In the early morning hours of February 21, 2006, a 27-year-old man named Draper Lee Jim was making his way home. He had been given a ride and was last seen between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. in the small community of Cochin, Saskatchewan. Draper was trying to get back to his home on the Witchekan First Nation, a journey he would tragically never complete. After leaving his job at a Maple Leaf Foods plant in North Battleford, he was spotted on Highway 4, about 21 kilometers north of the city, hoping to
continue his journey homeward. His family remembers him as someone who kept in regular contact, making his sudden silence all the more alarming.
Draper's last known movements were captured on the surveillance footage of a convenience store in Cochin. He entered the store, bought a coffee, and used the restroom before walking back out the front door and vanishing. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a white shirt, a black hoodie, a beige jacket, blue jeans, black shoes, and a white hat. He is described as being of Aboriginal descent, standing 6'1' tall and weighing around 150 pounds, with a bald head and brown eyes. He had a distinctive ying-yang tattoo on his right upper arm and a scar on his left lower lip. He had been dropped off on the road near the Health Center on the Saulteaux First Nation before he was last seen.
For years, Draper's family has been left in a state of agonizing uncertainty. His aunt, Lillian Thomas, has spoken of the deep pain of not knowing what happened to her nephew, stating that his lack of contact is entirely out of character and that she believes someone harmed him. The family's search for answers has been compounded by cruel hoaxes, including a false confession from a prison inmate that briefly and painfully raised their hopes for closure. Despite the passage of time, the family continues to advocate for him, putting up posters and pleading for anyone with information to come forward. The investigation into Draper Lee Jim's disappearance remains active; a young man who set out for home one winter morning and was never heard from again, leaving behind a family searching for peace and a community with unanswered questions.Last Seen: Feb 21, 2006
