board on Tuesday.

The report said that people of interest have been identified and "several investigative avenues" have been explored.

"The investigators believe there are people within the community who have information which could be crucial to this investigation and bring it to a successful conclusion," the report says.

It also outlinesmeetings between police and members of the local Karen community about the Canadian justice system and the role of the courts "in order to demystify policing in Canada versus refugee camp security systems."

"The community was receptive to the dialogue and participated in the meetings; asking questions and providing support to the efforts of the investigators," the report said.

"The investigators believe the continuation of the reward may stimulate more information to come forward, especially given the education and outreach they have done."

The Regina Police Service willassess whether the reward needs to be furtherrenewedinDecember 2023.