Family demands Akwesasne police step up probe for man missing since January

There were rumours offoul play, but the family of Kenny Leaf, missing since mid-January,had heard little from the AkwesasneMohawk Police so, after a large family supper, they decided to march to the police station and demand answers.

The women led the march Friday evening, chanting "bring back Kenny Leaf," according to a video posted on Facebook.

Leaf, a 50-year-old father of six, disappeared sometime after Jan. 13according to hisfamily, who have received conflicting accounts of his last known movements.

"We didn't know what to do anymore," said Kandy Pierce, 24,Kenny Leaf's daughter.

"All this information that people are bringing to us, we are just trying to connect the dots. With all that is going on and trying to take care of our families ... it is hard to process."

Kenny Leaf is the second man from the Mohawk community near Cornwall, Ont., about 120 km west of Montreal, to have gone missing this winter. Akwesasnestraddles the Ontario-Quebec boundary and the Canada-U.S. border.

Akwesasnepolice found the body of Donald Johnson, 31, last week in a marsh around the Akwesasne district of Snye, which sits in Quebec. Johnson had been missing since Feb. 10.

Police said no foul play was suspected and the case is not connected to Leaf's disappearance.

Rumours spreading

Rumours of what led to Leaf's disappearance spread throughout Akwesasne,down to the Onondaga reservation in New York State and to Six Nations in Ontario, the family said.

There are strong family ties between the three communities.

"It's no secret whose name has been said. There have been a few names that have been brought up in 90 per cent of the rumours," said Jennifer Leaf, who is the sister-in-law of Kenny Leaf.

"Police are aware of those names. They have asked to speak with these individuals and these individuals have declined to meet with the Mohawk police."

Akwesasne Mohawk Police acting deputy chief Lee-Ann O'Brien said the Leaf investigation is still being handled as a missing persons case. O'Brien said the investigation is of the "utmost, highest priority."

She said the police chief and the lead investigator reached out and spoke to the family on Saturday.

Multiple law-enforcement agencies involved

O'Brien said an OPP helicopter would be employed in the search this week to scour the St. Lawrence River, fields and marshes. O'Brien said the police is also working with the Sret du Qubecand, on the U.S. side, the St. Regis Tribal Policeand the Franklin Countydistrict attorney's office in New York State.

"We are taking in all leads, all tips and we are investigating those tips seriously," said O'Brien.

The number of law enforcement agencies involved in the case highlights the jurisdictional tangle that quickly emerges in cases from Akwesasne.

The family expressed their frustration over the jurisdictional barriers during the Friday evening protest.

Some in the crowd questioned why there was so much inter-jurisdictional law enforcement co-operation when it comes to tobacco smuggling, but not on cases such as this one involving a missing person.

One officer told the family they couldn't make any extradition requests at this point in the case, according to the video.

"These people who need to be questioned live on the American side of the border," said Pierce.

"In reality to us, it looks like it's just down the road. I live on the Canadian side and I have to drive by these people's houses and I could stop there myself and interrogate them, but I don't want to get hurt myself."

'I am heartbroken'

Kenny Leaf is the father of six children, including a three month-old girl and a one-year-old son. Healso has 10 grandchildren.

His family said he hasan incredible sense of humour, andcould pull out a joke in the midst of any argument and leave everyone smiling.

"He loved his powwow trails;he loved to do fun things. He is a kid at heart, he didn't want to grow old," said Pierce, who was nicknamed "Kitty" by her father.

"I never sleep at night.I am exhausted.I am drained.I am heartbroken."

Kenny Leaf's family is also still dealing with the disappearance of another family member, Timothy Benedict-Leaf, 19, who was reportedly last seen on Kawehno:ke, also known as Cornwall Island, on Feb. 1, 2013.