Tk’emlups te Secwépemc has issued a new update connected to Le Estcwicwéy̓ — The Missing.

As part of the unsolicited release of information on Tuesday, the Band has confirmed its been involved in a three-pronged investigation into its initial claims in 2021 that as many as 215 possible grave sites could be located on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

On top of the ground penetrating radar which Tk’emlups leadership used as the basis of the original assertions in 2021, the Band says its over 4-year investigation has also been using LiDAR scanning and police-certified dogs which are trained to sniff out historical human remains.

“As with any investigation, circumstances evolve as assumptions are tested, data is verified, and new information emerges,” said Tk’emlups in a release issued at the same time on Tuesday that BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey was delivering her 2026 budget.   “While the investigation has been more complex than we initially thought, we are making progress and will continue adapting our methodologies and information as it advances.”

The Band says the work by the independent investigators has come up with three main determinations to this point.

“The data and findings from all three unique investigative methods overlap in several areas, indicating those zones should now be the primary focus,” stated Tk’emlups as part of its update.  “Additionally, the radar and laser scanner ruled out the presence of utility lines and clay tiles in those locations.”

“Signatures that resemble burials were found in some areas,” added the Band in its analysis.  “Some areas were ruled out as burials, while others cannot confidently be ruled out.”

Tk’emlups points to Catholic Church, multiple First Nations for delays

While the Band says progress into its Le Estcwicwéy̓ investigation is making headway, Tk’emlups is also citing two different areas as reasons for delays in making a final determination on its 2021 claim of bodies buried on the former Residential School site.

This includes the multiple communities involved with the investigation, as at any given time, there were children from over three-dozen different First Nations who would have been at the school at one point or another during its 88 years of operation from 1890 to 1978.

“We have a responsibility to work with and honour all 38 Indigenous nations in 119 communities across BC,” stated Tk’emlups in its update.  “Each Nation upholds its own cultural and spiritual protocols for how ancestral remains must be treated.”

At the same time, Tk’emlups is also cautioning that those who are on the outside demanding answers to the original 2021 claims may never find full satisfaction.

“We also understand that full consensus may never be achieved,” said the Band.  “Possible future outcomes could be to preserve the orchard as a Sacred Site – a place of memory and healing – or excavate.” 

“Any remains would need to be repatriated to their home communities, an extremely complex and sensitive process involving extensive consultation with the Nations, DNA analysis, forensic expertise, and adherence to appropriate laws and protocols,” added Tk’emlups.

The other area Tk’emlups says is holding up the investigative work is access to the Catholic Church’s archives, as well as government records on a federal and provincial level.

Obtaining 88 years of government records and sacramental records from the Roman Catholic Church of Canada is critical to confirming the identities of the children who attended the school and those who never returned home, along with the community to which they belonged,” stated the Band.  “Our progress has been hindered by government restrictions on certain records and slow response.”

Allegations of a lack of access come despite Tk’emlups and the Catholic Arch Diocese of Vancouver signing a “Sacred Covenant” in March of 2024 to allow Band officials access to available records in the years the Arch Diocese oversaw the operation of the Kamloops Indian Residential School via the Kamloops Diocese.

While the update provided by Tk’emlups does suggest some headway into its multi-pronged probe, the leadership within the Band has decided that it will continue to dictate the narrative as far as the flow of information is concerned.

“No interviews will be granted at this time, and Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc will continue to provide updates as the investigation develops,” stated the Band [original bold] at the end of its Tuesday release to the media.