Police hope to generate new tips in disappearance of Jeannine Ermineskin with billboard

Miriam Valdes-Carletti details how Edmonton police are hoping a new billboard will help them solve a three-year-old missing-person case.

Police are hoping to generate tips in the case of a woman’s disappearance with a new billboard.

Jeannine Ermineskin, 40, was last heard from by friends and family on Jan. 6, 2022.

In March that year, police first issued a news release about her disappearance.

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Ermineskin is Indigenous, around 172 cm tall (5′8″) with blue eyes, long blonde hair, and a thin build.

She was last seen wearing a black jacket and pants.

EPS, Native Counselling Services of Alberta, REACH Edmonton and Crime Stoppers are hoping the billboard, which will be seen by “thousands” every day, will help uncover new information.

The billboard is at the intersection of 101 Street and 107 Avenue in the Central McDougall neighbourhood.

“The goal is to get the community here talking about this case, to generate conversation, and then hopefully tips, even the smallest tips, just like places where she was or people that she was with at the time of her disappearance,” said Const. Matthew Broadfoot.

“She was a focus when we did our annual river search back in 2022 … but the investigation has led us to this community here in this area.”

The annual river search takes place in fall when the North Saskatchewan River water level is at its lowest. The EPS Missing Persons Unit searches for the remains of people who went missing in the past year.

Ermineskin was known to frequent central Edmonton.

On Jan. 6, 2022, she went to a TD Bank in Edmonton City Centre mall, took out money and was seen leaving on foot, according to Broadfoot.

“Information from her cell phone that we received led us to believe that she remained in this area, essentially within a couple blocks of here, for the remainder of that day, until her cell phone activity ended,” he added.

The billboard will be up for two months, according to Broadfoot.

“This issue hits close to home, as Edmonton has one of the highest urban Indigenous populations in Canada,” said Lisa Kardosh, director of community initiatives at REACH Edmonton.

“We hope to raise awareness not just about Jeannine Ermineskin, but to remind Edmontonians that Indigenous people remain at higher risk of going missing than the average Canadian.”

Anyone with information about Ermineskin’s disappearance can contact Edmonton police at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 or online.