Ernest Vernon Whitehead stood in the prisoner’s box and nodded as he made his first court appearance.
Whitehead, 41, was charged with committing an indignity to human remains in connection with the investigation into the 2020 disappearance of 30-year-old Megan Gallagher. His case was adjourned until Monday to allow him time to speak to a lawyer.
Members of Gallagher’s family sat in the front row of the courtroom during Whitehead’s appearance, some of them sobbing. While the appearance lasted only a few minutes, it brought a bit of relief to her family members, who have waited 21 agonizing months for answers.
Brian Gallagher hugs a supporter outside Saskatoon Provincial Court on June 2, 2022. (Brent Bosker/650 CKOM)
“The silence that has been killing us has been so devastating to so many people,” Megan’s father, Brian Gallagher, said outside Saskatoon Provincial Court on Thursday.
“There are so many families out there suffering the same reality. In many cases, theirs are far worse. We’ve got some answers; some people never get answers.”
The judge issued a no-contact order with Whitehead’s co-accused, John Wayne Sanderson, 44, Roderick William Sutherland, also 44, and Jessica Sutherland, 42. All of them are facing the same charge of indignity to human remains. None of the four are charged with murder or manslaughter, despite police treating the investigation as a homicide.
Sanderson and Jessica Sutherland are still wanted by police, but Roderick Sutherland was arrested by RCMP officers Wednesday night in Prince Albert, thanks to a tip from the public. He is slated to appear in court Friday morning.
“Lives are not disposable,” Brian said. “I don’t understand; I don’t comprehend most of it. What force causes someone to take another life?”
“Tell us where she is,” pleaded Megan’s stepmother Debbie Gallagher, after being asked by reporters what she would say to Whitehead.
Police began treating Megan’s death as a murder in the months after her disappearance. Police later released an audio recording of a call allegedly made from Gallagher’s phone requesting a cab ride on Sept. 21, 2020. Officers confirmed the people who made the call were picked up by a taxi and dropped off on Avenue P South.
Megan’s picture has been featured on posters and billboards for the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement.
Megan Michelle Gallagher was last seen leaving a friend’s house in Saskatoon on Sept. 19, 2020.
(Facebook)
“We don’t want any more children going missing. We don’t want other families to have to experience this,” Brian said.
“The reality is, if you know something and you don’t speak up, that’s what you’re allowing to happen … Please come forward. Don’t let fear and other things get in your way. Just share it, please. You hold the power.”
While they know nothing is going to bring Megan back, the Gallaghers said they hope no other family has to experience what they have gone through.
“That’s the reality of what we’re living and that’s the reality of what withholding information is doing. It’s keeping us from having that little bit of resolution,” Brian said.
“I was looking for pictures the other day and I realized my whole life, I didn’t take enough pictures. I didn’t take any voice recordings. I wanted to hear her voice, and I couldn’t.”
Megan’s sister started a journey of her own in February, in honour of her sister. Lindsey Bishop began a cross-Canada walk this year in support of families like hers.
Saskatoon’s Major Crime Unit is still investigating the disappearance, and police urged anyone with information about the case or the three people still wanted to contact the Saskatoon Police Service or Crime Stoppers.
