A well-known Canadian author has admitted her guilt after being accused of abducting her son and faking their deaths.

Dawn Walker, a prominent indigenous woman hailing from Saskatchewan, was reported missing during the summer of 2022, triggering a widely publicized search effort to locate her.

Approximately two weeks later, she was discovered safe in the state of Oregon, USA, along with her son.

Walker, aged 49, has explained that her disappearance was driven by her need to escape a situation of domestic violence.

Subsequently, law enforcement pressed charges against her, encompassing nine offenses, such as parental abduction, identity fraud, and the forging of a passport.

Initially, she had entered a plea of not guilty in the case. However, on Thursday, Walker altered her plea and acknowledged her guilt for three charges in a Saskatoon court: parental abduction in violation of a custody order, possession of a counterfeit document, and the creation of a fraudulent passport.

Both her legal counsel and the prosecuting team have jointly requested a 12-month conditional sentence from the judge, which would entail her serving time within the community, followed by an 18-month probation period.

Judge Brad Mitchell now faces the task of determining the final sentence.

Walker was initially reported missing by Saskatoon Police on 24 July 2022. At the time, officers said she was last seen two days prior on 22 July.

They had said that her Ford F-150 and some of her belongings were found at Chief White Park in Saskatchewan, fuelling fears that Walker and her child had been harmed.

After a two-week search, which included probing the South Saskatchewan River, police announced on 5 August 2022 that Walker had been found safe with her child more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away in Oregon City.

They had tracked her by following bank transactions for gas, food, Netflix, and Airbnb rentals.

US authorities arrested Walker and charged her with two counts of identity theft - one a felony and one a misdemeanor.

She was then handed over to Canadian authorities, where she faced additional charges, while her US case was put on hold. Walker was also temporarily jailed, and her child was removed from her care.

In a court application earlier this year obtained by the BBC, Walker said she was a victim of domestic and intimate partner violence, and that Saskatchewan authorities have not protected her.

At the time, Walker released a statement to the media through a friend, saying that she "was left with no choice. No one heard me," and she apologized to anyone who was hurt.

"I am fighting systems that continuously fail to protect me as an Indigenous woman and protect non-Indigenous men," she added.

She added that she fled "due to her honest belief that her child faced grievous imminent harm", and that her disappearance was the "final, most desperate attempt in a long series of fruitless bids" to seek protection from the authorities.

Saskatoon police had said that previous allegations made by Walker were "thoroughly investigated" and no charges were laid.

She was released on bail, with a trial that was scheduled to start on 20 November and last until January 2024 before her guilty plea.

Her case has received considerable attention and support from other writers and indigenous advocates, who say that her story is a reflection of systemic failures facing women of color in the Canadian legal system.

Ms Walker had also obtained one of Canada's most high-profile lawyers - Marie Henein - to defend her.

In an earlier statement to the media, Ms. Henein reiterated that her client has sought out help from Saskatchewan authorities numerous times, "but the system failed her like it has so many others".

"Dawn's voice will not be silenced," she added.

atoluwash:

A well-known Canadian author has admitted her guilt after being accused of abducting her son and faking their deaths.

Dawn Walker, a prominent indigenous woman hailing from Saskatchewan, was reported missing during the summer of 2022, triggering a widely publicized search effort to locate her.

Approximately two weeks later, she was discovered safe in the state of Oregon, USA, along with her son.

Walker, aged 49, has explained that her disappearance was driven by her need to escape a situation of domestic violence.

Subsequently, law enforcement pressed charges against her, encompassing nine offenses, such as parental abduction, identity fraud, and the forging of a passport.

Initially, she had entered a plea of not guilty in the case. However, on Thursday, Walker altered her plea and acknowledged her guilt for three charges in a Saskatoon court: parental abduction in violation of a custody order, possession of a counterfeit document, and the creation of a fraudulent passport.

Both her legal counsel and the prosecuting team have jointly requested a 12-month conditional sentence from the judge, which would entail her serving time within the community, followed by an 18-month probation period.

Judge Brad Mitchell now faces the task of determining the final sentence.

Walker was initially reported missing by Saskatoon Police on 24 July 2022. At the time, officers said she was last seen two days prior on 22 July.

They had said that her Ford F-150 and some of her belongings were found at Chief White Park in Saskatchewan, fuelling fears that Walker and her child had been harmed.

After a two-week search, which included probing the South Saskatchewan River, police announced on 5 August 2022 that Walker had been found safe with her child more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away in Oregon City.

They had tracked her by following bank transactions for gas, food, Netflix, and Airbnb rentals.

US authorities arrested Walker and charged her with two counts of identity theft - one a felony and one a misdemeanor.

She was then handed over to Canadian authorities, where she faced additional charges, while her US case was put on hold. Walker was also temporarily jailed, and her child was removed from her care.

In a court application earlier this year obtained by the BBC, Walker said she was a victim of domestic and intimate partner violence, and that Saskatchewan authorities have not protected her.

At the time, Walker released a statement to the media through a friend, saying that she "was left with no choice. No one heard me," and she apologized to anyone who was hurt.

"I am fighting systems that continuously fail to protect me as an Indigenous woman and protect non-Indigenous men," she added.

She added that she fled "due to her honest belief that her child faced grievous imminent harm", and that her disappearance was the "final, most desperate attempt in a long series of fruitless bids" to seek protection from the authorities.

Saskatoon police had said that previous allegations made by Walker were "thoroughly investigated" and no charges were laid.

She was released on bail, with a trial that was scheduled to start on 20 November and last until January 2024 before her guilty plea.

Her case has received considerable attention and support from other writers and indigenous advocates, who say that her story is a reflection of systemic failures facing women of color in the Canadian legal system.

Ms Walker had also obtained one of Canada's most high-profile lawyers - Marie Henein - to defend her.

In an earlier statement to the media, Ms. Henein reiterated that her client has sought out help from Saskatchewan authorities numerous times, "but the system failed her like it has so many others".

"Dawn's voice will not be silenced," she added.

how on earth would someone even fake her own death?

Too bad