Mother of teen killed in northern Ontario First Nation walks to end violence

A mother from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake) First Nation in northern Ontario is walking to honour her teenaged son who died this week.

Joshua Nanokeesic, 16, died on Monday after being flown out of the community, for medical treatment, on April 24 when police found him badly beaten at a home in the remote First Nation, about 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

His mother, Roseann Thomas, said she joined a 400 kilometre healing walk started by her brother to raise awareness about the impact of violence in Kitchenuhmaykoosib.

"He was an outgoing kid," Thomas said of her son. "He didn't cause any trouble."

Three other teens, aged 19, 18 and 16, were charged with aggravated assault the day after the incident in Kitchenuhmaykoosib. Police said on Friday it is now being investigated as a homicide.

Nanokeesic was taken into care by a child welfare agency when he was only eight months old. 

"We lost track of him when he was seven and didn't find him again until he was 14," she said.

The teen was located in southern Ontario and came home to live in Kitchenuhmaykoosib about two months ago, Thomas said. He worked briefly at the school, where she works, and was "mostly staying at home" waiting to be enrolled in a distance education program.

After the beating in April, Nanokeesic was flown to hospital in Thunder Bay. Thomas said he was transferred to Sioux Lookout hospital on Saturday to be closer to friends and family after "doctors couldn't do anything anymore."

Nanokeesic's uncle started the violence awareness walk in Thunder Bay with plans to walk to Sioux Lookout. On Friday the group was in Ignace, Ont. about 150 kilometres from their destination.