The parents of a Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) man missing since Oct. 21 held a press conference Dec. 1 appealing for the public to provide any information they have and for the RCMP to keep them updated on the investigation.
Rico Cody Linklater, 22, was last seen in NCN in the early morning hours of Oct. 21. Nelson House RCMP said in an Oct. 25 press release that they believed he was still in the community although it was possible he may have travelled to Thompson.
Described as six feet tall and 160 pounds, Rico has a slim build, black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing grey pants, a black sweater, brown Nike shoes and a grey baseball cap when he was last seen.
“His disappearance has put us in an apprehensive state,” his father Roger Linklater said at the press conference organized and broadcast by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO). “We are in total shock and disbelief. His five sisters and brothers ask us when he’s coming home. Our son’s life is the most important thing in the world right now. Rico’s life matters to us.”
Rico’s mother Sylvia Wood urged residents of NCN to share anything they know with RCMP and for police to let them know anything they have discovered.
“We are frustrated as we have not received any updates from investigators on this case,” she said. “We have shared many tips but have not received follow-up.”
Hilda Anderson-Pyrz of MKO’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) liaison unit said the National Inquiry into MMIWG identified the lack of police communication with families of missing and murdered women as problematic and she said the same applies when the person missing is male.
“It’s already so difficult on the family and they don’t need the added stress of the lack of communication from the RCMP.”
MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee said there needs to be more resources in the north to help families and communities search for missing people.
“When you don’t have things at your disposal it makes it harder on communities, harder on families,” he said. “It’s really important to find those resources.”
