Danny Ballantyne was only nine years old when his father, Drew Ballantyne, disappeared. He said he has fond memories of playing basketball and soccer with his father.
“I liked how fun it was and I liked how we used to ride bikes,” Danny said. “I liked how he used to take me to the shops, buy me clothes and protect me from everything dangerous.”
Drew Ballantyne was 34 years old when he was last seen in June 2022.
His family is from Pelican Narrows, which is part of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in northeastern Saskatchewan. They made a 10-foot sign with two photos of Drew that sits in front of his home on 15th Street West in Prince Albert to encourage people to look for him.
“Bring my dad home. Don’t keep secrets from us and tell the truth,” Danny said.
Drew’s sister, Carmelita Ballantyne, said their mother, Loretta Ballantyne, led the search efforts, but died in October 2024 without knowing what happened to her son.
“My brother’s life matters, now it is hard that my mother is not here because she was the one who always worked on it,” said Carmelita.
He said they put up signs and talked to people in Prince Albert and other communities who might have seen Drew and have information.
“My mother never gave up hope of looking for my brother. We drove all over Prince Albert, within Prince Albert, Nipawin, Narrows Hill, La Ronge and Big River. Every tip we had, we sent to the police.”
The family said they have searched many back roads, following leads and searching for human remains.
“There’s a lot of stories we heard about how they got rid of him,” said Drew’s father, Roy Ballantyne.
Roy said he fears Drew may have been a victim of gang violence.
At the time of his disappearance, Drew was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for violating the conditions of his lawful release from federal prison.
Drew’s sister, Carol-Ann Ballantyne, said police did not take the family’s initial report seriously.
“‘He’s just on the run’ is what they said, because his probation was suspended, so they didn’t really care. The city police didn’t really care,” Carol-Ann said.
He said that on the night of June 28, 2022, he dropped Drew off at a home in the West Flat neighborhood of Prince Albert, in the 800 block of 14th Street West.
She said she waited up for him to call her to take her home, but he never called her. He had made plans to meet his mother at noon the next day, but she never showed up.
“I was the last one in my family to see my brother,” Carol-Ann said.
A family from Pelican Narrows, a community that is part of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in northeastern Saskatchewan, posted signs in Prince Albert and asked the public to report any tips to police. Drew Ballantyne, 34, was last seen in Saskatoon on June 30, 2022.
The Prince Albert Police Service said Drew was reported missing by the family on July 1, 2022.
“Through further investigation, we were able to identify that Drew had headed to Saskatoon and was last seen in Saskatoon on June 30. He was dropped off by a taxi in the 1400 block of Avenue D North,” said Insp. Lisa Simonson of the police service’s criminal investigation division.
He said the police service is actively investigating the disappearance and “remains committed” to finding answers for the family.
Police interviewed 23 witnesses and followed up on 22 leads, Simonson said. They analyzed his phone records, social media activity and banking records.
“We need the public’s help. If anyone has information regarding Drew’s disappearance, we encourage you to come forward, even if you have already spoken to police. You may remember some additional information that you did not initially share,” Simonson said.
Simonson said people can report tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Police described Ballantyne as five feet, 11 inches tall and 210 pounds, with brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair. Wear a ponytail or braid. He has tattoos on his body, neck and arms.
He was last seen wearing a black cap, a black Adidas tracksuit with white stripes and running shoes with red on top and a black Nike logo on the side.
The family hired a private investigator and said they believe people know what happened to Drew; they only need to report what they know.
“My mom always said, ‘Remember his face. Remember his smile. We miss him. He’s loved. He’s Drew,'” Carol-Ann said.
