Saskatchewan RCMP 10-36: On Duty
Season 1: Who killed Misha Pavelick?
May long weekend camping get-togethers are a common Saskatchewan teen tradition. They often mark the end of a Prairie winter, the approach of warm weather and the impending end of the school year. But one high school gathering stands out in Southern Saskatchewan's recent history, when celebrations at a campground near Regina Beach turned tragic and a young Regina man's life was cut short. Nineteen-year-old Misha Pavelick was stabbed during an altercation and died on May 21, 2006.
15 years have passed. His killer – or killers – have never been charged.
The Saskatchewan RCMP continues to work diligently to make an arrest in this case. "That's 15 long years of looking over your shoulder wondering: is today the day when the police come arrest you," says Cpl. Marcus Crocker, lead for the RCMP Historical Case Unit's (HCU) investigation. "Every time you see a police officer, a police car, or somebody in uniform, what's going through your head?"
What is the missing piece investigators need to solve this crime and hold someone accountable for Misha's death? Who Killed Misha Pavelick is a three-part podcast detailing the homicide of this beloved son, brother and friend. It's the first season in a new Saskatchewan RCMP-created podcast, Saskatchewan RCMP 10-36: On Duty. It features the voices of Saskatchewan RCMP officers directly involved in the investigation, as well as Misha's loved ones and other RCMP experts. All of them are hoping telling this story will encourage someone to bring forward a critical piece of information.
"It's one big, giant puzzle and anything regarding Misha and that weekend and that evening and after what happened is important," Cpl. Crocker says. "It could be that piece that we need that progresses this file ahead. So any information is important."
If you have information about Misha's death or this investigation, you can contact the HCU investigators directly by calling 639-625-4252. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit saskcrimestoppers.com to leave a tip or report information anonymously.
Episodes
Season 1: Episode 1: Who Killed Misha Pavelick - "Dad, I'm going out"
Season 1: Episode 2: Who Killed Misha Pavelick - "He was my annoying little brother, but I love him"
Season 1: Episode 3: Who Killed Misha Pavelick - "It's time to clear the air"
Season 1: Trailer - Who killed Misha Pavelick?
Listen to the podcast trailer for Who Killed Misha Pavelick? Hear a preview of the three-episode Saskatchewan RCMP-created podcast. Available May 21, 2021.
The Saskatchewan RCMP Historical Case Unit is investigating the death of Misha Pavelick. Misha was stabbed at a gathering at a campground in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 2006. His death is considered a homicide. Investigators are seeking information from the public to help them bring forth a resolution and charges for this 15-year-old investigation.
May 19, 2021
Season 1: Trailer - Transcript
(Intro music)
Mandy: It's been 15 years.
Lorne: That night was, I relive that night.
Mandy: On the May Long weekend in 2006, a fight broke out at a high school camping party, near Regina Beach, Saskatchewan.
Cpl. Crocker: Anywhere up to 200 people are at this party at some point. That makes that file that much more difficult.
Mandy: Two people were left seriously injured, nineteen-year-old Misha Pavelick did not survive. His death is considered a homicide.
Lee: But we knew that something had gone terribly wrong, very quickly.
Mandy: Join investigators, Misha's family and police experts, as they share what they can about this 15-year old investigation.
Cpl. Crocker: That's 15 long years, of, of looking over your shoulder, wondering is today the day, when the police come to arrest you. There is going to be the time where that's going to happen.
Mandy: Who killed Misha Pavelick? A three episode Saskatchewan RCMP created podcast, available May 21.
(Outro Music)
Season 1: Episode 1 - Who Killed Misha Pavelick - "Dad, I'm going out"
What started out as a friendly gathering at a campground, turns tragic when 19-year-old Misha is stabbed during an altercation. Learn about the emergency calls for service received that night in the Saskatchewan RCMP's Divisional Operational Communications Center and hear from the initial and current lead investigators.
May 21, 2021
Season 1: Episode 1 - Transcript
Mandy: You're listening to Who Killed Misha Pavelick? A Saskatchewan RCMP-created podcast outlining the true 2006 homicide of Misha Pavelick and the ongoing investigation. This is the first episode in the three-part feature.
Mandy: I would like to take a moment to recognize the land on which this podcast was produced is Treaty 4 Territory and homeland of the Métis. On behalf of the Saskatchewan RCMP, I offer my respect to the First Nation and Métis Peoples of this land.
Mandy: This podcast features the voices of Saskatchewan RCMP officers directly involved in investigating the death of Misha Pavelick, as well as Misha's loved ones and other RCMP experts. We want to caution listeners that some of the information or audio may be considered disturbing or traumatic. Listener discretion is advised.
(Music)Mandy: My name is Mandy. I'm not a police officer, although I do work with police officers every day. Together with the RCMP Historical Case Unit South, we're going to tell you what information we can about the homicide of 19-year-old Misha that occurred in May of 2006. For 15 years, Misha's family and friends have been seeking justice for him. We want to encourage anyone with information about Misha's death or the investigation to come forward and report it to police.
(Music)
Mandy: Two thousand and six in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It's May and high school graduation preparations and celebrations are in full swing. In Canada, the second last Monday in May is a public holiday known as Victoria Day - or National Patriots Day in Quebec. In Saskatchewan, the three days encompassing Saturday, Sunday and Monday are often referred to as the May long weekend, or simply 'May long.' The first long weekend after a long Saskatchewan winter is often met with people eager to enjoy the outdoors and go camping. It is on Friday, May 19, 2006, that a planned weekend-long party starts at Kinookimaw – a private campground near Regina Beach on Last Mountain Lake. It begins roughly around 3 o'clock p.m.
Cpl. Crocker: So Kinookimaw campground was an actual campground that was rented out through Regina Beach Golf Club.
Mandy: I'm speaking with Cpl. Marcus Crocker, he's the current lead for the RCMP Historical Case Unit investigation into Misha's death. Were speaking virtually. When you think of a police officer, you may picture the uniform, and badge and the equipment they carry. Cpl. Crocker is wearing plainclothes. He's sitting in an office and is surrounded by papers he frequently makes reference to. Like many of the police officers I know, he takes notes throughout our conversation. Every so often you may even hear him jotting something down.
Cpl. Crocker: So Regina Beach is, its about 54 kilometres northwest of the City of Regina. If you're not from the area, you just travel down Highway 11 and it's a quick drive out there. And Lumsden is only about 24 kilometres to Regina Beach. Kinookimaw is just in the Regina Beach area. As you drive in Saskatchewan, it's farmland and as you get into the Regina Beach area, that's where the water is; the lake. Walking up to the location of the grad party, you're going to go to a well treed-in area of the campground. There would have been tents in and around that area, there would have been fire, they were using for light as well, it wasn't a well-lit area. You're just walking up to, like, a high school party, there's a lot of people standing around, and it's the party atmosphere.
Mandy: And was alcohol consumed at this party?
Cpl. Crocker: Yes, there was alcohol being consumed and we're well aware of that.
Alicia: I had gone out there, 'cause this was spread over all of May long, and I think at a high school its kind of like a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday even like Monday-ish kind of thing.
Mandy: That's Alicia, one of Misha's friends. The perspective she brings to this project is unique. She was one of many who spent time with Misha the day before he was killed.
Alicia: It was an, it was just organized for a specific high school, it was like a very long-standing tradition for this high school to go to this campground and have this May long camping party.
Cpl. Crocker: Majority of the people out there were from Regina. Approximately, there is a list, that were allowed to be at the campground. They had 121 names on that list with 11 chaperones, but that evening was Sunday evening. Security had loosened the restrictions and letting people come in that weren't on the list, or had a wristband to be out there. So, its, were thinking approximately 200 people are at the Kinookimaw campground at some point during that evening.
Alicia: Looking back on it now, the sequence of events, were slowly unravelling. Like right from the get-go. He wasn't out there right away, he ended up coming out a little later on. So I had, I had been out there initially the first couple of days, then the night before he was killed, I had left. I left.
(Music)
Lorne: My name is Lorne Pavelick, and I am the father of Misha Pavelick.
Mandy: Lorne Pavelick has participated in many interviews with local news agencies over the past 15 years. He speaks with me virtually from his home, and is supported throughout our discussion by his partner, Karen. She isn't in frame, but sits across from him at a table. Every now and again I see Lorne look up, his eyes connecting with hers, before he continues speaking.
Mandy: Do you remember at all, Misha mentioning this party before it happened?
Lorne: Yeah on his way there, he told me about it before he left. He said. 'Dad, I'm going out to spend the weekend.' This is something he had, I, you know, I had heard him talking to friends, friends had come over and that he was planning on going out there. And um, with his friends and I told him, you know, are you going, is it going to be safe? You know and he said absolutely. You know, he didn't go out there with the idea, of ok, I'm, if I go there, I'm going to die. I was thinking about that night, that particular evening, I got the chance. Because he came to change clothing that day. And I told him to take care and be safe and I love you. And I'm so grateful I got the chance to say that. Not realizing that was going to be the last time I said that.
(Music)
Mandy: At around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19, a group of uninvited individuals arrive at the Kinookimaw Campground where graduations celebrations have begun. They are not on the guest list and are turned away at the gate.
Alicia: The group of people that came, and they ended up, now looking back I know these things, right at the time, I didn't really, that they did know him and we had asked them to leave, um, and said like, yeah this is not personal or anything, its just, its just for our high school. It was really weird and I was, I was just, I stood there and Misha was kind of like, 'yeah, I think its time for you guys to go,' and then they did leave and then we all continued back to the campground. Everybody had different campsites, there was like a main bonfire that everybody would like come and go from and it kind of, it seemed like everything was going to be ok. The issue was, is they ended up coming back.
Mandy: On Saturday, May, 21 2006, the gathering at Kinookimaw Campground continues through the day and through the evening with no major incidents reported.
The next day, on Sunday, May, 21 2006, the party continues. Historical weather data for that part of Saskatchewan tells us the temperature reached a high of 25 degrees Celsius with a low of just over four degrees Celsius. There was no rain, and winds were at least 19 to 26 kilometers per hour. It's only around 10:30 p.m. that night. That the same group of uninvited guests from Friday attend and enter the site, even though they are not on the guest list.Alicia: So my last memory with Misha, I remember it so clear, the night I left. It was so dark and Misha and I were sitting on, I still don't know exactly what it was, but it was some sort of tank-type thing that was up by the fire and we were laughing and just having so much fun. I had asked him, as we were sitting there, you should come with me, let's just go back to the city and then we can come back out like tomorrow or the next day. And then he tried to convince me to stay, but I said no. And then I said I would come back the next day and then I jumped in a friends a car that was kind of like passing by and I can still just so clearly see him waving and smiling and saying bye to me as I pulled away and then I never saw him alive again.
(Music)
Lee: I do need to say that, it is astounding to me that, that was fifteen years ago.
Mandy: Lee Rosin works in the Saskatchewan RCMP's Divisional Operational Communications Center – or DOCC for short.
Lee: I do know that I was near the beginning of my career, cause I'm coming up on my sixteenth anniversary in July. And so in all honestly, pretty junior as far as a call taker in the world of RCMP dispatchers and call takers. But this night, was unbelievable.
Mandy: Initially Lee was approached to provide us with perspective on what it's like to work in DOCC when a major incident is unfolding. It was only after we started talking that she revealed she had been working the night Misha died.
Lee: But, so there would have been, I'm thinking six to eight call takers that night and four dispatchers.Mandy: And that would have been more then typical, because it was May long weekend, is that correct?
Lee: That's right.
Mandy: The Saskatchewan RCMP DOCC is located in Regina, Saskatchewan and serves people throughout the entire province in RCMP jurisdiction. Within DOCC are highly trained operational communication centre operators. They are the voice on the other end of the line when you call 911 seeking assistance for the RCMP. They connect callers with RCMP police officer assistance often when those callers are experiencing times of personal crisis.
Lee: Back then, there was almost like an island, for lack of a better term. Where all the dispatchers sat, and there was four of them and it was kind of like, circular tables and every one had a different zone. The province was broken up into zones and then the call takers were just kind of sitting on the outside of that.
Mandy: The RCMP DOCC began tracking the annual number of calls for service they received the year after Misha died. In 2007 the RCMP DOCC fielded 98,791 calls for service from the public. Last year in 2020 they tripled this amount - fielding 323,168 calls for service from the public.
(Music)
Mandy: A timeline released by the Saskatchewan RCMP states that around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, May, 21, tension develops between Misha and his friends and the uninvited group of people. It was around 11:15 p.m. when Misha and a male from the uninvited group get into a verbal argument, which turns physical. Bystanders intervene. Ten minutes later, around 11:25 p.m. tensions are continuing to escalate between Misha, his friends and the group of uninvited individuals. Misha becomes involved in a second physical altercation with several of the uninvited persons. An 18-year-old friend of Misha's coming to his aid becomes involved in a secondary fight and is stabbed. Numerous other fights break out.
(phone ringing)
Cpl. Crocker: That call was two people have been stabbed.
Mandy: Speaking is Cpl. Marcus Crocker.
Cpl. Crocker: So Lumsden RCMP, that's their detachment area, so they would have been the first ones to respond and EMS was also dispatched to attend to assist.
Mandy: Cpl. Marcus Crocker tells me the fights end around 11:30 p.m. In the final entry of the Saskatchewan RCMP timeline of the events that was released to the public, at 11:38 p.m. it is recorded that ambulance and police are called. Misha is found to be seriously injured, along with his 18-year-friend. There is an exodus of people from the campground.
Lee: The amount of work, the amount of information is lightning fast from the people who are calling. They might be witnesses, they might be the victim, they might be somebody involved, they might be family members, they might be other members, other officers from partner agencies, members that are being called in. It's from their mouth to our fingertips, to our headset to our fingertips, to the dispatched supervisor, to the NCO's, to everybody. The amount of information that is comprehended, transferred, disseminated, and distributed and transmitted is lightening fast. Because at the end of the day, lives are in danger, that of the public, those that are involved and, let's be honest, those are the lives of our police officers.
DOCC audio: Lumsden Detachment Regina Control, I have a priority Call for Service when you're ready to copy. 10-4 control, Alpha 405, Lumsden Detachment please start making your way.
Cpl. Crocker: There was actually 8, 8 calls, or 8 people had called, so there was multiple calls, but 8 people had called for EMS and police to show up and it was a stabbing. And you know, some of the calls were someone was stabbed and then there are calls of 2 people had been stabbed. One of the calls is someone who is with Misha and they're performing CPR on that 911 call.
Lee: I don't remember how the initial call came in, but we knew something had gone terribly wrong, very quickly.
DOCC audio: 10-4, Alpha 405 is en route.
Lee: There were so many partner agencies that were involved in this as well, I took the call from one of Misha's friends. In that instance, you, in a nano- second, have to draw on all of your communication skills both professionally and personally. And by that I mean, I can't imagine what this young man was witnessing, and the terror and the emotion and the everything that he, the trauma he was witnessing. I need to maintain control and get what I need and try and get control of him so I can get paramedics to him safely, so I can get police officers to him safely, because it was a moving crime scene, in some ways, when we look at it from a professional stand point. So we need to have our game face on as soon as that critical incident starts happening, we have to be ready for everything. Whether you're a call taker or a dispatcher, doesn't matter, its go time and we have to hit the ground running and to be ready for that. So it was unlike any other call I have ever taken in my career up until that point and it is one I have never forgotten. I remember the trauma in his voice and what he was describing and I knew what my police officers were going to be dealing with when they got on scene.
DOCC Audio: You can mark Alpha 405, 23.
Mandy: Ten codes can mean different things for different agencies and can even vary across police agencies. 10-23 for the Saskatchewan RCMP means 'arrived on scene.'
Cpl. Crocker: Lumsden RCMP was the first to arrive on scene and then Regina EMS would have been the secondary units to arrive. Those were the initial responding people to the scene. So the police are coming up to a camp ground, it's a well tree'd area, low lighting, you have, people leaving and getting into vehicles and trying to drive away. You have people who are yelling and screaming, heavily intoxicated, emotional, you have 2 people who are injured, seriously injured, that need medical attention and you have a crime scene. So lots is happening, in the, you know the minutes of them arriving to the scene. They were greeted at the gates of Kinookimaw, with a gentleman who had been stabbed, by the name of Dereck Enns and they, um were dealing with him. People are leaving the party, and they have to enter in the Kinookimaw campground where they do find people performing CPR on Misha. The next steps would have been trying to secure the scene and get as many witness information as possible, names and phone numbers just trying to control the scene itself. Its now a crime scene, so we're trying to preserve any evidence that's at that crime scene.
Mandy: We're about to hear from Lorne Pavelick, Misha's dad.
Lorne: It was kind of like, it was just another weekend, Saturday night, Sunday, whatever it was. And went to bed reasonably early and one thing I must say, this may sound weird, I had kind of a, we had a deck at the back of our house and I went out that night - and I was still smoking back then - and went out for a smoke and I looked up at the sky and I thought oof, it looks weird, like really weird, really cloudy and dark and moving clouds and stuff and I just thought that looks weird. Anyways, went into the house and went to bed as per usual and then got a phone call in the middle of my sleep.
Cpl. Crocker: Its Sunday night, 11:38pm, so the Major Crime member, I think he was, believed called at 12:30 on the morning. So they would be at home, sleeping in their bed, their phone would ring and they would get up and now they are being updated on, someone had passed away, involved in a incident at the grad party. Someone was on their way to the hospital for surgery, so the Major Crime member would have been taking notes, accurate notes, times, information that's being provided to that person.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: Currently right now, I'm Staff Sergeant Tim Schwartz. I'm with the, Manager of the Employee Wellbeing Services, F Division. I have 20 years, 20 and half years of service with the RCMP and it would have been in September of 2005 I was transferred as a constable into the Regina Major Crime Unit.
Mandy: Staff Sergeant Schwartz explains he was on call through the 2006 May long weekend as part of the rotational duties within the RCMP Major Crime Unit – South at the time.S/Sgt. Schwartz: Well I think whenever you're on call, I don't think we ever get full, good night sleeps, just anticipating that phone call and normally, if we're gonna get a phone call, its because something quite serious has happened and we have, probably an NCO on the other line, looking for some direction and some support.
Mandy: An NCO is a non-commissioned officer, or someone who is in charge of a specific RCMP detachment or unit. They are usually at the rank of Corporals, Sergeant or Staff Sergeant. An OIC, is an Officer in Charge. You may hear these references during interviews.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: To provide for their members, or to what do they do next. So certainly, at just after midnight, you know there may have been a couple hours of sleep that I would have in, it definitely wakes you up very quickly. You certainly have to clear any cobwebs that you may feel, you definitely need to stay alert to what's being said and the direction, and you definitely need to remain calm, so that you can provide clear direction back to the NCO that you are speaking to or the member on scene, and again, get them to repeat what's being said, so we're clear and there's been no miss of communication.
Mandy: Although Staff Sergeant Schwartz no longer works in the unit, he took time to review his fifteen-year-old notes and answered questions with what he could remember from that night and the following days.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: I recall early morning, just after midnight, about 12:10am, receiving a phone call, saying basically I've got limited information, but it appears there had been an incident at Kinookimaw Beach, where we have potentially a couple fatalities. And then about 20 minutes. But prior to that I did start making some phone calls to say you know what, get up, we probably have something out in the Lumsden Detachment area to attend to.
Mandy: Phones were ringing in other parts of Regina, too. Specifically, in Misha's dad's house.
Lorne: I got a phone call in the middle of my sleep, in from a young woman who was almost, on the verge of hysterics. And saying Misha's been hurt, there was a big fight, somebody was stabbed and Misha was stabbed. And it was like surreal, a sense of it wasn't real, I was trying to get in my mind what is being said here and whose saying and to be honest with you, I had a hard time understanding that individual because in the background there was hollering and screaming and all kinds of stuff. I think kids that were out there, young people that were out there, were horrified and yeah. She said she'd call back. That didn't happen, so I knew right away there was something major going on.
(Music)
Mandy: This is the end of the first episode of Who Killed Misha Pavelick? There are two more episodes in this Saskatchewan RCMP-created three-part feature. You can listen to the podcast in its entirety on the Saskatchewan RCMP website.
If you want to report the information you have about this investigation, you can contact your local police service. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or report the information you have online at saskcrimestoppers.com
Season 1: Episode 2 - Who Killed Misha Pavelick - "He was my annoying little brother, but I love him"
We hear from Misha Pavelick's loved ones as they share stories about his life and memories they have leading up to his death.
What did the crime scene look like when investigators arrived? How many people were present the night of the party? How many interviews were conducted by police? Learn these details and more.
May 21, 2021
Season 1: Episode 2 - Transcript
Mandy: You're listening to Who Killed Misha Pavelick? A Saskatchewan RCMP-created podcast outlining the true 2006 homicide of Misha Pavelick and the ongoing investigation. This is the second episode of the three-part feature.
Mandy: I would like to take a moment to recognize the land on which this podcast was produced is Treaty 4 Territory and homeland of the Métis. On behalf of the Saskatchewan RCMP, I offer my respect to the First Nation and Métis Peoples of this land.
This podcast feature the voices of Saskatchewan RCMP officers directly involved in investigating the Misha Pavelick. As well as Misha's loved ones and other RCMP experts. We want to caution listeners that some of the information and audio may be considered disturbing or traumatic, listener discretion is advised.
(Music)
My name is Mandy and I work for the Saskatchewan RCMP.
According to Statistics Canada, there were 20 homicides that occurred in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction in 2006 which were investigated by the RCMP Major Crimes Unit. This does not include homicides that occurred where there is a municipal police service of jurisdiction in the province; for example: in the cities of Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, or Estevan.
Misha Pavelick was the victim of homicide on May 21, 2006.
Mandy: So let's start out, tell me about Misha.
Lorne: I think it's a privilege to talk about him and to share the memories I have.Mandy: Lorne Pavelick spoke at length, telling stories about his son. He shared openly about Misha and life prior to 2006.
Lorne: Well from the time he was little, like a toddler, he was independent, loved to, he was a highly active little boy. He, well when he was about five or six, I think he started getting into athletics and was really good at athletics and I took him to a lot of hockey games. We had all kinds of memories, I guess. He wasn't an all-star, but he played on excellent teams and they won all kinds of trophies, and so I got to be a hockey father for quite a few years.
Mandy: I also had the opportunity to speak with Misha's mom, Susan, and his sister Kathleen. All of our conversations are virtual, not only because of the current pandemic climate, but also because they each live in different cities in North America.
Susan: There's beautiful baby pictures of him and young, and when he was younger, he liked sports and he had a lot of friends and yeah, was busy, physically busy, yeah.
Kathleen: I'm Kathleen Marshall, I'm Misha's sister. He was sort of the quintessential annoying little brother. We fought a lot, you know like normal siblings do and he was also adorable. He had big brown eyes and the longest eyelashes ever and he's just like a beautiful baby and beautiful boy. And he was my only sibling, my parents adopted him when I was like turning six years old and I remember the day I met him, I came home from, I think from schoo,l and my parents were like, you got to go look up on the bed. And then I walked up to their bedroom and there's this tiny baby, 6-week old baby, laying in the middle of the bed and I was like "Wow'. And I thought, you know, I thought they got him and brought him into the family because, I realized, I was learning things about family dynamics and like, "I'm never gonna be an aunty," and you know. And so then all of sudden I have this little brother and I was like" wow, maybe I will be", unfortunately, that's not the case, I won't get that opportunity. Yeah that, he was, you know just everything we think a sibling would be. Like he was my annoying little brother, but I loved him.
Susan: Yes, he liked team sports, he liked, he liked all of them.
Mandy: Susan lights up when she shares her memories about Misha. She's sitting on a couch, speaking with me through a tablet. I'm glad I can see her, not only to put a face to her name, but because her smile says so much about her love for and relationship with her son.
Susan: We would make, he liked pies or things like that. He liked to cook. Not on a continual basis or anything, but at special times we would bake together. And he had a, he's pretty cute, he was pretty good looking, I think, pretty nice guy. We exposed him to you know, Phantom of the Opera, I don't know why I bought a seat, because he sat in my lap. We did a lot of travelling, I guess.
Lorne: For some reason, there this one memory that sticks out in my mind and he had just turned five and I grew up, when I was a kid, we had a cabin at Candle Lake. And I remember taking him there for the first time and I took him to a creek where I used to cast and I used to tell him this is where I caught my first fish. And he on his first cast, at five years old, caught a pickerel and which was a really exciting, his eyes were like saucers and I helped him bring it in, but he was determined to lift the fish out of the water and so I have memories, fond memories of those kinds of things.
Susan: And I taught him how to drive. When he had his learner's license, he was, I said do you want to drive and it's a five-hour trip to my hometown, right. So we were taking the backroads, up to Swift Current, and you know, he's driving and maybe, I don't know, after Lacadena, its wasn't to far, twenty, thirty miles, he was like, "that's it?" Yeah, then you just keep driving, that's what you do. So he let me take the wheel, we had another four hours to go. Its like, yeah, ok.
Mandy: Can you describe him. So obviously you've touched on sports and I've seen some photos of him, and he's wearing a jersey, he's got a big smile. For people who have never, never had the opportunity to meet him, how would you describe him?
Lorne: Actually, the best descriptions I got about Misha's personality, were from his friends and his friends' parents. I always thought it would be great to have a son who's a stand-up guy, you know, that somebody that was able to accept love and give love, right.
Susan: He, he had a lot of friends, he had a lot of friends.
Mandy: I had the privilege of speaking with Misha's sister, Kathleen on a Saturday afternoon in April. Her responses to my questions are thoughtful and sincere. It's heartbreaking to hear the tragedy she and her family have experienced.
Kathleen: He was very, I think he had a lot friends. And I think I didn't realize how many friends he had until after he died and I met so many of them.
Lorne: I'm just going to change something; I need to say something. You know, the idea that most parents look at their kids and they think, 'well they're angels, they can do no wrong.' That's not real. I think that each kid has a temperament and Misha wasn't an angel and he got into trouble, he got into different things and, but, he couldn't, he was not a good liar. Because he'd either come back and mention, you know I've been doing this and this and this is what's happened. Or I'd notice in his persona how he acted, that he was hurt, and so he'd have to talk that out and we had some issues in terms of that and so he left the house for several months. One of his best friends phoned me and said, Misha's crying in the bedroom, he doesn't know I'm on the phone to you, can he come home? So, it wasn't long after that, that Misha came to me, after he came home and he said, 'dad, I've been accepted to SIAST, I want to go back to school and get educated and have a trade.'
Kathleen: I moved away and I came back and so I had missed a couple years with him and so I wasn't, he was turning from boy into man, at that time. 'Cause he was getting closer to like 19-years-old, and you know, at lot can change in that time. So I didn't really know his friends or his interests, I knew he was thinking about going back to like, a trade school to learn a trade, and he was trying to get his life sort of back on track, cause, he had you know, he was young and he probably wasn't sure before now what he wanted to do. And so he was starting to come up with a plan for his life.
Lorne: Things were good, I mean things were good at home, right up to his death and I had the opportunity to tell him I loved him and he said the same back to me. A lot of parents don't get that opportunity, and I'm privileged to have had that happen.
Mandy: Misha was born on September 20, 1986. Today in May of 2021, he would be 34-years-old. He was 19-years-old when he died as a result of stab wounds sustained in an altercation the night of May 21, 2006.
(Sound/Music)
Mandy: Sgt. Brian Jones was the RCMP Media Liaison Officer at the time. In a media briefing held in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 13, 2009, RCMP provided a timeline leading up to the violent confrontation that resulted in Misha's death and the aggravated assault of an 18-year-old Regina man.
It is during this critical time-frame, approximately 11:25 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. that police have focused their attention and are seeking that important piece of information necessary to solve the case.
(DOCC audio clip)
Mandy: You're about to hear the voice of Cpl. Marcus Crocker of the RCMP Historical Case Unit South. He is the police officer most recently assigned as the lead investigator of the homicide of Misha Pavelick.
Cpl. Crocker: Misha was on scene and attendees of the party, and Misha's friends, actually were performing CPR. EMS took over those lifesaving attempts. Misha was pronounced deceased at the scene, but he was transported to the Pasqua Hospital on recommendation of the police, just because of the scene itself and how many people were still there. That night itself, the intoxication level would have been, one of the major factors, the emotions, the emotional level of a lot of people still on scene and friends with Misha, very upset, distraught, just not thinking clearly, trying to process what had just happened.
Lorne: That night. I re-live that night. I can hear the voices on the phone, because I was phoned from the site of his death.
Kathleen: I was actually living in, close to downtown, actually, really close to General Hospital. When I got the call from my dad, he said something happened. Misha's been hurt, I don't how bad, doesn't sound like its very good, and then I'm like, 'okay where are they going?,' and he said, 'General Hospital,' and I hung up the phone and I called my pastor's wife and she prayed with me and I ran, I didn't even drive, I ran to the General emergency room and I beat everybody there.
Lorne: I phoned my daughter Kathleen and because by then we were told that he's, being brought into the hospital. Strange thing was we went to the General, and the young man, that had been stabbed along with Misha, was brought to that hospital and later recovered from his wounds. But Misha wasn't brought there, and we were sitting and waiting and waiting and I'm thinking, this is kind of weird.
Kathleen: We're just waiting to find to out what is happening and Misha's friends started filing into the waiting room. They just kind of came out of nowhere and there were just a whole bunch of them, just sitting waiting to find out what was happening and we were waiting and watching each ambulance as it came in and my dad pulled up and were waiting and then somebody came and said to have us come to the back with them. And, so we were walking to the back and I just had this feeling like, this isn't good because this is not how you would, this is not what you would do in this situation where somebody is like in surgery or they're okay, you know you wouldn't bring the family back to a back room in the emergency room. So, they sat us down and they said he's gone.
Lorne: And then, policemen came to us at the General and said he's been taken to the Pasqua and I've got bad news. And, yeah, we went into the family room and that's where we were told that he didn't make it. I have, I don't know how I responded, I was like, at that point, in shock and you know, you hear the words, but you, it just doesn't register, in your mind you're thinking, 'am I really hearing what I think I'm hearing?,' you know.
Kathleen: I mean the memory is kind of blurry, I think I said, my dad he thinks he said. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter, the point is, we realized somebody had to tell my mom. The best option I think we agreed on at the time was to send RCMP to her house, because, so she wouldn't be alone, to find out in sort of in the middle of the night or early morning like that would be devastating.
Mandy: Susan, Misha's mom, lives two provinces away in British Columbia.
Susan: I was sleeping. And the door knocked and the door and for some reason, anyways he said, anyways he told me. I used to work for the police as an actor and death notification was just something I never did. We would do it because sometimes they would come and I just said, I don't do this. And I just want to get that out of my house. Because he was lying, or whatever, and basically just to leave. And I had to figure out what was going on. Yeah. Then I, I own a business and of course I had to make arrangements to keep the business open and I was on an island and it was May Long weekend and I couldn't, couldn't leave. The ferries were booked and they wouldn't let me on and so I had to wait, I couldn't leave yet. Anyway, that's what happened that day and, then I probably called somebody and yeah, but I got in a car and drove to Canmore where I had a brother and then to Regina.
(Music)
Mandy: Communication was different in 2006. Clamshell flip and slide cell phones were popular, but many people didn't own or carry one yet. To put things into perspective, advertisements from the time promote cell phone features such as 2 megapixel cameras, the ability to support 4 gigabyte memory cards and full physical mini keyboards.
Misha's friend Alicia was at home the night of May 21, 2006. She had made the decision to leave Kinookimaw on Saturday – the day prior to the altercation.
Alicia: Yeah 2006, how did you guys communicate, and that's funny that you say that cause now looking back I was notified, like I had left that party about 36 hours, and I was at home and I had gotten a phone call, its not like your phone texts going off, right. And my mom had said I had a phone call, and I got to the phone and one of his, like one our mutual friends had said that he was killed and I just remembered being in such shock. Like, I still just get chills thinking abut that and I immediately raced over to this mutual friend's of ours and there was a lot of people who had gathered at this one friend's house and people were just so emotional, upset, in shock, crying, we felt, I think we just felt so helpless, like traumatized kind of thing. It still leaves just like, it just leaves a really big mark, so.
Mandy: Lee Rosin was working in the RCMP Divisional Operational Communications Center, or DOCC, the night of May 21, 2006. She took phone calls from frantic people at Kinookimaw, seeking police officer assistance. She'll have sixteen years of service with the RCMP DOCC later this year.
Lee: I remember, just feeling so overwhelmed, when you take your headset off and you put it in your locker and you turn around and you think, what just happened and you sit in your car, or at least I do. And take just a few minutes to breathe. Normally if it's a really busy shift, whether I've been dispatching or whether I've been call-taking it doesn't matter. I usually shed a few tears, get it out of my system and make the drive home.
(Music)
Mandy: S/Sgt. Tim Schwartz was the constable on call in 2006 when he received notification of an incident that happened at the Koonikimaw campground near Regina Beach in Saskatchewan. He is no longer working in the RCMP Major Crime Unit, but thought it was important to contribute his perspective as lead investigator at the time.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: At that point in time, obviously realizing that there's a role for our unit, I then was able to forward more of the information around to the team, and that's when we all met at our office at our headquarters building and then started to put an investigative plan together.
Mandy: I asked Cpl. Marcus Crocker to explain what an investigative plan is. He shared that generally it identifies avenues to help progress an investigation forward. It can include re-interviews of witnesses, interviews of suspects, re-submission of evidence for analysis, among other tasks.
Back in 2006, S/Sgt. Tim Schwartz met with his RCMP Major Crime Unit team at their Regina office before deploying to the scene.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: Going through your mind, what, what information do I have, what is the scene, your starting to picture in your mind what the scene might look like from the information that has been provided. You're obviously looking at, you know, evidence, right, what, how can we secure, preserve evidence, knowing its an outside scene, knowing that we have 100 plus, you know, individuals in the area, its in a campground, you know we certainly want to identify people as they are leaving, you know maybe there's people on the list that were not, their name was not properly logged in.
Mandy: So just from your memory, is there anything you can share with people to describe to them, if they haven't been there or even if they were there. What did you see when you got the scene, what did it look like?
S/Sgt. Schwartz: The fire was down it was out, there would have been lots of pallets. So it would have obviously using big large chunks of wood to kind of create light and heat, the lingering smoke in the air, I believe there was a water tank that was kind of used there for water.
Mandy: If you'll remember from the first episode, Alicia recalls her last memory with Misha. They had sat near a water tank near the campfire together, talking.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: People scrambled, it was clear that there was something happened, there were tents that were down, some items that were broken, chairs broken, clothing scattered, cans, bottles scattered all over. Broken glass, it was clear that there was a large gathering, party per se, and then also too, just walking into it you could tell that obviously people left in a real hurry just with what was left behind and how things were left.
Mandy: Many years separate the time when Cpl. Crocker and S/Sgt. Schwartz are lead investigators for this homicide investigation. One point they consistently reference, is the sheer number of people who were present at the party on the night of May 21, 2006.
So 170 people you say have been spoken with or been part of an interview, is that a large number comparatively to other investigations that the Major Crime Units might conduct?Cpl. Crocker: To hear, you know as a, as a Major Crime member, the on-call member taking that call, you know you want to know how many witnesses are. But when you hear 121 people are on that list and 11 chaperones, that is a lot of witnesses on an investigation, so it's not just a regular investigation. These are homicides, I believe are complex and having anywhere up to 200 people is, that just makes it that much more difficult.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: So challenging, certainly, when we're dealing with those kinds of numbers with interviews, people are scared right, you know, so we had also, an evening where it was dark, it happened during early morning. Large number of youth present, so basically, when you start breaking down a list and trying to get a statement from everyone that they can recall, we see some similarities in statements and then we see a vast difference in statements and then again everybody's perspective is different. It was certainly not clear-cut as an investigation can sometimes be with larger crowds, it was quite challenging.
Its 12:30 in the morning, you know we are going to start getting some daybreak in about four or five hours, six hours, type thing, that's really when, you know, the investigation pieces at the scene is gonna start taking place.
(Music)
Mandy: This is the end of the second episode of Who Killed Misha Pavelick? There is one more episodes in this Saskatchewan RCMP-created three-part feature. You can listen to the podcast in its entirety on the Saskatchewan RCMP website.
If you want to report the information you have about this investigation, you can contact your local police service. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or report the information you have online at saskcrimestoppers.com
Season 1: Episode 3 - Who Killed Misha Pavelick - "It's time to clear the air"
From interviews with the lead investigator to the Forensic Identification Section, hear insight into investigative plans and evidence collection. Hear messages from Misha Pavelick's loved ones and investigators to the person(s) responsible for his death. What is the missing piece investigators need to solve this crime and hold someone accountable for Misha's death?
May 21, 2021
Season 1: Episode 3 - Transcript
You're listening to Who Killed Misha Pavelick? A Saskatchewan RCMP-created podcast outlining the true 2006 homicide of Misha Pavelick and the ongoing investigation. This is the last episode of the three-part feature.
Mandy: I would like to take a moment to recognize the land on which this podcast was produced is Treaty 4 Territory and homeland of the Métis. On behalf of the Saskatchewan RCMP, I offer my respect to the First Nation and Métis Peoples of this land.
Mandy: This podcast features the voices of Saskatchewan RCMP officers directly involved in investigating the Misha Pavelick. As well as Misha's loved ones and other RCMP experts. We want to caution listeners that some of the information and audio may be considered disturbing or traumatic, listener discretion is advised.
(Music)
My name is Mandy and I work for the RCMP. Cpl. Marcus Crocker is the current lead for the Misha Pavelick investigation.
Cpl. Crocker: It's been almost 15 years since that person was responsible for Misha's death. That's 15 long years of looking over your shoulder, wondering: is today the day when the police come arrest you. Every time you see a police officer, a police car, or somebody in uniform, what's going through your head, is today the day, because, there is going to be the time where that's going to happen. You know what happened and for 15 years you've been walking around with that information. You may have families, you may have children, you have to start thinking, what if that happened to your child, then you want that information coming forward, right, its, its time to clear the air and stop looking over your shoulder.
Mandy: In Saskatchewan, the RCMP Major Crimes Unit, or MCU, is divided into two areas of responsibility: north and south. Together, MCU north and south have a combined total of 24 police officers who provide expertise on investigations all across the province. Within each major crime program falls a Historical Case Unit, a section of investigators dedicated to working on long-term, unsolved investigations.
Cpl. Crocker: We in our unit, work historical files, that are unsolved, that were passed from the Major Crimes side. So in Misha's investigation, the Major Crime investigators had the file, it just progresses, to a point where, the file, the file gets turned over the Historical Case Unit, where they can actually look at the file, see what the original investigators have done and try and create an investigative plan moving forward to try and solve the file.
Mandy: An investigative plan generally identifies avenues to help progress an investigation forward.
Mandy: So does the Historical Case Unit, are their files considered cold cases?Cpl. Crocker: We don't have a large unit, right, we have a smaller unit where, we have, they're not cold, they're all active unsolved homicides, its just you can't work all of them at the exact same time.
Mandy: The Historical Case Unit – South has five investigators and one missing person's coordinator assigned to it. At the time of this recording in 2021, they have 55 files assigned to them including suspicious deaths, missing persons, homicides and one unidentified human remains.
So have you spoken to Misha's family about this investigation?
Cpl. Crocker: First spoke to Misha's father, early spring of 2020 and I introduced myself as the new lead investigator. It's a phone call that was tough for me as, I believe I'm the fourth lead investigator over the 15 years who has reached out to introduce themselves as the new investigator. To hear, you know as the victim's family member and the police are reaching out saying, "Hey, I'm the new guy taking over the file", they've heard it before and they're wondering, what am I going to do different that the other investigators didn't do.
(Music)
Mandy: S/Sgt. Tim Schwartz was the lead investigator in May of 2006 when the initial call for service came in about a stabbing at a party at the Kinookimaw campground. He received the call around 12:30 a.m. and assembled an RCMP Major Crime Unit team to begin their investigation.
S/Sgt. Schwartz: We have a second victim; we have to ensure that, you know, were following up with that. Then, you know, the piece of just trying to get to the scene, having the Forensic Identification Section come in, to again, not to disturb anything, allow them to do their work. So basically my walk-in with the team we had, to the scene, was to get a visual of the scene and to, then to start figuring out how we move out from there with our investigation.
Mandy: One of the many benefits of being a provincial police service is having many highly trained RCMP experts who detachments and units can call upon to assist with an investigation. Just a few examples of some of the experts available in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction are: Police Dog Services, General Investigations Section, Collision Reconstruction, Underwater Recovery Team, Emergency Response Team, Forensic Identification Services, Major Crime Unit and Explosive Disposal Unit. These experts, among others, can be deployed to assist RCMP Detachments throughout all of Saskatchewan, should the need arise.
Cpl. Crocker: Our FIS units, play a really big role in any homicide investigation, they are there to help document what the scene is like, shortly after, once they arrive.
Mandy: Forensic is the scientific analysis of physical evidence, as from a crime scene.
FIS programs and services form an essential part of virtually every criminal investigation - it assists investigators in solving a crime. The Saskatchewan RCMP has 26 Forensic Identification Services positions located throughout the province in the communities of North Battleford, Prince Albert, Tisdale, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Regina. When requested, the experts in FIS positions are deployed throughout Saskatchewan to assist RCMP Detachments and units with investigations.Sgt. Kurtis Hodgins is in charge of the Regina, Saskatchewan RCMP FIS unit. To be clear, Sgt. Hodgins did not respond the night of Misha's death in 2006. His interview provides perspective on the supporting role FIS plays during major crime and other investigations.
Sgt. Hodgins: We're contacted via DOCC usually.
Mandy: DOCC or DOCC, is the Divisional Operational Communications Centre – the operators you would speak with if you called 911 seeking assistance from the RCMP. We heard from Lee Rosin from DOCC in the two previous episodes.
Sgt. Hodgins: We provide the same service basically to every unit that asks for it. That service is documentation and processing of crime scenes. Be it from stolen vehicle all the way up to multiple homicide scene and then a request is given to us by the member as to what they require. Be it an examination of a crime scene, documentation of the crime scene and the nature of the crime scene; being break and enter, property crime, stolen vehicle, processing a grow-op or drug scene, right down to processing a homicide scene for trace evidence.
Mandy: Sgt. Hodgins explained that processing has two steps. The first is documentation of the crime scene. The second is examining the scene for trace evidence. The evidence collected helps tell a story about what happened, which is then interpreted by different experts.
Sgt. Hodgins: FIS is always a support service, to other units of the RCMP.
Mandy:Case exams are used to show assistance provided to another RCMP unit. In 2020-2021, Saskatchewan RCMP FIS had 2,186 case exams - down from 2,400 the previous year.
Sgt. Hodgins: So in this case we would be an assisting unit to MCU, be it south or north. And they would contact and say, "okay this is what we have, we have a suspicious death of an individual, we would like you to come out and document and process the scene." We would do initial photographs, maybe the deceased person, as well as documenting any path of contamination. If a warrant is required, we would then withdraw and wait for the warrant to be completed. And then we would do our overall scene examination. And for a major case, you would be looking at plan drawing, scene measurements, as well as scene video.
Mandy: National Forensic Laboratory Services operates as a single public laboratory system with three sites currently located in Ottawa, Ontario, Edmonton, Alberta and Surrey, British Columbia. They provide forensic services in biology, firearms, toxicology and trace evidence for police from across Canada, excluding Ontario and Quebec. They employ scientists, technologists and support personnel.
Sgt. Hodgins: Depending on what kind of evidence is there, say you have blood evidence, if it needs interpretation, a step further would be taken and contact blood pattern analysts, from blood stain section. They would come out and they could actually photograph and document as well and they could provide some possible interpretation of the blood evidence that's on the scene. It's quite lengthy when it comes to major case, such as a homicide, especially pending on what evidence you have. 'Cause its such a wide, could be, such a wide spectrum. Could be blood, it could be DNA, could be footwear, can be fingerprints, can be fire evidence. Basically we try to assist in every facet we can, and it's all based around the idea of collection, preservation, interpretation of physical evidence.
Mandy: We know now from speaking with investigators that the RCMP Major Crime Unit gets called about a serious incident soon after it occurs. I asked Sgt. Hodgins to explain what a call out might look like for someone in FIS.
Sgt. Hodgins: Basically, we have somebody working or on-call 24/7, 7 days a week. So right now, its 10 o'clock on a Tuesday, there's two of us working in my office right now. And DOCC has our phone information and the first contact is always to DOCC, right, to dispatch, from the members and they will see who is working or who is on call and then they'll contact that person. So yeah at 3 in the morning I could easily receive a call, on a Sunday, 3 in the morning, from Major Crimes unit, requesting I attend a scene.
Mandy: Sgt. Hodgins explains that after someone from FIS receives a call for service, they go to their office to prepare for deployment. FIS vehicles are equipped in advance, ready for investigators to respond and do their job at any major scene.
Sgt. Hodgins: Most cases, most units have a vehicle they have specified as their major crime scene vehicle and it has a majority of items that are needed. You know: DNA swabs, blood reagents, video equipment, photography equipment, night-time photography equipment, heavy duty lights, a plethora of exhibit bags, PPE, not just masks and gloves but also whole body suits, booties, that kind of thing. So that when the call comes in we don't have to stock a vehicle from point A, its for the most part ready to go. But there's still items that may need to be taken along, like extra water, maybe, if we're gonna be there for long periods of time; food; maybe its an outdoor scene and we need to bring a portable tent along; is it a very in-depth blood scene, maybe we need to have enough blood reagents; maybe it's a fire scene and we're going to need sift through burnt material, we'll bring out sifters, we'll bring our shovels and rakes. There's always - no two crime scenes are the same. You try to have as much equipment to pack as you can, for, the overall that you need, you never have it all. When you received your call, from Major Crime, the Major Crime unit that the questions you ask, what do we have, what kind of scene is there, what are we a looking for, what specifics. That way we can ensure we provide the best product to the members when we go.
Mandy: In Saskatchewan, the communities the RCMP serves vary widely. Some communities are fly-in only. Others may take hours to travel to, depending where the responding FIS officer is based.
Sgt. Hodgins: Being in the south, our distances here, because we cover the Swift Current area as well, so we could, we go all the way to the Alberta border from here, so we're talking 4-6 hours away. And that's very common for people up in the north, such as Battlefords or P.A. those, Battlefords will go up as far as La Loche, P.A. will go up as far as Black Lake, Fond du Lac area like that, that may even be fly-in related. So there's quite large spectrum, quite a bit of driving that may be involved.
(Music)
Mandy: The distance from Regina to the campground crime scene was approximately 55 kilometers, or a 40-minute drive.
Cpl. Marcus Crocker is hesitant to release many specifics of this ongoing investigation, including insight into what charges may be laid against any suspects. When charges are laid, the full details would become public through related court proceedings.
He does confirm there was a physical altercation that occurred the night of May 21, 2006 between Misha, his friends and their suspects.Cpl. Crocker: At the end of that altercation, Misha died.
Mandy: Misha died as a result of stab wounds and his death is considered a homicide. We learned in previous episodes, a friend of Misha's was also stabbed.
Mandy: So you talk about two people that were injured, Misha was one and what happened in the, with the other individual?
Cpl. Crocker: He did survive his injuries. He went to surgery, so even though the major crime investigators are involved now investigating Misha's death. They have a parallel investigation into what happened to the other individual. During that, even the information you're getting, some of the witnesses provided information on what happened to that other individual. And some people are providing information on what happened to Misha. And they were actually able to charge an individual for an aggravated assault.
Mandy: The man charged was convicted in Regina Court of Queen's Bench in 2007 and served three years in custody. To date, no charges have been laid in relation to the death of Misha Pavelick and the investigation remains open.
(Music)
Mandy: Misha's funeral service was held on Saturday, May 27, 2006. You can still read his obituary online. It says: Everyone who knew Misha loved his beautiful smile, giggle and his humour. He was a good kid and he had a good heart. Misha's dad still remembers how many people were in attendance.
Lorne: I found it out after, how many friends that he had. It was shocking. Like when we had the funeral for Misha, it was huge. It was huge. They had, it was, it blew my mind, it just, didn't fully grasp, how it affected so many kids. They had people standing in the parking lot, in the garage, and all the hallways and yeah.
Mandy: The number of interviews investigators conducted is more than 170. More than 40 tips from the public have been received to date. You're about to hear from Misha's parents, Lorne and Susan, and his sister, Kathleen.
Lorne: I think that, there have been some concerns, I mean form the beginning, I have put my faith and trust into policing, the RCMP and dealing with this. I've had a large number of friends who ask me, how I can be supportive when there's been no real in-depth issues that have presented themselves, and its hard for me to talk about some of this stuff because, intuition, is a valuable commodity. I just, I just don't want to see it end up on a file cabinet, done. That's a far as we can go. I'm of the belief actually, that I believe the RCMP knows who did this. I, my intuition tells me that.
Susan: I think maybe it's just been really hard to prove, I don't think it's because they slack and didn't do their job. I think its, there was so many, it was dark and there were so many different stories and there's other things going on, and I found out some stuff this year that I didn't know.
Kathleen: It's hard because I'm not, I mean I have really great investigative qualities, but I not an investigator. It's not my job. And I wasn't in close enough contact with the investigators to be able to really pick apart the good things or the bad things that they did. And nothing has come of it for 15 years and sometimes its frustrating and you get mad and disillusioned and sometimes you think like, Regina's really not that big of a city. People talk, people know what happened, it has to be more then hearsay, people have to actually step forward and say I saw this or, I was told this directly by the person, you know and help us to close that door.
Mandy: Misha's friend Alicia remembers an increase in the delivery of local violence awareness campaigns in the weeks following Misha's death.
Alicia: I've heard a lot of different perspectives and I think though, part of this is why it is so important to, if you do remember like another piece or a memory or something, because your memories can change or you can all of a sudden you can be like, you can grow up and be a little more mature and be like you know what actually, now that I see that, that actually was something that they could have probably, the officers, the RCMP or whoever could have maybe used that and pieced it more together. I mean anybody out there if you do think you know something or there's a memory that's bugging you or you just think, hey, maybe I should have said something, its still okay to go and say something. And it will be okay.
Lorne: To the individual that did this or the individuals that know who did this. I can't imagine what your pain is like, like the real pain, the stuff you deny you have. Because up 'til now you've not come forward. It's not helping your life, its just not helping your life. It's too bad. What a thing to give your own family, or your children. Because a lot of those people that were out there that night, are married, have kids; what a legacy.
Mandy: That was Misha's dad, Lorne speaking. Now you'll hear from his sister Kathleen and mom Susan
Kathleen: You don't get to just take someone's life and then move on with your own and think that you're going to be okay. You're probably damaged in someway, maybe it tortures you sometimes and maybe you get angry with other people to cope with that, but as a human being, you have a responsibility for what you've done.
Susan: They probably were not secure, rational thinking at the time and had to prove something; of course what did they prove, you know, that Misha was loved. When he was young, he, he clinged to me and he was my heart. Grief is, you don't know about it until you have it.
Lorne: Like I really miss him, there isn't a day. Anyway. Grief is, I've always said that grief is like the tide going in and coming out and you can't stop it when it starts coming.
Mandy: During my conversation with Misha's mom, Susan, she shared that at one point in the past fifteen years, she chose to go to the campground site where Misha was killed.
Susan: One year, I went, I had my friend Patty to take me to where the, where they, where it was the campsite, we drove there and I was surprised. Cause it didn't look, it was the prairies, it wasn't an evil looking place; it just, was a place.
Mandy: What is the missing piece investigators need to solve this crime and hold someone accountable for Misha's death?
Cpl. Crocker: It's one big, giant puzzle. And anything regarding Misha and that weekend and that evening and after what happened is important. It could be that piece that we need, that progresses this file ahead. So any information is important, there was people, witnesses who have knowledge, but they're trying to protect somebody, and the other issue is that not everyone likes the police.
Lorne: I'm just hopeful that somebody's had enough and had enough; I cant live with this anymore, I don't want to live with this anymore. Because all it's doing is bringing this negative garbage into my life, is to get honest with somebody and there's a way to do that.
Mandy: And what if the person who knows what they know is scared to come to the police? You know may want to say now, what would you say to them? What can they do if they want to say anonymous, what does that look like?
Cpl. Crocker: If there are people out there that want to come forward, we would love those people to reach out the Historical Case Unit, to contact the RCMP. There are, is ways to do it if you're scared, you can call Crime Stoppers. But it's now to think, what's important here, because the people who did it have been walking around for 15 years, right. And the people who know about it have also been walking around for 15 years and no one's held accountable, so its time, that the people responsible are held accountable.
We want to find out what happened, people still remember, they still remember Misha, they still remember what happened at that night.
(Music)
Mandy: We want to thank Misha's loved ones for permitting us to include their voices and lived experiences in this podcast.
If you have information about Misha Pavelick's death or this investigation, you can contact the RCMP Historical Case Unit investigators directly by calling 639-625-4252. Crime Stoppers really is anonymous – you do not need to identify yourself. Call 1-800-222-8477 or report the information you have online at saskcrimestoppers.com
Thank you for listening to Who Killed Misha Pavelick? a Saskatchewan RCMP-created podcast outlining the true 2006 homicide of Misha Pavelick and the ongoing investigation. You can listen to the podcast in its entirety on the Saskatchewan RCMP website.
About:
Saskatchewan RCMP 10-36: ON DUTY is a podcast about the Saskatchewan RCMP. The podcast will explore multiple aspects of policing in Saskatchewan and will feature investigations and a broad range of specialized units from across the province.Listen and subscribe:
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Show Notes:
With thanks to Misha's loved ones.
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Have a tip to report?
If you want to report the information you have about this investigation, you can contact your local police service. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.
Thank you for listening.
Who Killed Misha Pavelick? New Saskatchewan RCMP podcast highlights this unsolved case