The father of Happy Charles, Carson Poitras, urged Prince Albert Police Chief Patrick Nogier to continue investigating his daughter's disappearance. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

By Teena Monteleone

Where is Happy Charles?

Family of missing Happy Charles puts pressure on police to renew vigor into search

Apr 3, 2025 | 5:09 PM

Frustrated and angry are the two words Carson Poitras used to describe his feelings towards the Prince Albert Police Service.

His daughter, Happy Charles, went missing eight years ago on April 3, 2017. She was last seen on video surveillance around 11:50 p.m. at Prince Albert Collegiate Institute. Poitras said he met with investigators last year and they assured him the case would have renewed energy and awareness campaigns. Instead, he said there’s been little communication.

“The things that we were promised from PA police didn’t happen,” he said. “Which is maddening because we still don’t have answers after eight years. Some of their comments are ‘we need a little bit longer to get some answers’, or ‘we need to do things in a proper manner in order to get a conviction’. We’re not looking for a conviction. All we’re looking for is to bring our daughter home.”

Poitras and a number of family members and supporters gathered outside of the police station on Thursday afternoon with signs; some identifying other missing and murdered Indigenous people while others read ‘We are still searching.’

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Charles’ daughter Margaret Bird said not having answers to her mother’s whereabouts has taken a toll on her.

“I’m always thinking about how she’s doing or where she is or if she’s passed on. It’s been really tough. I run on hope that she’s still out there, but I’m also scared that if she is, what are the conditions she’s under and what is she going through. I’ve been struggling a lot with my mental health but I keep trying to stay strong with the support of my family,” said Bird.

Police Chief Patrick Nogier attended the gathering and addressed the crowd saying he can’t imagine what it’s like to experience a missing loved one, but he has the confidence in the investigators he has assigned to the file.

“There’s never going to be enough that we can do to try and bridge that gap until we actually bring those loved ones home,” Nogier said. “The process, it doesn’t happen as quickly as it would like to for the families, but you know we’re doing what we can with what we have.”

Chief Nogier addressed the crowd that demonstrated outside of the police station Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

Since Charles went missing, the police service has released video surveillance and explored multiple leads, including more than 120 tips.

Missing person cases are generally investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division. There is one dedicated Sergeant at the police service who is responsible for historical missing person files. Nogier said 14 of those are currently active.

Krista Fox travelled from North Battleford to support Charles’ family. She’s a longtime advocate of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) who once walked across Canada in a show of support. Her friend’s daughter, Ashley Morin, disappeared in North Battleford in 2018.

“We’re here today to hopefully get some change in Happy’s truths. I don’t like calling them cases because these are loved ones, these are our babies, these are our sisters. So, we’re here in support and unfortunately the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples family continues to grow and its heartbreaking,” said Fox.

Supporters of other MMIWG, including Ashley Morin who went missing from North Battleford in 2018, attended the demonstration. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

In an effort to renew interest in the case of Happy Charles, the police service once again released the last known surveillance video of her.

At the time of her disappearance, Charles was wearing white shoes, sweatpants, a long dark jacket over top of a leather jacket, a dark baseball cap, with a black backpack and a white plastic bag. She was also wearing dark framed glasses. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Prince Albert Police Service at 306-953-4222. Anonymous tips can also be provided to Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.

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teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com