Police say more arrests coming as Gallagher search begins

The search for Megan Gallagher began Thursday near the village of St. Louis, but police are far from finished with the investigation into the 30-year-old woman’s disappearance and death.

At the time of the Thursday morning news conference giving details about the search, seven people had been charged in the Gallagher investigation — four with committing an indignity to human remains, one with assault and unlawful confinement, and two with first-degree murder.

Staff Sgt. Grant Obst with the Saskatoon Police Service said Thursday morning that he expects up to three more people to face charges. One of them, the eighth charged in the investigation, was announced later Thursday morning.

Robin Tyler John, a 34-year-old inmate at a correctional facility on Beardy’s and Okemasis’ Cree Nation, is also facing charges of aggravated assault and unlawful confinement. He was transferred to police detention in Saskatoon in advance of a court appearance scheduled for Friday, police said.

The search getting underway is “labour and resource intensive,” Obst said. More than 50 people will be helping with the search along the river and riverbank near the village.

In addition to officers from Saskatoon, the search will include the Saskatoon Fire Department, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, several Saskatchewan search and rescue personnel, Saskatchewan Highway Patrol, conservation officers, the Water Security Agency, and two specially trained dog teams from the Calgary Police Service.

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Ernie Walker will also be on scene, police said, along with members of Gallagher’s family.

Leading up to the search, Obst said significant preparation — including experiments to determine how the river might affect a body — was undertaken to pick out specific areas where Gallagher’s remains might be found. Obst said Walker and water experts were consulted in the process.

“If someone goes into the river and we don’t recover quickly, they could end up anywhere downstream,” Obst said.

The multi-year timeline and exposure to the elements are some of the challenges searchers will face. The difficult terrain will pose a challenge too, with dense brush and rocky ground that could make it harder to find the smaller pieces of evidence police are looking for.

“We have a two-year period of time that the river and the elements would’ve been affecting what we’re looking for today,” Obst shared.

The two areas identified for the St. Louis search are large and close to each other, and were specifically identified as the areas where police and search efforts would have the best chances of success.

There is no guarantee anything will be found, given that Gallagher disappeared more than two years ago. Obst is hopeful they’ll find something, however, which could perhaps bring some closure to Gallagher’s family.

Police form working theory about case

During the news conference Thursday, Obst offered a few more details about what police believe happened to Gallagher.

As the investigation is ongoing, Obst said not everything can be revealed.

“There’s things I can say and things I can’t,” Obst said. “I’d like to tell you as much as I can.”

Obst said the investigators’ working theory is that Gallagher was abducted, unlawfully confined, and killed in Saskatoon, then her remains were disposed of in the area where the search is now taking place. Police believe the St. Louis area was a random choice for disposing of Gallagher’s body, Obst said.

Previously, police said they believed there was a “minor” gang involved in the case. Now, Obst said, that angle is “becoming a little more significant.

“I don’t think it’s a case of her seeing something she shouldn’t have. As far as her involvement in the gang world, that’s still questionable,” he said.

While the past 10 days have seen significant developments in the Gallagher case, Obst said it’s important to remember that the investigation has been active and ongoing for the entire two-year period since Gallagher disappeared. He compared the investigation to a puzzle, where pieces were slowly identified and assembled.

“Once you have those pieces together, now you can start moving,” he said. “As investigators, nobody wanted to make any moves until they were sure they had … the pieces together.”

Gallagher family attends search area

Gallagher’s father and stepmother were in St. Louis on Thursday as the search began. They are not searching themselves, Obst said, and are not close to locations where any evidence might be uncovered.

He said the family held a cultural ceremony prior to the start of the search Thursday.

Obst said he could not express enough appreciation to the Gallagher family for working so closely with police over the past two years and for being so committed to the case. Obst said that dedication can be hard emotionally, and is rare to see in years-long homicide investigations.

Staff Sgt Grant Obst with major crimes spoke to media about the search beginning this morning in the St. Louis area in the Megan Gallagher investigation. The search is set to span four days and focus on two main areas, with the goal of evidence recovery and finding Megan. pic.twitter.com/1IC5pbtFKW

— Libby Giesbrecht (@GiesbrechtLibby) September 29, 2022