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Darkcast Diversion: Hand Off My Podcast
39 Plays2 months ago
Hey happy Friday and Happy Spooky Season!! This week we are taking time to bank some episodes, watch some Horror movies for our special Patreon Halloween Movie Mash-up (Is that a good name? lol) and catch up so we can come back next week and be ready to do that Monster Mash!!
So here's a sister show from the hella good Darkcast Network, Hands Off My Podcast, a true crime podcast hosted by Jasmine Castillo. It's the story of Colten Pratt who went missing in Winnipeg, Manitoba, so of course a Canadian case hits close to our hearts.
Hope you enjoy, check out the show, and see you back next week for vampire lore!!
Love you all!!
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Hands Off' and its mission
00:00:00
Speaker
Hola, my beautiful humans. This is Jasmine Castillo, and I bring stories and cases from the people of color community, bringing awareness of murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls to spirits, the LGBTQ community, Asian American Pacific Islander, Black Indigenous people of color. These are their stories. So welcome to Hands Off, my podcast.
Commitment to LGBTQ and Two-Spirit Awareness
00:01:08
Speaker
So even though to- today is the last day of Pride Month, don't think that I'm going to stop right there. Like I mentioned to my listeners, I will continue on bringing awareness to the LGBTQ2 spirits and all my brothers, sisters, and non-binaries in the people of color community. So let's get into it.
00:01:31
Speaker
Here's a little bit of history in regards to Two-Spirit. In the 1970s, queer indigenous people began organizing around the indigenous identities and cultures. This is a way that they reclaimed their traditions, and this was their response to erasure and racism that was against the queer community. In 87, the queer indigenous people were part of the Second National March.
00:01:56
Speaker
the March to Washington for the Lesbian and Gay Rights. This was also around a time that AIDS pandemic was growing and the criminalization of sex between two consenting men in the USA. It became more aware that the queer people of color, they found themselves on the margins of this movement and how it was devastating the Indigenous community.
00:02:17
Speaker
In the summer of 88, this was considered the first formal gathering and it was called the Basket and the Bow. This was a time that the two-spirited people across the Turtle Island came together from USA to Canada to the Minneapolis, Minnesota, American Indian Center. And since then, all people across the Turtle Island come together every alternate year.
00:02:43
Speaker
The
Cultural Significance of Two-Spirit Terminology
00:02:44
Speaker
term Two-Spirit did not become official until 1990, and North America Native Gay and Lesbian Gathering was held in Manitoba, was actually introduced by Fisher River Cree Nation Elder Myra Laramie. This doctor, through a vision of hers prior to the gathering, shared her vision the ability to be neutral through the lens of having both a feminine spirit and masculine spirit within one's body. And what Dr. Laramie said, quote, it is sacred and it is more than just words. It is spirit-heart language. When two-spirit is used, it invokes our sacredness and reminds us that we have always been here and we will always be here.
00:03:37
Speaker
As a result, with Two-Spirit comes a great responsibility to those who use it as we walk and work in sacred way with and in for our people." and too-spirited which described a wide variety of nation-specific genders and sexualities. So, in part, an effort to reclaim tradition, Indigenous people sought to find a word or phrase that originated from the Indigenous community, and this was to replace the colonial term, which I will not say.
00:04:10
Speaker
It was frequently used by anthropologists and non-Indigenous persons throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. And of course, this term was considered, and still is, a derogatory, and it is quite offensive to the Indigenous people. Although this term varies between Indigenous languages, but this describes the third and fourth genders as well as homosexual people.
00:04:35
Speaker
It can also be used as a wide range for nation-specific genders and sexualities. The use of this term by people who are not indigenous is considered cultural appropriation.
Indigenous Homicide Statistics in Canada
00:04:50
Speaker
Even though this story is about the celebration of two-spirit people of the Indigenous community, I would like to direct you to the Queer Events Education. This website provides individuals, companies, and organizations with the insight tools and understanding to create environments that are two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer plus inclusive. They provide consulting, training, and custom education services for organizations as well as individual. Another special conversation that I like to hold with my listeners is that not only am I talking about two-spirited persons of the Indigenous community,
00:05:34
Speaker
I would also honour MMIMB, which stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Men and Boys, based on a website that holds statistics of Canada. This is a national statistical office of Canada and it was updated in July of 2021. Homicide rate for Indigenous people are seven times higher than for non-Indigenous people. At the time of this story taking place, the e-information that was from the statistics Canada documented that 745 Indigenous female homicide victims and 17,150 Indigenous male homicide victims. That's 14 and 17% of all male and female homicide victims in Canada. What brings it to more reality?
00:06:28
Speaker
that in Canada between 1982 and 2011, 15,000 total murders took place. And out of those, 2,500 of them were murdered Indigenous people. And let me ask you if you know the percentage were considered men out of the 2,500. I'll give you a moment.
00:06:52
Speaker
give up? 71% of that 2,500 were men. Almost two-thirds of Indigenous homicide victims were identified by police as First Nations, 62%, while 4% were identified as Métis and 9% as Inuit. The Indigenous group was not identified for 24% of all Indigenous homicide victims.
00:07:17
Speaker
So what can you do to honor and celebrate missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys? Well, we can honor missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys on Father's Day or also reflecting and honoring on November 19th, which is actually the International Men Day. And of course,
00:07:40
Speaker
Knowing that the month of November is filled with remembrance of missing and murdered Indigenous people and celebrating, educating, and supporting the Native American Heritage Month.
Introducing Colton Pratt
00:08:14
Speaker
Colton was born in Calgary, Alberta, and his parents are Lydia and Purnell Pratt. This is Colton Pratt's story. Lydia's from the Long Plain First Nation, and his late father Purnell was from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, Manitoba. He grew up in Winnipeg,
00:08:36
Speaker
Brandon, and Long Plain First a Nation. A little history on Long Plain First Nation from the Long Plain First Nation website. They are a proud Ojibwe and Dakota community in the Central Plains region of Manitoba situated on a land based on 10,800 acres.
00:08:55
Speaker
Long Plain is comprised of a main reserve and urban economic zones situated along the city limits of Portage le Prairie and in the city of Winnipeg resulting from treaty land in entitlement under a 2011 settlement. Current members of Long Plain First Nation is over 4,600 between three reserves equating to 64 square miles or, like mentioned, 10,800 acres.
00:09:25
Speaker
His family was filled with many aunties, uncles, cousins from all sides of the family, as well as an extended family from the Sioux Valley, Brandon, Swanlink, Turtle Mountain, and Winnipeg. Colton had three sisters and one brother.
00:09:45
Speaker
One of the things that I really enjoyed reading on is the beautiful family that he has, the bond that he has between him and his sister Jocelyn. He was very fond and kindly considered to her and children with special needs. His family gave him the name the Skyman from the Bear Clan.
00:10:08
Speaker
Colton is a jibwe in Dakota and comes from a praying spiritual Anishinaabe, tradition and Christian family. Just reading about his personality just makes me glow. From what his family says he was funny, he loves a good joke, he always wanted to have fun and is famous for his laugh. Colton loves music and he loves to sing karaoke, which is one of the things that I enjoyed myself.
00:10:35
Speaker
and actually she won a few singing contests having a wonderful voice just like his dad. Colton was outgoing, cheerful, intelligent, friendly, just a wonderful person to be around. Colton was a person who loved film study and had volunteered at various events. He always surrounded himself with native music giants in the industry.
00:11:00
Speaker
I would definitely love to meet him someday but at this point that I am recording he is currently missing.
Details of Colton Pratt's Disappearance
00:11:07
Speaker
Colton is considered to spirit and he had let his family know for a few years and accepted and loved him unconditionally.
00:11:15
Speaker
And while growing up was happy and content child, but one that has always dealt with bullying and cruelness because of his sexuality, there was times that he had to deal with constant negative experiences in high school at the Portage La Prairie by his peers because he was two-spirited. And like I mentioned before, it is extremely hard to find any information on missing and murdered Indigenous people.
00:11:43
Speaker
specifically two-spirited persons. Eventually I did find a timeline and unfortunately it's very short but please bear with me because it is imperative that we know as much information as possible to bring him home. So on November 6th 2014 around 9 30 pm Colton was at a hotel called the Marlboro Hotel downtown Winnipeg at one night. He was to believe from what I have read in articles that he was at the bar at the Marlboro Hotel in downtown Winnipeg on the night he disappeared and may have gone to another hotel with a woman and a photo. And the photo I mean is apparently
00:12:26
Speaker
Colton used his cell phone to send a picture of himself to his mother on the night he disappeared, and in that photo was a woman still currently unknown, and this cell phone was later found.
00:12:42
Speaker
Downtown, no Colton. The family was trying to identify the woman that also appeared in this photo that might have clues to his whereabouts. Colton's cousin has posted this photo on Facebook, sharing it nearly a thousand times.
00:13:00
Speaker
and no one has come up or responded on who this woman is. While at the bar inside the hotel, he was seen talking to this unknown woman and at this point hasn't been questioned. I will place this picture in the show notes. After this encounter with the woman, he was alone and heading towards Ellis Avenue. Police previously released photos that were taken from a surveillance video at a liquor store near that location.
00:13:27
Speaker
on Friday, November 7, 2014, around 12.20 to 12.40 a.m. Colton was possibly sitting at a bus station on Main Street in the north end of Winnipeg around that time. A security camera footage from that bus station does show a man that looks similar to Colton as two other individuals approached him and who have not been identified. This actual footage hasn't been released and this bus station was about 37 minutes on foot from that hotel.
Family's Search and Awareness Campaign
00:14:01
Speaker
This is the last footage of Colton and he just disappeared.
00:14:26
Speaker
Knowing in my heart as a mother, you always seem to feel like there's something off, especially she when your children stay in contact with you. And I know that Lydia had felt a stir in her heart, that something was amiss. And because of that, she began to search and to reach out and to find anyone in whomever who was able to help her find her son Colton.
00:14:52
Speaker
She reached out to the Winnipeg Police Department and began the search immediately the following day. Friends and family gathered downtown, passing out flyers on November 8, 2014, the following day of him missing. And as time went by, one year, two years, the third anniversary,
00:15:15
Speaker
The Daniels, at this point, were not even sure if the investigators are investigating her son's disappearance as a missing person or a homicide, just based on how much time had passed. At some point every day, Lydia cries out for her boy, Colton. And as more time passes, the fear begins to sink in. They had spent the last eight years not knowing where her son has gone and what had happened to him. And while Lydia talks about her son's disappearance, it is so difficult because sometimes you continue to open up those old wounds. She is so hoping that one day someone will come forward with any information to finally give her closure to the answers that would give her some peace of mind.
00:16:11
Speaker
And as she continues her search, she would love to have people focus on her son's disappearance and hope that more people will start to focus on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys in Canada. So in January of 2016,
00:16:29
Speaker
Lydia created the project called the Necktie Campaign. This raises awareness for the missing men and boys. While there's awareness campaigns for women who have vanished, which includes the red ribbons, for missing and murdered Indigenous women, there wasn't anything for missing men.
00:16:49
Speaker
So early in January, she and her friends attached men's neckties to the bridges of Long Plain Reserve and around the hydro poles in downtown Winnipeg. Her and her supporters placed nearly 100 ties. She even placed ties around the bus station, the last place Colton was seen.
00:17:12
Speaker
Lydia stated, quote, we chose the tie because we feel that it symbolizes the ties that bind us to our children, to our missing men, and it connects us to each other, end quote. One of the other things that the Daniels family were able to do with the partnership of Canadian Center for Children Protection and the Pattison signs, they were able to display signs in Winnipeg On April of this year, Colton's Facebook page was updated with Jacqueline and Lydia. They provided an update that recently had a meeting face to face in regards to Colton's filing with the Winnipeg Police Service.
00:17:57
Speaker
believing that they were going to receive an update of suspects or any other additional information in regards to his disappearance. And unfortunately, the police service is in the process of suspending the case because they do not have any current evidence or proof, and they have exhausted all in the investigation of Colton's disappearance. They believe that if there is a any information out there that somebody knows something on what happened to Colton,
00:18:27
Speaker
In a video, Jacqueline, Colton's aunt, had mentioned that there are moments of suspended grief. Suspended grief is not being able to put an end to grief. It's hard to function through the day. It's hard to live life and they have dealt with other losses in their family. This one especially is hitting them hard and to have the constant lingering of suspended grief because of the disappearance of Colton.
00:18:56
Speaker
Let this family have their peace. They are asking you to come forward with the truth and they pray for you to come forward. Only that person and the creator knows what has happened to Colton. They want to give him a proper burial, a goodbye ceremony. Please
Family Appeals and Case Challenges
00:19:14
Speaker
let the family have that. Even if you have to reach out to me, anonymous, I know it's weighing on your heart heavily.
00:19:23
Speaker
Whoever knows something, let the family have peace. Do not carry this burden. Please tell the family where they can find Colton so he can be buried in the tradition. Jocelyn is one of Colton's sisters. Jocelyn loves music, loves taking pictures, and enjoys making videos. She took it upon herself to create a video in dedicating to Colton, pleading for him to come home.
00:19:51
Speaker
She created this video for her brother, telling him that she misses him so much, she loves him, and she actually created a song that she sang throughout the video while there was moments of her crying, saying that her brother is gone and that she misses him very much, and to have him come home.
00:20:11
Speaker
Jocelyn has Down syndrome, and she and Colton are about a year apart, and due to her challenge, Colton and her are basically grew up as twins. They were very close and shared a lot of fun, mischief, and laughter. The Daniels family had this to say, quote, we always have hope that he's going to walk in the door.
00:20:35
Speaker
But holding that hope is what makes this never go away for us." end
00:21:01
Speaker
So here are my theories on what might have happened. So here's my question. Are there any updates on a person of interest or possibly someone identifying who the unknown woman is in the picture?
00:21:16
Speaker
Unfortunately no. 2015 there was an old news story that has continued to circulate as new information it isn't. This person that was identified a long time ago and for now there is nothing new to report. Colton's status remains unsolved and he remains a missing person based on the Winnipeg police, missing persons unit.
00:21:40
Speaker
Another question is what happened to the person that reached out on the tip or has there been any other more people contacting law enforcement on Colton's disappearance? From what I know, based on what Jacqueline and Lydia identified in the Facebook video, they did have someone reach out to them a while ago.
00:21:58
Speaker
However, it panned out that that person had misinformation on what had happened to Colton. There was actually even a comment on Facebook that there was a person out there that did know Colton's whereabouts, but she was afraid for herself. And what became of that, and I'm thinking to myself, is that the same person that reached out with the misinformation? More questions than answers.
00:22:23
Speaker
Another question is, were the buses running that late at night, early morning in Winnipeg? So if Colton was at the bus shelter or bus station at that time, buses run from 6am until past midnight. And unfortunately a lot of weird stuff goes on down in those areas, especially around the bus shelters at night, when people know buses won't be going by and there won't be people there waiting for the next bus.
00:22:51
Speaker
And even though the Winnipeg identified that the regular services are generally running between 6am until past midnight, these bus routes don't operate 7 days a week. Another question is, have the police released images of the people they think were accompanying him? Could they have also been staying in the Marble Hotel?
00:23:14
Speaker
At the Marble Hotel, if you look it up, it has quite a mixed review. Based on some sources and but from what I've read with other persons who are familiar with that area, that some people do stay overnight as traveling guests, discover to become long-term residents, and possibly live under some sort of government subsidy.
00:23:39
Speaker
So in conclusion, from what I've been able to find, the police have not released the descriptions of the two people that were seen with him at the bus shelter. I believe that information is going to be staying quite close to the chest with the Winnipeg Police Service.
Final Plea for Information and Support
00:23:57
Speaker
and if you want to have a far reach of an explanation or possibility, would these people possibly be staying at the hotel? Based on some more information on comments on people who've gone to the hotel or live in the area, the Marlboro is a little bit sketchy area yet it's pretty close to the Bell MTS place which is where the hockey and concert arena is located and there's a lot of shady stuff that goes down in that area
00:24:47
Speaker
Here is a description of Colton Pratt. At the time of his disappearance, he was 26 years old, born August 13, 1988, went missing November 6, 2014, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
00:25:03
Speaker
He is 5'10", a First Nations descent Ojibwe originally from Long Plain First Nation. He weighs approximately 160 pounds, has short brown hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing a brown plaid jacket, a gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and a gray toque, which is a hat. Behind each ear, he has a star tattoo.
00:25:31
Speaker
Almost eight years of English for Colton's family. His mother, his aunt, his brother, and sisters. All they want is closure. All they want is to give Colton the proper goodbye ceremony to whoever you are to come forward no matter the smallest detail of information.
00:25:50
Speaker
Colton's family is very concerned for his safety. If you have any information regarding his disappearance, please contact MissingKids.ca at or Winnipeg Police Service at 204-986-6222. I will have all this information in the show notes.
00:26:24
Speaker
Thank you for listening to Hands Off My Podcast. If you are enjoying the podcast and you'd like to support the mission, I do have a Patreon membership that will help the cause and bring more detail on cases and stories from the People of Color community.
00:26:39
Speaker
If you yourself has a lost loved one, or a story suggestion, please don't hesitate to contact me at email. Hands off my podcast at gmail dot.com. And if you are only able to support in another way, please give this podcast a 5-star rating on Apple or Spotify, and continue to listen to upcoming episodes every Thursday, wherever you listen to your podcast. Dios tambidega.