The mother of the man found dead near Crescent Park believes there are extremely questionable circumstances that need to be investigated and alleges that Moose Jaw police are not taking the case seriously, likely because of her son’s racial background.
Joshua Brandon Lemay, 22, was found unresponsive in an alley near Crescent Park around 8:30 a.m. on March 14. Upon arrival, emergency personnel found that he had been dead for several hours — or even days.
After speaking with the family, Moose Jaw police realized that several of Lemay’s items were not present. These included a red and grey backpack with toiletries, black and white Vans high-top shoes, blue sweatpants and a black winter jacket.
The Moose Jaw Police Service is now working with the Saskatchewan Coroner’s Office to determine the cause of death.
In an exclusive interview, Louise Lemay said that while police don’t suspect foul play in Josh’s death, she pointed out that many of his items were missing when his body was found behind Seaborne Agencies. Moreover, police told her that he was found wearing barely any clothes. He had on a shirt, while his underwear and pants had been pulled or cut off, with only his underwear waistband on him.
She pointed out that he would still have been wearing clothes if he had frozen to death.
“Somebody needs to be held accountable,” Lemay said. “All these questions (I have), I feel like they’re (police) not doing anything, or they don’t care. Maybe because it’s a First Nations kid — I don’t know.”
Staff Sgt. Taylor Elder, a spokesman for the Moose Jaw Police Service, provided a brief statement by email about the situation.
“This investigation is ongoing. I am sorry, but I cannot comment on the specifics,” he said. “More information will be provided when we are able.”
Josh was not homeless; he lived with his uncle outside of Moose Jaw, Lemay continued. However, RCMP officers picked him up two days before his death — likely March 9, according to his obituary — because he was threatening self-harm. They said they would take him to the police station for a psychiatric evaluation — but never did.
“They just released him. So Joshua stayed at a shelter one night. I gave him money for a hotel. He checked out; he only stayed for two hours. That was the last time I heard from my son,” she said. “My son had been outside frozen for probably three days (based on what police told her) until the owner of the building found him.”
Josh attended school in Moose Jaw before moving to Regina, but returned to Canada’s Most Notorious City a few years ago, Lemay explained. He was clean and sober for the past three years because he wanted to be a good example for his young son.
While police told Lemay that they are looking into every possibility, she argued that it is obvious her son was left to die in the alley. She said that if she can find the alleged suspects, police should be able to since Moose Jaw is a small community.
“I’m not letting this go,” she added. “I’m not letting this go.”
