Woman in burned in PA vehicle identified by family

By Susan McNeil

The woman who died in a burned vehicle in Prince Albert on the weekend has been identified by her family as Melissa Rabbitskin.

Rabbitskin was a mother and a good person, said her cousin Laura Rabbitskin, but she became addicted to painkillers after being in a vehicle accident.

“She was kind, she tried to help out when she can, but she lost herself to the street life. But she was still loved for who she is. She still had a family that loved her,” said Rabbitskin. “She didn’t deserve to die the way she did.”

In addition to losing her sister in the car accident, Melissa had lost her mother and spent a traumatizing week in the wilderness over a decade ago, stuck in a vehicle with two children and no food.

She had been travelling with her cousin Kerry Canepotatoe when they became stuck on a remote road in a spring snowstorm. Multiple calls to 911 resulted in only one call reaching a dispatcher and no emergency response.

Canepotatoe decided to walk for help and made it about 70 kilometres before perishing.

The pain that came from her car accident resulted in an addiction, then that turned to harder drugs when she could no longer get prescriptions.

“It wasn’t that she just started out of nowhere. With all her pain medication that she was in a really bad car accident where she lost her oldest sister,” said Laura.

As a youth, Melissa avoided drugs but needed pain medication after multiple surgeries.

“I don’t think that was her intention to do that but, once you’re there, it’s hard to get out and no one can judge her on that,” said Laura. “It’s nobody’s place to judge anybody.”

When she died, Melissa was living on the streets of Prince Albert, sleeping in a tent but for her family, she was a loved one that brought value to their lives.

Despite that, Laura said that Melissa would still work on occasion, cleaning houses for people to get some money.

Melissa’s body will be taken home to Big River First Nation for burial, likely this coming weekend where she will be buried next to her sister.

Laura said family members have been kept up to date by Prince Albert Police on the ongoing investigation and they have received very strong support from Victim Services and the Mobile Crisis Unit.