‘Searchers’ Reveals True Stories Behind Sask Search & Rescue Missions

A new TV show is examining the world of search and rescue operations from an Indigenous perspective.

‘Searchers’ is a new docu-drama series on APTN that immerses viewers in real-life search and rescue missions through re-enactments and interviews with those who lived through the experience of searching for a lost individual.

“I want to show people the world of search and rescue, that there’s people that you can call upon who put their bodies on the line to help others,” said Cory Generoux, co-writer and director of Searchers.

“We want to bring compassion and understanding to (search and rescue), that missing persons aren’t just a face on a poster. They have families that love them. They play roles in the community. When making this show, we make sure to never lose sight of that.”

The 13-episode series, which premiered on January 7, takes viewers deep inside the experiences of each Saskatchewan-based rescue. Generoux and his team interviewed searchers, family and community members, and sometimes, the survivors themselves, on the harrowing experiences of a search and rescue mission.

“I approached this like a sacred act,” said Generoux.

“You’re talking to families about what might be the darkest time in their lives. You’re dealing with the possibility that the missing person might not be walking this earth anymore – that’s a sacred thing and we make sure we approach it in the most sensitive way possible.”

Generoux, a member of Sturgeon Lake First Nation, is trained in search and rescue, and has been on several searches in his southern Saskatchewan chapter. It’s something he found great fulfillment in, he said. So, when the opportunity arose to help bring Searchers to life, he knew his first-hand experience would prove invaluable in producing the show in a considered, sensitive way.

“I’ve been hunting since I was nine years-old, I’m used to being out in the bush. Being able to understand the difficulties of navigating the bush, you begin to understand how to translate those skills for looking for someone,” he said.

Generoux said that out of respect for the families, the crew wouldn’t go back to the exact locations where the searches took place, but rather choose locations that looked similar.

And as many of the searches were steeped in culture, with smudging, drums, and prayers playing a key part of the search process, Generoux would find ways to re-create cultural components without actually engaging in a sacred ceremony.

“Our crew would have a prayer before every shoot to remind people that these are representations of real life experiences. So we never lose sight of what occurred – these are human beings who are loved,” he said.

Search and rescue stories explored in Searchers include the tragic story of Ashley Krestianson, an 8-year old girl from Tisdale who went missing in a nearby wood in the 1990s. At the time, the RCMP did not have an official search and rescue division, but rather a few officers who decided to take it on.

Publicity of the missing girl sparked hundreds to join the RCMP search, including the military, universities, and volunteers from all over the country. It remains one of Canada’s largest search operations. Krestianson’s body was found 30 days after she went missing.

However, the search resulted in the RCMP officially formulating a search and rescue division.

“We interviewed the people who started it all. It’s a very compelling story,” said Generoux. “Every story has something special to it.”

While each story concerns missing persons of all backgrounds, the show is rooted in Indigenous perspectives. Generoux said Indigenous knowledge and connection to the land is an integral part of each search, as well as producing the show.

“Our Indigenous people, with very intimate knowledge of the land, play a very important role in (search and rescue). Because of our culture, living off the land, understanding the land, one of the things we heard was – it’s one thing to know the land, but the land needs to know you,” said Generoux.

“Every episode features our ability to be out on the land. I make sure the land itself is a character.”

Generoux said he hopes the show prompts more people to consider joining a search and rescue team in their area. Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV) has 19 member chapters in communities across the province.

“We need people more than ever now, it seems,” said Generoux. “With Indigenous searchers, the more people we have who understand, who are trained, the easier it will be for both the searchers and families to bring that loved one home.”

‘Searchers’ airs Wednesday nights at 9:00PM on APTN, or available on-demand at APTN+.