In the autumn of 1983, a 24-year-old woman named Edna Smith was with her boyfriend and his sister at a camp at East Trout Lake, situated about 120 kilometers north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. This trip to the lake was a regular occurrence for Edna and her boyfriend, something they did each fall and winter. On October 15, 1983, Edna was seen for the last time before she, along with her two companions, vanished.
Her brother later recalled that on the day she left, a crisp and clear autumn day, Edna's demeanor was uncharacteristically subdued and she seemed to have some anxiety about the trip. As she was gathering supplies, she was unusually quiet, and before leaving her family's home in Muskoday First Nation, she made a point to kiss and hug everyone goodbye.
Following their disappearance, a search was initiated for the three individuals. Searchers eventually made a grim discovery, locating the bodies of Edna's two companions. The boat the group had been using was also found capsized in the lake. However, there was no trace of Edna Smith. Authorities suspected that all three had drowned in a tragic accident. Edna, an Indigenous woman, was described as being 5'2' tall and weighing around 170 pounds with a heavy build. She had wavy black hair, brown eyes, and a noticeable space between her upper front teeth. Distinctive features included a scar on her upper lip from a surgically repaired cleft palate. When she was last seen, she was reportedly wearing a blue satin jacket.
Decades later, the disappearance of Edna Smith continues to be an active and unresolved case, leaving her family with unanswered questions. Her brother has expressed that while he was grateful for the initial police efforts, he felt more could have been done and that there was not a lot of information released during the investigation. He also recalled seeing that the boat looked as if it had been shot at, a detail that adds a layer of complexity to the official narrative of an accidental drowning. The family's desire for a clearer timeline of events and more information about the circumstances surrounding that day remains. The case is officially classified as a suspected accident, but for Edna's loved ones, the lack of closure persists. Despite the recovery of her companions and the capsized boat, Edna herself has never been found, her absence a lasting sorrow for the family that remembers her as a kind and generous soul who was 'beautiful with children'.Last Seen: Oct 15, 1983
