RCMP is asking for the public's help in locating 36-year-old Jacqueline Leavins.
Leavins was last seen on Oct. 22, at the Provincial Building in St. Albert at 30 Sir Winston Churchill Ave.
She is aboriginal, has brown hair, brown eyes, and wears glasses. She is approximately five-feet 10-inches tall and 136 lbs.
Leavins is originally from Saskatchewan and moved to Alberta a year and a half ago.
She has a five-month-old daughter. Family members believe she may be pregnant.
She was reported missing by social services after missing a couple of appointments, said Miklos Lepey, Leavins’ brother-in-law, from B.C.
“This last go around she’s been doing really good. She just wants her kids back.”
Family members were last in touch with her the first week of October.
“We just want her back. We don't care what the circumstances are, we just want to know that she’s safe,” said Lepey. They are worried for her safety.
“We’re all fearing the worst.”
Her family has created a "Find Jacquie Leavins" Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/findjacquieleavins), in hopes new information of her whereabouts will be revealed.
There has been increasing pressure on the federal government this fall to conduct a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.
RCMP have determined there are more than 1,100 cases of missing or murdered Indigenous women in Canada – Alberta is second only to B.C. in the number of cases.
The Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women in Alberta has been working toward a provincial strategy to increase safety for aboriginal women for several years, said Rachelle Venne, CEO of the institute.
“The number one issue that we’re trying to get addressed quickly is housing. Trying to provide safe housing options when (women) are fleeing (their abusers), that seems to be a major hurdle for women and young girls,” she said.
Information sharing between shelters and communities where these women flee also needs to be improved, said Venne.
Safety initiatives are currently being focused on in the communities of Fort Chipewyan, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie and Edmonton.
If you have any information about Jacqueline Leavins, please call the St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). At Crime Stoppers, you do not need to reveal your identity. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to Call Display, Call Trace or tape any phone calls. If your information leads to an arrest, you qualify for a cash award up to $2,000.00.We want your tip, not your name.
