‘Did you see this handprint?’: Sask. sisters search for answers in mother’s death

WATCH: Two sisters from Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation are pushing for answers after their mother was found dead in a remote wooded area weeks after she went missing.

Iyesha and Lakeesha Ahenakew want to know what happened to their mom.

Michelle Ahenakew, 40, was found in a wooded area west of Victoire, Sask. on July 18. Her body was wrapped in a tarp and left near a quad trail, according to her daughters.

The discovery came more than a month after she was reported missing to RCMP in Ahtahkakoop, Sask. — located north of Saskatoon.

“I want the people who hurt her to be held responsible, the people who put her out there to be held responsible, the people who watched us search — and never said anything — to be held responsible,” Iyesha Ahenakew told CTV News.

The cause of death has not yet been released, as the family awaits results from the pathologist.

Bloody van and chunk of hair discovered on Big River First Nation, sisters say

Michelle Ahenakew was last seen on Big River First Nation on June 5, according to RCMP.

On June 14, while searching for their mom on the Big River First Nation, the sisters said they pointed investigators to a van with blood on it.

Once RCMP arrived to the scene, Iyesha Ahenakew said officers considered the blood could be from a dog.

“And I said, ‘Did you see this handprint on the door?’ They looked at it, and that’s when they made a call to major crimes,” she said.

The family also found what they believe to be a clump of their mother’s hair — a distinct orange-red colour — wrapped in a shirt outside a home where she was last seen.

“The ends were all frayed, kind of like it was ripped,” Iyesha Ahenakew said.

On June 16, Michelle Ahenakew’s disappearance was deemed suspicious, and the RCMP major crimes unit took over the case.

Lab tests are still pending to confirm whether the blood and hair belonged to Michelle Ahenakew.

In a statement to CTV News, RCMP said the major crimes unit continues to investigate.

“As this is an active and ongoing investigation, no further details can be released at this time,” a spokesperson said in an email.

Sisters push for change in missing Indigenous women cases

Michelle Ahenakew worked as a care assistant at a long-term care home in Canwood, Sask.

“My mom was such a funny, outgoing person,” Lakeesha Ahenakew said.

She would tease that her only son — their little brother — was her favourite.

“She always made sure to tell us that we were the best parts of her,” Iyesha Ahenakew said.

The Ahenakew sisters are entering their third year of education studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

“We have a pinning ceremony coming up in the fall. We were really looking forward to bringing her, having her in the audience, cheering for us — she would be the loudest one,” Iyesha Ahenakew said.

They hope their mother’s story will shed light on the growing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.

“The numbers keep climbing, and what is really being done?” Iyesha Ahenakew said.

“This is happening in our own communities, with our own people. We have leadership. We have resources. I want what happened to my mom to make a difference.”

Anyone with information about Michelle Ahenakew’s death should contact RCMP. The family is offering a $5,000 reward for any tip that leads to an arrest.