Doig River First Nation man Leander Attachie Arrested for 2009 Murder of Kevin Attachie

On October 25, 2009, shortly after 9:00 am Fort St. John RCMP were requested to attend to a residence in the community of the Doig River First Nation in response to a report of a deceased male. Upon attendance to the residence, Police confirmed that the male was deceased from what appeared to be suspicious circumstances. An autopsy was completed and it was determined that the deceased, Kevin ATTACHIE, was the victim of a homicide.

The Fort St. John RCMP Detachment and the North District Major Crimes Unit and General Investigation Sections immediately became involved in the investigation. Officers from these units have assisted in following up on information and interviewing numerous witnesses. Members of the National Forensic Service Section assisted investigators with examining exhibits that were located during two separate search warrants.

As a result of evidence gathered throughout the investigation, charges were approved by Crown Counsel for Second Degree Murder and a warrant of arrest was issued for the accused. On July 8, 2011 Leander ATTACHIE, a 30 year old resident of the Doig River First Nation, was arrested for the Murder of Kevin ATTACHIE. Leander ATTACHIE appeared in court this week and has been remanded in custody until his next court appearance on July 27, 2011.

“This file is representative of the complex nature of our investigations, in particular, the use of specialized units and the various techniques used to obtain the necessary evidence that assisted us in determining the circumstances surrounding the death of Kevin ATTACHIE. These techniques and procedures take time, which is not depicted on television. The public should rest assured that we have been continuing to investigate this offence since the day of Kevin ATTACHIE’s death. We were able to gather sufficient evidence to move the file forward leading to the arrest of Leander ATTACHIE. We look forward to this matter going before the courts so that the public can get a better understanding of the details surrounding this investigation.

Our ultimate goal during this investigation was to determine what happened, and why, in order to bring those responsible before the courts. While a charge has been laid, our investigation has not concluded. We are continuing to ask members of the public to come forward with any information they might have in relation to Kevin ATTACHIE’s death. “ Cst. Jackelynn BILLER