Helen LEYDEN Missing Person Case

Helen

LEYDEN

87

31

64 inches

64 inches

130 lbs

130 lbs

Indigenous

Female

In the vast expanse of Alberta, a story of a family's enduring hope and a decades-long mystery began to unfold sometime between 1968 and 1972. It was during this period that Helen Louise Leyden, a mother of four and a member of the Mikisew Cree Nation, vanished from her life in Edmonton. At the time she was last in contact with her family, she was approximately 36 years old. Helen, who also used the surnames Ratfat and Fortin, was described as having black hair and brown eyes, standing around 5'4" and weighing approximately 130 pounds. Her life in Edmonton was the last confirmed location, though a possibility that she may have traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, has remained an unconfirmed part of her story. For many years, her absence was a silent void, her case not officially documented as a missing person's investigation. The years stretched into decades, and Helen's children grew up without her, raised by their non-native father and disconnected from their maternal family and Indigenous heritage. It was not until one of her daughters, Sequin, was an adult that the search for her mother truly began. This personal quest for answers eventually brought Helen's story out of the shadows and into the official view of law enforcement. In October 2014, authorities, including the Edmonton Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver, initiated a renewed review of her case. This step, long overdue, marked a significant turning point in the search for Helen, finally giving her disappearance the official attention it had lacked for so long. The renewed investigation brought a measure of hope to Helen's family. Familial DNA was collected and entered into national databases, a crucial tool that could potentially identify her if any unidentified remains were to be found. Despite these efforts and extensive searches across Canada, no confirmed sightings or concrete evidence has emerged to explain what happened to Helen Leyden. The question of whether she left on her own or was met with foul play remains unanswered. The story of Helen Leyden is a poignant narrative of a missing Indigenous woman, a family's persistent search for truth, and a case that, after more than half a century, continues to be an open and unresolved investigation, leaving her loved ones with a painful and lingering uncertainty.

Jan 01, 1970

EDMONTON

Alberta

Edmonton Police Service

Edmonton

Alberta

780-423-4567

780-423-4567

Law Enforcement

CA18053053

Edmonton Police Service

Black

Brown

Brown

Build: Medium

No