Missing Sask. mushroom picker found dead

Lois Chartrand went missing on Aug 4, 2022 while picking mushrooms in northeastern Saskatchewan. (RCMP)

The search for a missing 74-year-old woman lost in the forest northeast of Smeaton, Sask. ended after her body was discovered Sunday.

The family of Lois Chartrand confirmed to CTV News the woman's body was found Sunday afternoon, approximately one kilometre from the RCMP mobile command centre.

RCMP say Chartrand was last seen around 11 a.m. on Aug. 4 when she left a quad trail to go pick mushrooms in the forest. Chartrand and her friend had two-way radios with them but lost sight of each other.

RCMP mobilized a search for Chartrand the day she went missing. The last contact they had with her on the two-way radio was around 6 a.m. on Aug. 5.

RCMP believe she survived one night alone in the forest but a search team was unable to locate her.

Chartrand was from White Fox. She went missing in a densely forested area 32 kilometres northeast of Smeaton, near the Hanson Lake Road.

Her husband Lorne Terry says Chartrand was an experienced picker and familiar with the area where she went missing.

The couple received an income from picking mushrooms, fiddleheads and wild berries.

The family says they are grateful to everyone who assisted in the 11-day search.

Saskatchewan RCMP say several police K9 teams, Alberta RCMP/ helicopter air support and the Saskatoon Police Service and air support assisted in the search. As well as the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV) Civilian Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) and Heli Recon.

“We also thank community members and Lois’s loved ones, who – despite the stressful circumstances – ensured all searchers were fed and supported,” an RCMP news release said.

Several volunteers from the nearby community helped search the forest. Local businesses and people also donated food and supplies to support the search efforts.