the Disappearance of Joshua Saulteaux: A Million-Dollar Win, Then Silence

When 25-year-old Joshua Francis Saulteaux scratched his way to a million-dollar lottery win, it should have marked the start of something bright. Instead, just a few weeks later, he vanished from his community in northern Alberta — leaving behind an RV spattered with blood and a family that’s been searching ever since.

Saulteaux, from White Fish Lake First Nation, used part of his winnings to buy the RV and parked it outside his mother’s home near Boyne Lake, roughly 180 kilometers northeast of Edmonton. He told his mother he was worried people were after him. The next day, May 5, he was gone.

When relatives came looking the following morning, they found the RV empty. Blood covered parts of the trailer, but there was no sign of Joshua. His phone — which held his banking details — had been hidden inside the house. His uncle, Francis Morin, immediately joined the search and has been looking ever since.

“It’s more of a curse than a blessing,” Morin told reporters. “We just want him back, even if he’s deceased. We want to lay him to rest.”

A Community in Limbo

The discovery set off a wave of concern across White Fish Lake First Nation. Locals and family organized ground searches, combing the area around the home for days. RCMP eventually joined in, conducting air searches, drone sweeps, and bringing in cadaver dogs. More than 60 people have been interviewed, some even taking polygraph tests. Still, investigators say they’ve found nothing to confirm — or dismiss — the possibility of foul play.

Cpl. Mathew Howell with the Alberta RCMP said officers have seized property, run forensic tests, and followed up on every lead. “This investigation is important, and it is still open,” Howell said. “We are still actively looking for this young man.”

At the same time, the family feels the search has lost urgency. Morin says RCMP didn’t come to inspect the RV until more than two days after Joshua was first reported missing. “After a week or so, it seemed like it didn’t really matter to them,” he said.

Fear and Unanswered Questions

Joshua’s uncle doesn’t believe his disappearance was tied to gangs or debts. He thinks his nephew may have trusted the wrong people after his sudden windfall. “After his lottery win, people started to come around him,” Morin recalled. “On the night he went missing, he went into my mom’s home and said, ‘They’re coming for me.’”

Police haven’t ruled out that Joshua may have walked away voluntarily, though temperatures dropped to freezing the night he disappeared — making that scenario unlikely. As months pass, hope is hard to hang onto. “The longer the time goes on, the more hope is taken from you,” Morin said.

For his family, the uncertainty is what hurts most. “He was a young man with a good heart,” Morin said. “He would take my nieces and nephews out shopping, take them to movies. He’s not just a missing person — he’s loved.”

The Search Continues

Despite the exhaustive efforts, there’s still no trace of Joshua Francis Saulteaux. His family believes someone in the community knows more than they’re saying, and they’re pleading for information.

RCMP urge anyone with tips to contact Goodfish Lake RCMP at 1-780-645-8888 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.