SASKATOON — As Ernest Vernon Whitehead, 41, made his first court appearance in connection to the disappearance of Megan Gallagher in 2020, the missing woman's father called for anyone with information to come forward.
In a release issued by Métis Nation–Saskatchewan, Brian Gallagher was quoted as saying, “The silence that has been killing us has been so devastating to so many people and it’s not just our family, there are so many families out there suffering the same realities. In many cases, theirs are far worse. We’ve got some answers in 20 months. Some people never get answers.”
Whitehead is one of four people charged with offering an indignity to human remains in the case of Megan Gallagher, which the Saskatoon Police Service is treating as a homicide investigation. He will appear in court again June 6 for a show cause hearing.
Friday, 44-year-old Roderick William Sutherland, who was arrested overnight by police, will make his first court appearance. Warrants have also been issued for 44-year-old John Wayne Sanderson and 42-year-old Jessica Sutherland and photos have been circulated, asking for the public's help in finding them.
MN–S says it has and will continue to support Megan Gallagher's family through this process and echoes the Gallagher family’s call for anyone with information to come forward.
MN–S Minister of Women and Gender Equity Loretta King said, “While progress in Megan’s case provides a semblance of comfort for the Gallagher family – it is not the same as justice. Justice means that all individuals who had a hand in Megan’s disappearance are properly dealt with. Justice means Métis and other Indigenous women and girls do not face rates of violence and murder that scar our families and communities. We will continue to fight for the freedom of our women and girls to live and thrive in safety “
MN–S says it will continue to call for justice in Megan’s case and all cases involving Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ (MMIWG2S) people. The MN–S government also supports the efforts of Métis citizen Lindsey Bishop, Megan’s sister, on her cross-Canada MMIWG2S awareness campaign with Saskatchewan resident Krista Fox
Thirty-year-old Megan Gallagher went missing in Saskatoon in September of 2020. In January 2021, the Saskatoon Police Service announced it was treating her disappearance as a homicide. SPS Major Crime investigators are still looking for information and ask anyone with knowledge, including the whereabouts of the two wanted persons, to contact them e at 306-975-8300 or Saskatoon CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
