Hundreds of people gathered in Old Massett on Friday, March 21, to bring awareness to Shaylanna Lewis-Brown, five years to the day after the young Haida woman went missing near Port Clements.
The annual walk, now in its fifth year, is part of a community-led effort to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) and to keep the search for Lewis-Brown active. The event included speakers from the RCMP Major Crimes Unit, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and the Council of the Haida Nation, who addressed the crowd with messages of solidarity, healing and justice. Haida Gwaii Society for Community Peace, Niisslaa Nay Healing House, Old Massett Village Council, Masset Adult Day Program, and RCMP, alongside Lewis-Brown’s family, all join forces to make this event a success.
Participants walked through the village, many wearing red. Members of the Masset RCMP detachment supported the event by providing traffic control and cooking burgers for participants. The Masset Co-op donated bottled water for the walk. Many other business across Haida Gwaii have provide support for this event and cause over the years.
Shaylanna Lewis-Brown was 23 years old when she was last seen on March 21, 2020, walking southbound along Highway 16, not far from Port Clements. She did not have her cellphone with her at the time. Despite community searches and an ongoing investigation, she remains missing.
“We are fully aware of the rumors that have surfaced as of late saying Shaylanna has been found, but that is simply not the case. While the investigation is active and ongoing, she has not been found and police still do not know what happened to her.” RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said in a press release before the anniversary of the disappearance. “Someone knows what happened and potentially holds the key to solving this case and bringing some answers to her family.”
Friday’s walk also served as a fundraiser for the Bring Shaylanna Home campaign. All proceeds from cash donations, loonie-toonie draws, spot draws, and clothing sales — including dresses and long sleeves with silhouettes of Lewis-Brown printed in support of the search — go directly to the reward fund. Now at $100,000, the reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Lewis-Brown’s disappearance.
Her mother, Monica Brown has been a prominent figure in the walk, and she is looking forward to other community members and organizations stepping up to keep the awareness for all MMIP, as she will be participating more in the background. In a recent message on Facebook, she thanked the many individuals and organizations that continue to stand beside her. “Our lives have changed forever… never going back to what was… I pray for healing and awakening for all involved in Shaylanna missing but all the MMIW/P.”
Lewis-Brown is described as five-foot-seven, approximately 174 pounds, with brown eyes and short dark hair. She has a raven tattoo on her back and scars on one thigh.
The RCMP continue to investigate and urge anyone with information to contact the Masset detachment at 250-626-3991 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. If you believe you have seen Shaylanna, the family encourage you to take a photo if possible and report the sighting immediately — including the time, location, description and whether she was with anyone.
Donations can be made to the Northern Savings Credit Union account No. 7445059, under the name Bring Shaylanna Home. For more information or to get involved, email [email protected].