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Missing woman Dawn Walker and child found safe after they ‘illegally entered the United States’: police

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Dawn Walker and her seven-year-old son, Vincent Jansen, have been located alive in Oregon after illegally entering the U.S., according to police. 

“Both are reported to be safe and well. Agency representatives are currently working out the details of arranging for their return to Canada,” a press release from the Saskatoon Police Service said. 

They said the mother-son duo were located late Friday morning in collaboration with the United States Department of Homeland Security. 

Officials are still working out how to return Jansen to a legal guardian while Walker is in custody. 

“U.S. authorities are considering the implications and any potential action as a result of an illegal entry into the US. Pending any action by U.S. authorities Dawn Walker will be returned to Saskatoon to meet with investigators,” police said. 

A mysterious disappearance

Walker, 48, was first reported missing to police on July 24 after her friends and family hadn’t heard from her — a behaviour described as out of character. She had been last seen on July 22 at a business on the 300 block of Owen Manor in Saskatoon. 

Walker is the executive operating officer of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), the organization representing 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan. She is also a well-known author who was recently nominated for a national book award. 

On July 25, police found Walker’s truck and other personal belongings at Chief Whitecap Park, just south of Saskatoon. Police learned someone in the area had found Walker’s purse a couple of days earlier.

The FSIN repeatedly called on the public to help, and implored the police to conduct a thorough investigation. 

The father of the boy had also appealed to the public for help, “desperately begging” people to spread the word about his son’s disappearance. 

Volunteers, family, friends and police spent days searching for Walker and her son in the Saskatoon area by land, air and water.

People also donated tens of thousands of dollars to a fundraiser started to help find the boy. The website dedicated to finding “Vinnie” and the fundraising efforts was updated Friday afternoon to say news about the fundraiser could be expected soon. 

Even though Walker and her son have been found, Saskatoon police are still asking anyone with information related to this investigation to call their local police detachment or Crime Stoppers. 

Saskatoon police said that they will release more information on Monday.

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