Miles Sanderson had been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and breaking and entering a residence, police said Monday. The brothers’ deaths conclude a sweeping manhunt for the two suspects and leave victims, loved ones and law enforcement baffled by several key questions that remain unanswered — most notably, what was the motive? In response to a reporter’s question about whether Miles killed the 10 victims, Blackmore said, “Our evidence that we received indicated that Miles Sanderson was responsible,” though she noted that the investigation is still working to confirm exactly who was involved. . While a fuller picture of the violent attacks has been assembled, there is still little clarity about the suspects’ relationships with the victims or the circumstances surrounding their deaths. With both suspects dead, those details may never be fully discovered, investigators say. The stabbing spree left 10 dead and 18 injured. All but one of the victims are members of the James Smith Cree Nation, authorities said. One of the dead was from the nearby town of Weldon. Leaders of the James Smith Cree Nation declared a state of emergency Sunday in response to the attacks, and police issued emergency alerts urging people in Saskatchewan and the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta to take precautions, including sheltering in some communities. Although the hunt for the suspects is over, investigators’ work is far from over as the massive crime scene spans more than a dozen locations and loved ones are still searching for answers as they now look to recover from the tragedy Here are the key questions that still remain.
What was the motive for the attacks?
Police said some of the victims appeared to be targeted while others were random, but it was not yet clear why the attacks took place.
“Unfortunately now that Miles is dead, we may never understand that motive,” Blackmore said Wednesday. He did not say Damien Sanderson was no longer a suspect in the attacks.
Miles Sanderson had a long criminal record and had multiple warrants out for his arrest before the stabbings, police said. He was granted statutory parole by the Parole Board of Canada in a February 2022 decision.
The decision, provided to CNN by the Parole Board of Canada, said the board determined Sanderson “would not present an unreasonable risk to society” if released. The decision noted that a psychologist assessed him as a “moderate risk of violence.”
Police confirmed Monday that Miles Sanderson stopped meeting with his parole officer in May, a violation of his parole conditions.
What are the circumstances under which the suspects died?
With the brothers no longer living, “we may not know how some things turned out,” Blackmore said, responding to a reporter’s question about how Damien Sanderson died.
The day after the stabbings, Damien Sanderson was found dead in an area of heavy grass near a home on the James Smith Cree Nation, Blackmore previously said. His injuries did not appear to be self-inflicted, he said.
Investigators said they are working to determine if Miles Sanderson may have been involved in his brother’s death.
After Damien’s death, Miles Sanderson was on the run for two more days until police received a 911 call that led to his arrest.
Around 2:00 p.m., a breaking and entering was reported near the town of Wakaw, which is about 60 miles southeast of the James Smith Cree Nation, police said. Officers received information that Sanderson was standing outside a home in the area armed with a knife, police said. The report said he may have been injured, according to Blackmore. Investigators believe he broke into a car earlier and stole a first aid kit, suggesting he needed medical attention, he added.
Sanderson stole a white Chevrolet pickup truck and fled the property, leaving the homeowner unharmed, according to authorities.
Following an emergency alert to the public, police said they received more than 20 calls in less than an hour reporting possible sightings of the stolen truck.
At about 3:30 p.m., the truck was spotted on the 11 Freeway, prompting a vehicle pursuit that ended when the car “went off the road and into a nearby ditch,” Blackmore said in a statement. Sanderson, who was in the truck, was arrested and a knife was found in the vehicle, he said.
Shortly after being taken into custody, Sanderson suffered “medical distress” and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Blackmore said. He did not provide further details about the cause of his death.
An independent investigation will be conducted into the death in custody and autopsies will be conducted on both brothers, he said.
Did the suspects know the victims?
Investigators are still working to determine what relationship, if any, the suspects had to the victims, most of whom were from the same small ethnic community, authorities said.
Now that the Sanderson brothers can no longer cause harm, Blackmore said she hopes the victims’ loved ones can turn to the difficult process of recovery.
“I hope this brings them a sense of closure that they can rest easy tonight knowing that Myles Sanderson is no longer a threat to them,” he said. “It’s going to be a very long and extensive process (of healing) for these individuals. Some of them have witnessed incredible trauma.”
The 10 victims were identified by police and the Saskatchewan Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday. They ranged in age from 23 to 78 years old.
Many of the victims have the same last name, though officials declined to confirm whether they are related. Six of the victims have the last name Burns, two have the last name Head and one has the last name of the two suspects in the attacks.
The victims were identified as:
Thomas Burns, 23 Carol Burns, 46 Gregory Burns, 28 Lydia Gloria Burns, 61 Bonnie Burns, 48 Earl Burns, 66 Lana Head, 49 Christian Head, 54 Robert Sanderson, 49 Wesley Peterson, 78
All of the victims are from the James Smith Cree Nation, except for Peterson, who is from Weldon, authorities said.
About 1,800 members live on the reservation, and the nation has a total population of about 3,400, according to its website.
At a news conference held by the families of some of the victims Wednesday, Saskatoon Tribal Chief Mark Arcand identified Bonnie Burns as his sister and Gregory Burns as her son, and said another son was stabbed but survived.
“Our family members, they would like us to move on, they would like us to heal, but to never forget and bring love to your hearts,” Arcand said.
First responder Lydia Gloria Burns was killed while responding to an emergency call on Sunday, her brother Darryl Burns told Reuters. The agency did not say whether the call was related to the stabbings.
“She was butchered,” her brother Ivor Burns told Reuters.
As of Wednesday afternoon, two of the surviving victims were in hospital in critical condition, eight were in stable condition and seven others had been discharged, the Saskatchewan health authority confirmed.
A young teenager was among the 18 injured, authorities said, although they would not release the names of the surviving victims.
Teele Rebane, Jamiel Lynch, Michelle Watson, Cara Lynn Clarkson, Amir Vera, Andi Babineau, Jessica Prater, Tina Burnside, Eric Levenson, Nouran Salahieh and Paula Newton contributed to this CNN report.
