Canadian police hunt final mass stabbing suspect as his brother is found dead 'with injuries not self inflicted'

6 September 2022, 05:50

Canadian police are hunting the final suspect
Canadian police are hunting the final suspect. Picture: Alamy

By Will Taylor

Police in Canada are hunting the remaining suspect over a horrific mass stabbing that left 10 people dead, after one of the brothers they are searching for was found dead.

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The body of Damien Sanderson, 31, was found on Monday close to where the stabbings happened in the James Smith Cree Nation, in the remote prairie province of Saskatchewan.

His injuries were not self-inflicted but the cause of death is yet to be confirmed.

His brother, Myles Sanderson, 30, remains on the run and is thought to be in the Saskatchewan capital Regina.

Damien Sanderson's body was "located outdoors in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined", Rhonda Blackmore, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Commanding Officer Assistant Commissioner said.

"We can confirm he has visible injuries."

Police are investigating if Damien Sanderson was responsible for the death.

He is thought to be in Regina, more than a three hour drive away from the James Smith Cree Nation, but alerts have been issued across Alberta and Manitoba provinces and US authorities have also been spoken to.

Read more: Mother-of-two named as first victim of Canadian massacre that left 10 dead and 15 injured as police hunt two suspects

The stabbings have shocked Canada, with 18 people also suffering injuries during the rampage on September 4.

As police race to piece together what happened and track down the last brother, locals in the James Smith Cree Nation have pinned the killings on drug and alcohol abuse, a social issue that has been pinned on the impact of the colonisation of North American indigenous peoples.

Darryl Burns, whose sister Gloria, a member of a crisis response team who went to the stabbings to help, was killed, told the Associated Press news agency: "We had a murder suicide here three years ago. My granddaughter and her boyfriend.

"Last year we had a double homicide. Now this year we have 10 more that have passed away and all because of drugs and alcohol."