A Indigenous Canadian author has been extradited home to face charges for allegedly faking her own death and kidnapping her son before entering the United States on a fake identity.
On Wednesday, 48-year-old Dawn Walker was handed over to police in Surrey, British Colombia, by Homeland Security agents who drove her to the US-Canada border, The Star Phoenix reported.
She is due to be transferred to police in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where she disappeared from on 22 July and faces charges for mischief and parental abduction in contravention of a custody order.
The charges were filed against Ms Walker after her family found her truck and belongings abandoned by a river – leading to fears she and her seven-year-old son, who was also reported missing, had drowned.
A two week search for Ms Walker and her son ensued before she was arrested by Homeland Security officials on 5 August in Oregon, to where she had allegedly fled after entering the US under a fake name.
Her son, who according to The Guardian was due to be returned to his father on 25 July, was taken back to Canada to a legal guardian on 7 August. Ms Walker has previously involved in a lengthy custody battle with her former husband, reports said.
Ms Walker, who was meanwhile charged by US officials with felony aggravated identity theft and misdemeanour identity theft, was held in jail before a court appearance on Tuesday.
She agreed to avoid a full extradition process and accepted her return to Canada, while accusing Saskatchewan authorities of “failing” her in regards to child custody and allegations of domestic violence.
Police in the Canadian province say they are investigating her claims of domestic violence but no charges have been filed.
A public defender lawyer reportedly appointed to represent Ms Walker in Oregon said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following intimate partner abuse.
“Ms Walker, most people in our courtroom arrive here after experiencing some trauma in their lives and that’s especially true for the women who end up in our courtroom,” said US District Court Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman, according to The Guardian.
“I’m sorry that you weren’t able to get the support that you needed at home and that you ended up here in an Oregon courtroom. I hope that you are able to see your son soon.”
US prosecutors reportedly said in an affidavit that she had created an “elaborate” plan that involved kidnapping her son and faking their deaths to enable her to leave Canada.
US officials said they would wait to see what happens in Canada regarding the charges facing Ms Walker there and “as necessary deal with our charges in the future”.
Indigenous rights organisations and groups such as The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) had earlier expressed their concerns around the handling of Ms Walker’s case because of the historic handling of cases involving indigenous women and domestic violence claims, which it said have not been taken seriously.
“We cannot know the full facts of this case until they come before the courts,” said NWAC president Carol McBride earlier this month. We urge the return of Ms Walker to Canada where a National Inquiry has addressed the unique circumstances faced by Indigenous women in the justice system, both as victims and as the accused”.
Marie Henein, a lawyer representing Ms Walker, said in a statement to The Independent: “Dawn Walker, an Indigenous woman, a lawyer, an activist, an author, and a loving mother, has long been a strong voice for Indigenous people, and in particular for the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls whom the Canadian authorities have failed at every turn.”
She continued: “Despite her painful first-hand knowledge of the Indigenous experience in Canada – including what she knows of the Saskatchewan police and their shameful treatment of Indigenous communities – Dawn nonetheless sought help and refuge through official channels in Saskatchewan. But the system failed her, like it has so many others. Dawn’s voice will not be silenced. While it is trite for defence counsel to say that the case will be vigorously defended, in Dawn’s case truer words could not be uttered.”
The Independent has approached Saskatoon police for comment.
