First Nations student deaths inquest: Boarding home parent testifies

Presiding coroner asks whether searchers were wearing life jackets. 'They didn't give us any equipment' Anderson says #cbctb

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Anderson says he held Jethro's body for about half an hour before fire fighters came with a stretcher in their own boat #cbctb

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'I couldn't sleep for 2 days,' after finding Jethro, Anderson says. He pulled him out of the water, face down #cbctb

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'I felt something and we kind of panicked,' Anderson says. 'No other boats were around to help' #cbctb

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Anderson says searchers borrowed boats, found Jethro's body after about 1.5 hours on the water #cbctb

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Anderson says it was his idea to search the river 'where the seagulls were landing' #cbctb

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Morely Anderson, from Kasabonika Lake First Nation now on the stand. He helped find Jethro's body #cbctb

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Presiding coroner asks if there was 'anything from [Jethro] that he was planning to kill himself' Morris: no, never. #cbctb

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Presiding coroner asks if there was 'anything from [Jethro] that he was planning to kill himself' Morris: no, never. #cbctb

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Morris says 'he was walking home & someone hit him'. Coroner interrupts. Morris: 'I just want to tell them how police were' #cbctb

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Morris says when she picked her boy up police said he was intoxicated. When she took him home his head was caked with blood. #cbctb

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Morris says she called police to see if her son was in lock-up. They said no. Then next morning he called from police station #cbctb

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Morris: 'I had an incident w/my own son. He was hit on the back of the head with a beer bottle.' He was 17. He didn't come home. #cbctb

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'I don't know if they told them anything,' Morris says #cbctb

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Police lawyer asks 'while he was like a son to you, police had to notify the actual parents' are you aware of this? #cbctb

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'I need to tell them this' Morris says, 'regarding the police.' Presiding coroner says stops her, says she has to answers lawyer q's #cbctb

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Police missing persons report says Jethro 'drinks alcohol'. Morris says 'I couldn't lie about that' he came home drunk 1 time #cbctb

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Police lwyr suggests Morris did not call police on morning after Jethro disappeared 'I did call #tbay police, that 684 #,' she says #cbctb

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Morris: 'I had responsibility for his well-being and for him attending school It's no easy task looking after someone else's child' #cbctb

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When Morris' asked abt taking Jethro as a boarding student 'I was kind of hesitant b/c of him using alcohol, then he just showed up' #cbctb

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Police lawyer questions Morris about Jethro running awy when he was 13, gone for 3 days. Morris doesn't remember reporting to police #cbctb

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'I do know that he wanted to stay on #tbay,' Morris says. 'He just liked staying with us.' #cbctb

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Aboriginal Affairs lawyer asks Morris about a statement she made to OPP about Jethro not wanting to go home to Kasabonika #cbctb

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Court security goes to get witness, trapped outside as courthouse closes for the night. Inquest sits this evening. #cbctb

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Morris says boarding home parents should treat students 'as their own', says she still calls her own brdg home parents mom and dad. #cbctb

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Morris says after Jethro died, an elder came to visit and smudged her home. 'I'll never forget what he did for me,' she says crying #cbctb

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Morris says she was not aware of other options when she had to deal with concerns about police. #cbctb

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All agree this is acceptable question. Jury returns. #cbctb

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Aboriginal Affairs lawyer suggests asking Morris if she was aware of other options she had to pursue her concerns about police. #cbctb

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'This jury already has a very formidable task ahead of it,' Gover says. 'We have to engage in a cost-benefit analysis' #cbctb

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Police lawyer Brian Gover says it's not true that all witnesses have 'crisis of confidence' with police. #cbctb

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Falconer says it's possible the jury may want to issue a recommendation for public eduction on how to file complaints about police #cbctb

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'NAN lawyer Julian Falconer says. 'Can't ignore fact people didn't feel they had a remedy' to their concerns about police #cbctb

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Nishnawbe Aski Nation lawyer says he supports effort to ask witnesses about their 'crisis of confidence' with #tbay police #cbctb

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Presiding coroner Dr. Eden says he wants Bryson to explain how that is relevant to the scope of the inquest. #cbctb

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Bryson says she would like the independent police review director to attend phase 2 of inquest to help with recommendations #cbctb

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Lawyer Chantelle Bryson interrupted by presiding coroner as she asks question about Morris' complaint to police. Jury excused. #cbctb

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Morris says she saw Jethro's body at the funeral home says he had bruise, 3 inches wide, from forehead to top of his head #cbctb

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Morris: 'I said sure doesn't take you long to get here. It sure took you a long time to help me. Then they kind of apologized.' #cbctb

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Months later, Morris says she withdrew her complaint, says police were at her door in minutes w/ the paperwork #cbctb

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Morris filed a complaint about they way #tbay police responded to her calls about Jethro. #cbctb

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'I don't think I want to be a boarding parent anymore,' Morris says, although she has a great-nephew staying with her now. #cbctb

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'I never got answers,' Morris says. #cbctb

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'I never believed he died from drowning, especially after seeing those contusions,' Morrris says. 'Something weird was happening.' #cbctb

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'I asked (police) about the marks on his face. They said debris. It looked like cigarette burns,' Morris says #cbctb

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'I asked them (police) about the contusion on Jethro's head. They said he fell. How could he fall straight down,' Morris says #cbctb

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Police 'are there to help and protect and all I got were negative comments about our people,' Morris says #cbctb

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'He's just out there partying like any other Native kid, those are the comments I got from #tbay police,' Morris says #cbctb

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Morris says when she first called police about her concerns about Jethro, police said it was too early for missing persons report #cbctb

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Morris says the curfew set out by Northern Nishnawbe Education Council of 10 pm weeknights, 12 wknds, was 'too late' she set her own #cbctb

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Morris says she was called to school Nov. 11, told her own kids not to get hopes up 'I already knew what the news was going to be' #cbctb

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'I just had a feeling he's in the river,' Morris says. 'I went there every day, twice a day until he was found' #cbctb

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'I was really close to my nephew, we all were. He was like a son to me. He called me mom too,' Morris says through tears #cbctb

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'No one was believing me he was gone. I wanted police to drag the river because I believed he was in the river,' Morris says, crying #cbctb

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2 days before Jethro's body was found Morris says she was called to the school to identify a hat police had in a bag #cbctb

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Morris says she went to the school to tell Jethro's teachers he was missing. 'Nobody offered to help. Nobody was concerned.' #cbctb

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Morris is crying, lawyer apologizes for difficult q's. Morris: 'That's okay. I don't want this to happen again for anybody else' #cbctb

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'We never stopped searching,' Morris said. 'We never got any info. from police. Whenever I called they just said no right away' #cbctb

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Morris says she called police Sun am 'never did like their responses, they didn't put notice he went missing until a week after' #cbctb

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'We even went on private property,' Morris says, starting to cry. 'We never found anything' #cbctb

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Students who have testified earlier have called the Kam River heritage park 'the waterfront' #cbctb

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'People kept saying he went to the waterfront,' Morris said. 'We didn't know where the waterfront was' #cbctb

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Jethro wasn't home by 11 pm that night so Morris and her husband began driving around looking for him until 3 a.m. #cbctb

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Morris says Jethro and her son left home about 2:30 pm the day Jethro disappeared to go to the mall. She gave them $2.50 for a treat #cbctb

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Morris enrolled another student who stayed with her in hockey to 'settle him down'. 'He was a good hockey player' #cbctb

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Morris says she had a niece stay with her who was also 'dealing with alcohol', she bought the girl a guitar 'to keep her busy' #cbctb

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Morris says she 'wasn't too keen' on Jethro coming to live with her for school in #tbay because he was 'dealing with alcohol' #cbctb

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Morris also looked after Anderson for about 6 months when he was 8 yrs old, says he was shy, 'happy when he felt at home' #cbctb

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Dora Morris now taking the stand. She was Jethro Anderson's boarding parent the year he died, also his aunt #cbctb

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'Do you want your kids to come out for high school?' lawyer asks. Skunk answers: 'I guess so. I don't have a choice.' #cbctb

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Chantelle asked about how she felt after Jethro died, says she can't remember, turns from remote testimony camera, rubs eyes #cbctb

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'I always had a hard time at school wherever I went,' Chantelle says. 'I was always lonely for home.'

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Chantelle says she was very homesick while she was away at school, didn't care about the rules b/c punishment was going home #cbctb

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In her police statement Chantelle said her sister hit Jethro in the face, but Chantelle says she doesn't remember that now #cbctb

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Chantelle says she wasn't given time to go through her statements to police before testifying today #cbctb

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The next day 'people kept coming to us and asking about him, so we started looking around too,'@#cbctb

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'I kind of blacked out,' Chantelle says of the end of the night when Jethro Anderson was last seen alive in #tbay #cbctb

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Chantelle says celebration of her 16th birthday that night included peer pressure to finish a 2-litre bottle of wine cooler #cbctb

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'It was just like a 1-night thing I ended up with him that night. We weren't really boyfriend and girlfriend,' Chantelle says #cbctb

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'I'm trying to remember, trying my best to help you,' Chantelle says #cbctb

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Jethro's mom and aunt are now sitting in the front row, talking quietly every so often while Chantelle testifies #cbctb

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'I can't remember a lot,' Chantelle says when asked about her statements to police in 2000 and then in 2012 for the inquest #cbctb

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'I was always drunk, me,' Chantelle says with a small laugh. 'So I don't really remember' #cbctb

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'I didn't really know my own way around,' Chantelle says. 'I just followed' #cbctb

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'He asked me 'can you drink me up' and then followed the girls to the boardwalk, Chantelle says #cbctb

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Chantelle says she & some other girls were walking around, drinking coolers and 'feeling buzzed' before they met Jethro at bus stop #cbctb

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Chantelle says she only talked to Jethro Anderson twice before the Saturday night he disappeared #cbctb

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The sisters were placed in separate boarding homes in #tbay, which was 'scary, living far apart', Chantelle says #cbctb

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'I was kind of scared,' Chantelle says of coming to #tbay from Mishkeegogamang to high school. There is no high school in Mish. #cbctb

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Chantelle says she 'didn't last that long' at Dennis Franklin Cromarty high school in #tbay. #cbctb

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Next witness: Chantelle Skunk, Roberta's younger sister, both were with Jethro Anderson the night he disappeared. She was 16 then #cbctb

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Inquest will sit this evening to fit in testimony of Jethro Anderson's aunt, who was also his boarding home parent #cbctb

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Lots of questions to Skunk about statement she made to police 15 years ago, answers 'I don't remember' to a lot of them #cbctb

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Skunk is now a parent of 4 kids, oldest is 10. 'If they let it be my decision, they would stay home' for high school, she says. #cbctb

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'It was at the Water Street terminal, teenagers drove by, throwing slushies', Skunk says, doesn't remember what they yelled #cbctb

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Like other students who have testified Skunk recounts incident of having drinks thrown at her from passing car #cbctb

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Skunk is asked 'is it possible there was a fight between you and Jethro that night?' Answer: 'I don't think so.' #cbctb

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Skunk says she thinks the note about Jethro being beaten up was found in her boarding home #cbctb

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GBS 'was just like a summer thing here in Mish. It didn't go that far. After that I didn't bother with those girls anymore' : Skunk #cbctb

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The note police had about Jethro being beat up referenced 'GBS', the Ghetto Blood Sisters, family's lawyer says, questioning Skunk #cbctb

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Social life for First Nations students was 'being out and about, going from bus to bus, going to the mall,' Skunk says #cbctb

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Skunk says she didn't write the note, doesn't know who did and didn't see Jethro being beaten up, nor did she beat him up #cbctb

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Coroner's counsel asks Skunk about note police had that said 'someone is starting to feel bad about beating [Jethro] up' #cbctb

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Skunk says when Jethro didn't turn up she, her sister and some friends 'went looking, asking around for him' #cbctb

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Screen in courtroom for remote testimony says 'Smart Budget Software'. Audio so weak, lawyer clarifying every sentence #cbctb

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'The first one to run off was Jethro,' Skunk says. The others hid from police behind a garbage can. She never saw Jethro again 2/2 #cbctb

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Skunk says the students were leaving the Kam River park when they saw headlights they thought were 'the cops'. 1/2 #cbctb

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'He was drinking but I don't know if he was drunk, drunk,' Skunk says of Jethro. 'We started sharing our beer with him' #cbctb

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'We were just trying to find a place to drink, I guess,' Skunk says. 'We had the really big bottles of beer' #cbctb

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Skunk says she and her sister Chantelle, Jethro Anderson and Noah Sutherland went to the 'the waterfront near Simpson street' #cbctb

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'We'd already started by the time we met up with him,' Skunk says. 'I was buzzing.' #cbctb

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'We didn't have a plan,' Skunk says. 'We were drinking though'. Skunk was 18 at the time, Jethro was 15 #cbctb

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Skunk says she was with Jethro on the night he disappeared, Oct. 28, 2000. She saw him at Brodie St. bus terminal #cbctb

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Skunk attended Dennis Franklin Cromarty high school in #tbay during the time Jethro Anderson also attended #cbctb

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Inquest begins with testimony from Roberta Skunk, from Mishkeegogamang First Nation. She's testifying via video link #cbctb

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