Family members of Dwayne Demkiw, whose mysterious disappearance 11 months ago in Edmonton baffled them and police, are “shocked” but “relieved” their sibling's remains were found and identified near Innisfail.
RCMP confirmed last Friday (April 15) the remains, first discovered on April 5 in an isolated wooded rural area about 13 kilometres northeast of town, were identified as those of 42-year-old Demkiw.
“It was a shock and disbelief because we are always thinking he is going to be phoning or driving or walking up to come see us again, “ said father Eugene from his home in Saskatoon, where he erected a memorial on his lawn immediately after his son's disappearance. “That was our hope. I never lost hope that he was going to come back.
“Our hearts and everything has been focused on trying to find him,” he added. “So the announcement we got late today (April 15) was with shock and grief but also relief that we found him.”
The following day (April 16), Dwayne's younger brother Darren, a Department of National Defence firefighter at CFB Wainwright, drove down with family members to the crime scene north of town and erected a simple cross and placed flowers.
“I felt a sense of relief as anybody would or any family member,” said Darren. “You just feel like you have to do something. Now that they have found him it is not complete closure, but it is part of it.
“He was a great son, a great brother, a great friend. He will be missed by everybody,” added the grieving 39-year-old brother.
With the discovery of the Edmonton man's remains, the case has been turned over by RCMP to the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), which has been officially investigating Dwayne's disappearance since last July.
Cheryl Sheppard, communications advisor for EPS, said the police force's homicide division has been tasked to lead the investigation, but the case has “not yet been declared” a homicide. She added the discovery of the remains near Innisfail does add a new perspective for EPS detectives with their ongoing probe.
“It maybe points us in the direction we weren't looking in before, and we'll canvass the area and gather information for their (EPS) investigation,” she said, adding the site near Innisfail where the remains were discovered is “absolutely” of interest for EPS detectives. “We are focusing on that area. EPS is working with the RCMP in the area where the remains were found.”
Sheppard added EPS is also collaborating with the RCMP and the Calgary Medical Examiner's Office to forensically examine the discovered remains for any additional evidence that may assist their investigation.
The last known documented evidence of the popular Edmonton man, who was single but had two sons -- James, 20, and 16-year-old Cole, was when he set the alarm at his workplace just after 4 a.m. on May 31, after finishing a shift for a limo service where he was employed on weekends.
Seven hours later at 11 a.m., Calgary police called Eugene to let him know his son's vehicle, a black four-door 2002 Acura, had been found on fire in southeast Calgary. The father said he believes his son was “abducted” but has no idea why, nor why Dwayne's vehicle was found in Calgary, and set on fire.
“This has been a million-dollar question since that day because our son was never, ever in trouble in any day of his life. He was never involved in any kind of illegal activity ever, because he had high-security jobs,” said the father, pointing out his son, a former DJ, had a “classified” job as a FedEx mail truck driver, and was also a respected professional scuba diving trainer.
“We raised him up to be a very fine individual. He had two fine sons. We don't know why this happened,” said Eugene.
With no trace of Dwayne anywhere, Edmonton police, suspecting the well-liked local may have been the victim of foul play, quickly conducted an extensive search, which included the force's canine unit, in an area near the city's Anthony Henday Drive. Calgary police, meanwhile, launched an arson investigation into Dwayne's fire-ravaged vehicle.
Eleven months after Dwayne's disappearance, and following the extensive probes by police forces in both Calgary and Edmonton, Darren declined to comment on the “why” of what happened to his brother.
“Rather than speculating, I would just rather have a solid answer. I will just wait for EPS to continue their investigation and hopefully in the near future we hear something,” said Darren. “So far EPS and the homicide division in particular have been very good, and I could not be happier with the job they are doing. All I can say is that they have been a pleasure to work with. The homicide division and EPS has been very good to the Demkiw family during the whole process.”
In the meantime, family members are waiting for the release of Dwayne's remains from the Calgary Medical Examiner's Office before making definitive plans for memorial services, which could be held in the near future in both Saskatoon and Edmonton.
“We didn't give up that we were going to find him,” said Darren. “So now that we have, we can go forward as a family and discuss how we can celebrate that.”
For more on the life of Dwayne Demkiw visit the “Dwayne Demkiw -- Lets bring him home” page on Facebook.
Eugene Demkiw, father
"Our hearts and everything has been focused on trying to find him. So the announcement we got late today (April 15) was with shock and grief but also relief that we found him."
