Blackned family still waiting for answers as investigation is reopened

Rose-Ann Blackned was 24 and a mother of two when her frozen body was found November 16, 1991, in Val-d’Or. She had been missing for nine days. Her family has always claimed her death was not thoroughly investigated by police. This March, the case was finally re-opened.

The CBC reported that Blackned’s death was the result of an altercation that occurred after the closing of a local bar. “Even though the injuries were not deadly, they contributed to weaken the victim, who died of hypothermia,” said Daniel Huard, then a detective with the municipal police force in Val-d’Or (which was replaced by the Sûreté du Québec in 2002), told the CBC. “[They] beat her and abandoned her.”

And while the investigating officer recommended manslaughter charges against the two individuals believed to be responsible for the beating, no charges were ever filed.

“When I found out they were reopening the case I felt very overwhelmed with mixed emotions,” said Rose-Ann’s sister, Mary-Ann Blackned.

“I was angry because of how she died. Being beaten and abandoned and left in the cold all by herself. But I was also relieved that they decided reopen the case because something was not right with the first investigation.”

Mary-Ann cited the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) as the inspiration to renew her search for answers. “I saw it as an opportunity for me and my family to finally find out what happened to our sister,” said Mary-Ann.

But the slow pace of the provincial and federal government efforts to launch the inquiry led the family to reach out to the CBC. “I contacted them and told them the story of my late sister and gave them as much information as we could and they started digging. That’s when the SQ decided to reopened the case,” said Mary-Ann. “They pushed the SQ to do their job right.”

The family will be participants in the upcoming hearings of the National Inquiry this spring. They’re also encouraging families with similar experiences to reach out to the CBC and the MMIWG Inquiry.

And while the reopening of the case provides some solace to the family, it also brings old wounds to the surface. “In the past I turned to alcohol and drugs to avoid dealing with these kinds of emotions. But lately I’m learning not to turn to alcohol by feeling what’s in my heart. So that I can heal in my grief,” said Mary-Ann.

“I want to encourage people who are dealing with situations like this to feel it – to really feel it. Cry, get mad, scream, all of that. It helps you get stronger on the inside.”