The search for Lois Chartrand, who went missing while picking mushrooms in northeast Saskatchewan on Aug. 4, has ended in tragedy.
Saskatchewan RCMP say they located Chartrand’s body Sunday (Aug. 14) approximately one kilometre from the remote area where she was last seen.
“Her family has been notified and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time,” the Saskatchewan RCMP said in a news release Monday.
Chartrand, 74, became separated from her picking companion and eventually stopped answering the two-way radio she was carrying. Her husband said she was an experienced mushroom picker who was used to the heavily forested area north of Smeaton, Sask.
There is no cellphone service in the area.
The resident of Whitefox, Sask., was last seen just south of Evernden Lake, about 30 kilometres north of Smeaton, off an ATV trail just east of Hanson Lake Road. Smeaton is approximately 215 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
The RCMP conducted an extensive search through isolated and rough terrain using drones, infra-red cameras and search dogs.
“We also thank community members and Lois’s loved ones, who – despite the stressful circumstances – ensured all searchers were fed and supported,” the RCMP added in their release.
