Introduction

Azraya Ackabee-Kokopenace and her twin brother, Braedon, were born on March 6, 2002 to their parents, Marlin Kokopenace and Christa Ackabee. The family, which also included older brother Calvin, are members of Grassy Narrows First Nation, located in northwestern Ontario.

A Young Life Lost

Azraya Ackabee-Kokopenace was only 14 years old when she was found dead in a wooded area on April 17, 2016. Just days before, she had been dropped off at a hospital in Kenora, Ontario by provincial police. It's a heartbreaking story that raises many questions.

Azraya's Bright Personality

Growing up, Azraya was regarded as a sweet girl filled with innocence. She had a quiet and loving nature, and she wasn't afraid to show her humorous side. Her bright smile and warm hugs made everyone around her feel happy. She also had a great sense of fashion and loved expressing herself through her unique style. People in her community saw her as a ray of positivity.

Challenges in the Family's Life

Azraya's family had faced challenges even before she was born. Children's Aid (CAS) was involved due to concerns about inadequate supervision, domestic violence, and alcohol use. These issues affected the family's dynamics and created a difficult environment for Azraya and her siblings.

A Father's Grief

Azraya's father, Marlin Kokopenace, is heartbroken and has many questions. He hasn't received all the answers about his daughter's final hours. He wonders why the police couldn't find her and why she was allowed to walk away from the hospital in the first place.

Trouble with the Police

A few weeks before she disappeared, on March 26, Azraya had an altercation with a police officer.

Videos of the incident were released by her family. The videos show a struggle between Azraya and two police officers who were called because someone reported she appeared intoxicated.

In one of the videos, Azraya is lying on the ground while a police officer tries to restrain her. She's kicking her legs, but she doesn't actually hit the officer. She repeatedly said she wanted to go home. Then, things get really bad. The officer grabs her arm and lifts her into the air before dropping her back on the ground.

After the altercation, Azraya's father noticed bruises on her arms and legs.

"I think that wasn't right at all," her father Marlin Kokopenace said of the police incident. "She was only like 80 pounds and that cop was about 200 pounds."

"After [what happened in] that video, I don't think she would trust police again," he said.

According to Darwin Forbister, a friend of Azraya's, who was nearby, but did not witness the incident, Azraya was drunk at the time. She had also attempted suicide on two prior occasions.

"He's pretty much pulling her off the ground and being really rough with her, too rough, and that's just going too far," said Fobister, who viewed both videos.

"That cop was putting too much pressure on her [with his knee], and he should have just let a female cop do the work," he said, referring to the portion of the video where the officer pinned Azraya down with his knee.

Residents of Grassy Narrows First Nation believe that the videos show how local police don't know how to handle Indigenous teenagers who are feeling suicidal.

The Ontario Provincial Police stated that no internal investigations have been conducted regarding their officers' involvement with Azraya.

Despite reports that Azraya was picked up by police because she had missed curfew, the OPP refused to officially comment on why they had contact with her on the night she died.

A Mysterious Disappearance

On the night of April 15, 2016, Azraya went to a house party and missed her 9:00pm curfew at the group home she was staying at. The police were notified and found her at Lake of the Woods District Hospital. She was later transferred to an agency worker, but left on her own around 11:20pm. A witness saw her walking towards a nearby wooded area.

Azraya's family was not informed about her disappearance until the next day. Her father was flagged down by the Ontario Provincial Police while he was on his way to Thunder Bay. They asked him to contact the Kenora OPP detachment for news about his daughter.

Multiple organizations, including the OPP, the Northwest Region Emergency Response Team, and a police canine unit, searched for Azraya. They initially looked in the wooded area near the hospital but couldn't find her or any evidence. They were about to bring in more resources when the Bear Clan Patrol from Winnipeg offered to help.

On April 17, 2016, Darryl Contois of the Bear Clan Patrol found Azraya's body hanging from a tree while performing a search. He immediately informed the group and contacted the OPP.

The roof of the hospital is visible from the foot of the tree.

Concerns About Her Care

Another concern is why a girl who had just turned 14 was allowed to walk away from the hospital. If she was already feeling suicidal, her father believes that anything that could be used for self-harm should have been taken away from her.

"If she was suicidal already, they should have taken anything from her" that could have been used for suicide, her father, Marlin Kokopenace said.

A Troubled Past

Azraya had dropped out of school after being bullied. Her father encouraged her to seek help and she put herself in the care of a child welfare agency. Friends and family say that she had shown signs of suicidal behavior after the death of her brother in 2015, for which she was present. Her brother, Calvin, had suffered from muscular dystrophy and mercury poisoning, which is common in their community of Grassy Narrows.

Coincidentally, this would be the same hospital she walked away from, hours before her death.

Challenges in Accessing Healthcare

One of the challenges faced by the Grassy Narrows First Nation is the limited availability of physical and mental health services on the reserve. This means that residents, like Calvin and many others, struggle to access comprehensive treatment for their health conditions. It is crucial that everyone has equal access to healthcare services, regardless of where they live.

The Impact on Azraya

Calvin's death had a profound impact on Azraya. She started showing signs of suicidal behavior and received grief counseling. Eventually, she moved to a nearby city to live with a relative. However, her struggles continued, and she was hospitalized for suicidal ideation. Azraya was briefly taken into the care of children's aid and later placed in a treatment foster home in southern Ontario.

A Rollercoaster of Emotions

During her time in the treatment foster home, Azraya received one-on-one supervision for five months. However, after a visit from her family, she began having suicidal thoughts again and was readmitted to the hospital. Feeling alone and trapped, she decided to move back in with her family for six months under a supervision order. However, the challenges at home made her realize she needed continued treatment and support.

Seeking Help and Support

Azraya recognized the importance of seeking help and asked to be put back into care for continued treatment. She knew that she needed a supportive environment to overcome her challenges and work towards a better future.

Seeking Answers

The Lake of the Woods District Hospital and the Ontario Provincial Police did not provided any comments on the case when contacted by CBC News. The child welfare agency's involvement with Azraya has been reviewed. The executive director of Anishinaabe Abanooji Child and Family Services said, for privacy reasons, she could not confirm if Ackabee-Kokopenace was a client.

Her father just wants to know the whole story and is devastated by the loss of his daughter.

"I just want to know the whole story," Kokopenace said. "It's pretty devastating. We're still grieving."

Family History

Azraya's family has had other tragic experiences with the police.

In 1992, two of her uncles, Elvis and Morris Keetawin, drowned while trying to swim to shore after the police took their boat, which had left them stranded on an island. The duo were believed to have been "sniffing gas" just prior to their deaths.

In 1999, her grandmother, Mary Eliza Keewatin, died after being picked up for public intoxication. She was stabbed in her cell and the officers didn't notice until she went into medical distress. Azraya's aunt, Lorenda, has also had negative experiences with the police.

In October 2016, Azraya's cousin, Christian, was stabbed in the head, mere hours after being released from police custody. Because of this, he fell into a three-day coma. Both his mother, and Azraya's aunt, Lorenda, crowdfunded a reward for anyone with information on the attack, as the felt the police were ignoring the case.

A Vigil for Azraya

On the anniversary of Azraya's passing, her parents and friends attended a vigil organized by the Grassy Narrows Youth Organization. It was held at the Knox United Church, and they marched through Kenora, demanding an inquest into her death. The vigil ended with a candlelight ceremony near the tree where her body was found, where Anishinaabe grandmothers sang a traditional mourning song.

The Lake of the Woods District Hospital, the hospital from which she disappeared, also issued a statement on the anniversary, expressing their condolences, but refused to answer any questions about the night Azraya died.

Inquest

Many people, including Azraya's loved ones and various organizations, have called for an inquest into her death. They believe she did not receive the help she needed and that an inquest would shed light on the gaps in social services for First Nations youth. However, despite the requirement for an inquest in such cases, none has been conducted.

A Frustrating Response

Azraya's family wrote a letter to then premier, Kathleen Wynne, asking for an inquest. However, the response they received was disappointing. Wynne stated that it was not within her power to call for an inquest. This lack of action has left those close to Azraya feeling frustrated.

A National Issue

Azraya's case was brought up in the House of Commons by NDP MP Charlie Angus. He called on the Canadian federal government to comply with a ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which found that Canada discriminates against First Nations children by not providing them with the same level of welfare services as other children. Angus argued that Azraya's death is an example of how Canada is failing Indigenous youth.

This ruling called for an overhaul of the system to ensure culturally appropriate services for First Nations children.

The NDP called for $155 million dollars to be invested in funding to address the challenges faced by Indigenous children and youth in the child care system.

The Liberals agreed that the system at the time of Ackabee-Kopenance's death was failing, and in 2017, they earmarked $71 million dollars for child welfare as they considered reforms.

"We have a case of a family that was poisoned by mercury, there were obvious effects on her [Ackabee Kokopenace] and on her brother — if that was a non-Indigenous family there would have been supports taken in to support the children in their home," Angus said.

"The broken child welfare system did not help her and her family, he said. "It put her into foster care. The poor little girl ended up on the streets, dealt with police, was put in a hospital one night with no oversight or adult to look after her, and her body was found later."

Failing System

"Putting too much money into a failed system can actually cause really bad results," Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said in response to the NDP motion.

Bennett announced the appointment of Cynthia-Wesley Esquimaux, an expert in intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities, as a special representative on child welfare on Thursday.

Wesley-Esquimaux said the Liberals are prepared to invest, "but they are not going to take money and throw it up in the air like confetti and hope it lands where it needs."

"They want to be able to do this systematically and strategically to ensure that the people who need the resources, immediately, get them," she said.

That statement left Angus "stunned."

"The Liberals may think that giving money to First Nations children is confetti, but there is a legal court ruling, so maybe Ms. Esquimaux should decide whether she wants to consult for a government that doesn't believe the law of the land applies to them when it comes to systemic racial discrimination," he said.

[Source: CBC News]

An Expert Review

Azraya's death was included in a review of eleven young people, including seven Indigenous youths, who had been in the care of Ontario's child welfare services. The review aimed to examine how these youth were cared for and identify any issues that may have contributed to their deaths. The panel of experts had a range of knowledge and expertise to provide recommendations for future cases.

Unanswered Questions

Azraya's family has many unanswered questions about her final hours and the circumstances surrounding her death. They wonder why she was able to leave the hospital unnoticed and why the hospital did not take more precautions given her history of suicidal tendencies. They also question why the police were unable to locate her, considering her body was found close to the hospital.

They also have not been given access to the autopsy report or the toxicology report.

The Aftermath

Azraya's death has had a profound impact on the youth of Grassy Narrows First Nation. They see her story as part of the ongoing tragedy caused by mercury poisoning in their community and the true embodiment of "intergenerational tragedy".

Her death has raised awareness about the mental health implications of mercury poisoning and how it has affected the community – depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety and self-loathing – and how they've affected those in the community who were not alive during the time the industrial pollution took place.

Her friends believe that her grief over her brother's death led her to seek help in Kenora that night. They feel that the institutions responsible for her care failed her.

Bringing Hope Through Music

Local youth have used music to raise awareness about Azraya's death. They have written and recorded a song called "Home To Me" to bring hope to the community. Darwin Fobister, Azraya's friend, has become a source of support for those struggling with suicidal thoughts.

Creating Change

Azraya's death, along with the death of Delaine Copenace, who was found withing eyesight of an OPP station in Kenora, has inspired Indigenous women in the area to form their own Bear Clan Patrol. This volunteer patrol provides support and assistance to those in need, complementing the existing police services in Kenora.

Closed Case?

Even though the OPP have closed the investigation, they won't say anything about it. The family has not been granted access to the report from the doctors who examined Azraya's body after she passed away. The doctors said they couldn't make it public. They also haven't been able to see the report about the toxic things that might have been in Azraya's body.

Seeking Information

Anyone with information about Azraya's case is urged to contact the OPP at 1-807-548-5534.