Daily Herald Staff
The number of homicide victims decreased in RCMP jurisdiction last year, but only slightly.
2024 was a record year for homicide files, as Saskatchewan RCMP investigated 41 files pertaining to 43 victims. In 2025, the Saskatchewan RCMP investigated 33 manslaughter and murder files, with 39 victims.
Following the highest number of homicide files on record in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction in 2024, investigators continued to face a high volume of cases across the province in 2025.
“While 2024 marked the highest number of homicide files we’ve investigated, the volume in 2025 remained elevated,” Superintendent Josh Graham, the officer in charge of Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Branch said in a press release. “The work doesn’t stop for our teams, homicide files in our jurisdiction are at a rate that requires significant investigative capacity.”
In addition to the murder files in RCMP jurisdiction, RCMP teams also investigated two murders, with five victims, in File Hills First Nations Police Service (FHFNPS) jurisdiction.
The RCMP continues to see more than 30 homicide files a year in their policing areas. They dealt with 31 files and 36 victims in 2021, 33 files and 43 victims in 2022 (this includes all victims of the James Smith Cree Nation mass stabbing), and 31 files with 31 victims in 2023.
In January 1 to February 4, 2026: one homicide file with one victim is under investigation.
The Saskatchewan RCMP’s Homicide Investigation Unit (HIU), part of the Major Crimes Branch, is responsible for investigating murders, manslaughters, and homicides within RCMP jurisdiction. HIU investigators also routinely support frontline RCMP officers at detachments by consulting on sudden or suspicious death investigations. These investigations are not just statistics, each one represents a loss felt in the community.
“Behind every homicide statistic is a person who has been taken from their loved ones, and a family living through an unimaginable loss,” Graham said.
“Our investigators are always mindful that their job is to uncover the truth, give a voice to victims, provide answers to families. The cases we take on aren’t easy, they stay with our officers, but our teams remain committed to investigating with professionalism and compassion.”
Of the victims in files investigated by the Saskatchewan RCMP in 2025 three were children age 12 and under, three were teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19, 12 were young people in their 20s, 10 were in their 30s, six were in their 40s, four were in their 50s, and one person was in their 60s.
Five victims (13 per cent) were in Saskatchewan RCMP’s South District, 11 victims were in Central District, and 18 were in North District. (A map of Saskatchewan RCMP districts is attached.) There were also five victims (13 per cent) reported in FHFNPS jurisdiction.
In addition to investigating the homicides that occurred in 2025, investigators continued work on at least 30 unsolved homicide or suspicious death files from previous years.
In 2025, RCMP investigators brought charges against 28 individuals in relation to homicide cases. That includes seven first-degree murder charges, 17 second-degree murder charges, and four manslaughter charges.
Of the 28 suspects charged 25 were male (89 per cent) and three were female (11 per cent), eight were youth between the ages of 13 and 19 (30 per cent), nine were in their 20s (33 per cent), two were in their 30s, five were in their 40s, two were in their 50s and two were in their 60s.
RCMP investigators solved 23 of 2025’s 33 homicide files, with 10 remaining under investigation. Of the cases that were brought to charge, 12 were solved within 24 hours, six were solved within one week, three were solved within one month and two were solved in less than six months.
Operational insights
Homicide, murder and manslaughter investigations require quick coordination and extensive teamwork, with urgent files requiring an immediate response and often a sustained investigative effort.
In 2025, there were several incidents that underscored the unpredictable nature of these investigations and the significant caseload managed by Saskatchewan RCMP investigators which include two manslaughter/murder files occurred on the same day in separate communities on three different occasions; there were 11 manslaughter/murder files with 14 victims in the last two months of 2025. These included single, double and triple homicides; three of these files, with five victims, occurred over the course of approximately 27 hours in November.
“In a calendar year, our investigators responded to single, double and triple homicides, and a quadruple murder scene. This shows just how unpredictable and complex our work is,” Graham said.
“Periods of intense investigative activity test every part of our system. Our teams’ demands escalate immediately. In November, our HIU leaned on the Serious Crimes Unit, another experienced unit in the Major Crimes Branch, to assist with an investigation. Despite the pressures, our teams remain focused on the important role these investigations play in public safety and ensuring every victim and family receives the thorough investigation they deserve.”
The HIU investigators, operating out of Regina and Saskatoon, provide a 24/7 response to homicides and suspicious deaths across Saskatchewan. Their work spanned the entire province in 2025 – from Weyburn to Wollaston Lake and from Pelican Narrows to Swift Current. Investigators deployed to more than 30 communities for 2025 homicides. Because these investigations involve significant – and sometimes lengthy – travel, investigators work closely with frontline detachment officers to ensure coordinated and timely responses.
Teams can be on the road – or in the sky – at all hours, with some calls requiring them to reach remote northern communities by plane, such as Wollaston Lake, a community more than 800 kilometres from Saskatoon.
“Behind every file are broad and evolving challenges that our investigators navigate every day. Much of this complex work happens out of view from the public,” Graham said. “We know the demands won’t stop in 2026. As we continue investigating unsolved files and managing any new cases, we’ll remain focused and committed to serving communities across Saskatchewan.”
