Advertisement

Megan Gallagher's family gathers at court for appearance of man charged with unlawful confinement, assault

The family of Megan Gallagher, a missing 30-year-old from Saskatoon, gathered at Saskatoon provincial court Friday morning for the appearance of a man accused of unlawful confinement and aggravated assault in relation to her disappearance. (Dayne Patterson/CBC - image credit)
The family of Megan Gallagher, a missing 30-year-old from Saskatoon, gathered at Saskatoon provincial court Friday morning for the appearance of a man accused of unlawful confinement and aggravated assault in relation to her disappearance. (Dayne Patterson/CBC - image credit)

A dozen people sat in Saskatoon provincial court Friday morning wearing sweaters with a picture of a missing 30-year-old Saskatoon mother emblazoned on the back.

The family of Megan Gallagher, who was last seen September 2020, gathered for the appearance of Robin Tyler John, 34, who is accused of unlawful confinement and aggravated assault against Gallagher.

He is one of eight people facing charges related to Gallagher's disappearance, which range from committing an indignity to human remains to first-degree murder.

After John's case was adjourned, the group of people wiped their eyes and shared hugs outside the courthouse.

"We're all together, we're all missing Megan. We weren't a very big family and they had no right to steal her," said Wendy Sekulich, Gallagher's aunt, outside the Saskatoon provincial courthouse.

"So far we're at eight charges against one female. We don't even want to go to visit what her last hours might have been at the hands of those people."

She said the ongoing situation has left the family devastated, lost, heartbroken and angry.

"I feel really numb right now," Sekulich said.

"Megan was not theirs to take and Megan was not theirs to keep. She is ours, and how dare they."

Dayne Patterson/CBC
Dayne Patterson/CBC

John had been serving a sentence for an unrelated crime at a correctional facility on the Beardy's and Okemasis's Cree Nation, and has now been transferred to a cell in Saskatoon.

Sekulich is frustrated with the justice system, saying it's not there for the victims, noting that John has a previous conviction for impaired driving causing death.

The trial judge remanded John to federal custody until Oct. 6. John said he would procure a defence lawyer by then.

The judge also enacted a no-contact order with the other seven accused in Gallagher's case.

Sekulich wants those responsible for Gallagher's disappearance to be held accountable, saying she hopes they "rot in jail."

Family awaiting identity of human remains

Gallagher was last seen leaving her friend's house in Saskatoon on Sept. 19, 2020. Her family has been searching for answers to her whereabouts ever since. Two of the eight people now charged in connection with her disappearance face first-degree murder charges.

Late Thursday afternoon, Saskatoon police announced they had found human remains while searching for Gallagher.

Police had planned a four-day search along the South Saskatchewan River, but found human remains at about 2:30 p.m. CST on the first day while examining an area near St. Louis, a village about 100 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

Megan's father, Brian Gallagher, and her stepmother, Debbie Gallagher, weren't at court on Friday and, in an email, asked for space in the developing situation.

Sekulich said they were at the area where the human remains were found Friday morning.

Police are unsure of the identity of the remains. But "somebody is going to get closure for their family member," Sekulich said, adding it was too hard to discuss how she would feel if the remains are identified to be those of Gallagher.