As the years go on, the emotions weigh heavier on Jordan Ballantyne’s family.
Ballantyne was the victim of an unsolved homicide in Prince Albert. Thursday marked five years since his body was found in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of 20th Street East.
“I just screamed,” recalled Pauline Clarke, Ballantyne’s cousin.
“He was like a brother. The way our grandparents raised us, first cousins, we’re like siblings. That’s how close we are.”
Clarke described Ballantyne as calm, gentle, intelligent, and a gifted writer. He was never one to engage in violence or crime, she said, making his murder that much more confusing.
“We’re in the blind. We don’t even know who did it and we’re always left wondering who did it, why did they do that?”
Ballantyne’s family has hosted awareness walks on every anniversary of his death. On Thursday, the family travelled to Prince Albert from Southend – a six hour drive – to walk from Kinsmen Park to the home where he was found.
The Prince Albert Police Service put out another call for information on the case.
“The police would like to thank the members of the public who have provided information about this homicide to this point,” reads a news release.
“Any information, no matter how small, could further this investigation and help to bring closure to Jordan’s family.”
Closure is exactly what the family needs to properly heal, said Clarke, but it’s also likely what his killer needs, too.
“I have some understanding that this person who did it is probably living with a lot of turmoil. I don’t know what kind of life they have right now, but I’m sure this crime that they did is holding them bondage. There’s a way to break that bondage by coming out,” she said.
Clarke added that if the person responsible admitted to what they did, the family would forgive them.
“We’re a very loving family, like Jordan was, and I’m sure Jordan would forgive them too.”
Police say they received the call of a man down shortly after 9 p.m. on Jul. 13, 2018. Paramedics declared Ballantyne dead at the scene.
The police continue to investigate.
Anyone with information on Ballantyne’s death is asked to contact Prince Albert police, Crime Stoppers, or submit a confidential tip on the Crime Stoppers website.
