M’CHIGEENG—May 5 is Red Dress Day—a time to honour and remember Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people. But for too many Northern families, red dresses are not just symbols of past losses, they are urgent calls to action.
This year, the call rang out for Juanita “Winnie” Migwans of M’Chigeeng First Nation. Juanita vanished on October 2, 2024. Seven months later, her family is still searching—not just for her, but for answers. On May 10, 2025, that search took literal form as approximately 100 volunteers gathered at the M’Chigeeng fire hall for a coordinated ground search in her honour. The search came just a day before Mothers’ Day this year, a day that casts a long shadow for Ms. Migwans’ family, including a young daughter.
They gathered with purpose, as spring’s thaw softened the Island’s rock and moss: neighbours from NEMI, Central Manitoulin, Sheguiandah and South Baymouth; a search team from Lions Head; drones from Wiki Surveillance to sweep dense bushland too treacherous for boots alone; and fire crews from both Central Manitoulin and M’Chigeeng — the latter led by family.
Forrest Schut, M’Chigeeng’s fire prevention officer and Juanita’s cousin, led the charge. He’d helped raise Juanita as a child. “I still think of Juanita like my own daughter,” he said, voice cracking but steady. His request for 40 to 50 volunteers was met with open hands and laced boots, with nearly one hundred volunteers coming from across the Island and the surrounding mainland. Pam Roy catered a barbecue meal for the searchers.
The search lasted for five hours, with no clues turning up.
“It was a challenging day of searching through heavy terrain, but the community came together to look for Winnie, in unity and resilience. Over 100 people from across the Island and mainland, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, spent five hours traversing river beds, swamps and bogs. Despite not finding evidence, it was a moment of solidarity—sharing meals, forming new friendships, and keeping Winnie’s memory alive,” said her aunt, MaryDale Ashcroft of Lions Head.
Ms. Ashcroft was joined by her sister Dona Ashcroft and friends Chris and Marg Thomas of Wiarton. The four travelled on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry to search for any evidence that might lead to Ms. Migwans.
Juanita’s case, like so many others, has been mired in silence. Family and community members have repeatedly expressed frustration at the lack of evidence. “Someone knows something and they aren’t speaking up” has been a recurring statement seen in the Facebook group “Bring JUANITA WINNIE home,” which has more than 1.5 thousand followers.
National statistics back up their anger. Data from the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) show Ontario accounts for 12 percent of all MMIWG2S+ cases in their national database. Eighty percent of those cases in Ontario are classified as homicides — far higher than the 67 percent national average. Nearly half of the murder cases in Ontario remain unsolved. The gaps are glaring: many families are left to lead their own investigations, organize their own searches, and crowdfund their own forensic work while lack of resources and funding for tribal police forces drags on. On Manitoulin, that weight falls heavily on kin.
Meggie Cywink, who has been searching for answers in her sister Cynthia’s death for more than 30 years contacted the organizers of Saturdays search, with hopes of setting up search training for loved ones who are prepared to take matters into their own hands.
Earlier that week, on May 3, families marched along Lasalle Boulevard in Sudbury — not in remembrance, but in defiance. Organized by Lorry Lafortune, sister of Wendy Lafortune (missing since May 1, 2024), the march honoured Wendy, Juanita, Shanda Playford (missing since February 25, 2025) and Parisa (surname withheld by police, missing since April 7, 2025). Their chant—“Bring our girls home”—cut through the bustle of traffic.
Lorry Lafortune, fierce and unyielding, named what others tiptoe around: “They’re not just addicts. These are beautiful, smart people. Their families love them.” She urged people to drop messages of hope for Wendy’s daughter, who is “losing hope.”
Shanda Playford’s father, Kevin, didn’t mince words either. “Addicts are people like anyone else but they look at them like scumbags,” he said. “Anyone can take that journey into addiction. There are beautiful people out there missing. My daughter is one of them.”
Throughout the day, leaflets circulated with photos and details of the four women, urging the public to contact Greater Sudbury Police with any tips. Detective Constable Ryan Bignucolo, who walked with the families, said officers are working daily to solve these cases but families remain skeptical, shaped by lived experience rather than hollow promises.
And the search—both literal and spiritual—continues.
