‘We grieve and we are angry’ - chiefs
Wolastoqey chiefs say lacking government and police support contributed to Oromoto First Nation woman's murder; RCMP, province say they work with Indigenous communities
The murder of a Welamukotuk (Oromocto) First Nation woman last weekend is rooted in government failures to support Indigenous communities, says a collective of Wolastoqey chiefs.
Sheri Lynn Sabattis, 54, was found dead in the First Nations community April 27, and the RCMP’s major crime unit is investigating her death as a homicide.
Jared Josiah Smith, 38, of Burton, was arrested the same day, and he was charged Sunday with second-degree murder in Sabattis’ death.
The victim was the sister of Welamukotuk Chief Shelley Sabattis, who expressed outrage over her sibling’s murder at the Fredericton courthouse Monday.
The six Chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick - among whom Shelley Sabattis is included - issue a statement on Sheri Sabattis’ murder Friday, pointing the finger at the federal and provincial governments for contributing to circumstances that allowed for her untimely death.