Friends of Frank Gruben wore red on Tuesday to acknowledge the passing of a month since he was last seen in Fort Smith.
Frank, 30, has been the subject of a weeks-long search by teams of volunteers and an RCMP investigation, but there has been no sign of him since May 6.
His brother, Steven, said on Tuesday he was now focused on trying to address the NWT’s lack of missing persons legislation, which RCMP had identified as a barrier to their investigation. The territory has no Missing Persons Act, which means police have no formal power to compel the handing over of documents – like phone and social media records – that could help a search.
“Our next move here is I’m going to go get a letter written up, a petition, and I’m going to go around to community members and get signatures,” Steven Gruben told Cabin Radio.
“I’m also going to get people in other communities to sign that petition so we can get this Missing Persons Act on the go. That’s the only thing that’s holding back my brother’s investigation right now.”
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The NWT government committed to creating missing persons legislation as part of its response to the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
But last month, the Department of Justice told Cabin Radio work to draft the bill is still taking place, and it’s not now expected to become law until some time after the fall’s territorial election.
“That Missing Persons Act is not just for my brother. It’s for everybody else in the future that may have to go through something like this,” Steven said. “I never want another family to ever feel the pain that we’re feeling.”
The family says it has no new information from RCMP regarding the search for Frank. This week, community volunteers were hoping to find boaters in Fort Smith to continue searching for him along the Slave River.
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Through personal donations and a draw held by Tuktoyaktuk resident Tyrone Raddi, a reward of $2,000 has been raised for anyone who comes forward with information “leading to the whereabouts of my brother or figuring out what happened to him,” Steven said.
“And it’s been a month. I can’t even cry any more,” he continued.
“I’m just so mad. angry, upset, frustrated with our leaders. How come they’re staying so quiet? Imagine if it happened to one of their families? How fast that Missing Persons Act would be in place.”
Steven said his relatives were “holding up” thanks to the support of community members, family and friends, but said everyone connected to Frank’s situation urgently needs answers.
“It’s not just us at this point. People of the North need to know what happened to Frank,” he said.
“Are they safe? Are they safe in Fort Smith? I don’t think so.”
Anyone with information that might help the search for Frank can call the Fort Smith RCMP detachment at 867-872-1111 or leave a tip anonymously online.
