MOOSE FACTORY — A Moose Factory father has stepped up his efforts to uncover the truth behind his daughter’s death.
Robert Chum has enlisted the help of Ellen White, a private investigator and owner of Pulse Private Investigators based in Toronto, to look into the death of his daughter, Loni Chum.
In November 2023, Loni’s body was found on Jaban Street in Moose Factory, a remote island community in Northern Ontario.
Originally from the north, in university White worked in Moosonee, where she met members of the Chum family.
“Who would have known when I was a young kid working as a tour guide with these guys, that 40 years later, I would be looking into their relative's homicide,” White told TimminsToday.
White’s agency runs the Whereabouts Unknown initiative, which includes a Facebook page and podcast dedicated to helping families of missing people. The agency frequently handles cases in Northern Ontario.
“Our agency is a full-service, private investigation agency, so we do virtually everything, but we do always maintain about 25 pro bono files of missing persons and sadly, Indigenous people are numbered among the missing and at quite a high percentage,” she said.
Despite the challenges of investigating in remote areas, White said their Facebook page and tip line generate leads.
“With the post about Loni, we had people calling and texting into our 24/7 tip line pretty quickly, just letting us know what they had heard,” White said.
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James Bay OPP is the lead agency on the investigation, with support from the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS).
While private investigators and police do not share information due to legal restrictions, White said the tips she’s received consistently point to the same person or persons.
Moose Factory’s geography poses unique challenges.
It’s a remote island community on the southern end of James Bay. There is no bridge connecting the island to Moosonee, which is on the mainland across the Moose River.
The majority of access to the community is via boat in the summer and on the winter road when the river is frozen. When the water is freezing or thawing, there is no road access.
Loni was killed during the freeze-up and the only way to get to the island was by helicopter.
It's believed she was hit by a pick-up truck early on Nov. 7, 2023.
Two vehicles of interest have been identified.
“You can’t get a vehicle off that island when there’s no ice road unless you’re taking it off by helicopter,” she said.
“And certainly people in that very small, tightly knit community … would have noticed a helicopter. It didn't happen. That pick-up truck had to still be in the community in the days after Loni’s sad death. It didn't just vaporize.”
Chum told TimminsToday that shortly after Loni’s death, he contacted a local helicopter company to ask about recent trips from the island.
“There weren’t any of the suspicious names, the names that are being said. Which is shocking. I’m hearing more and more as time goes on,” he said.
“I was told there were a few of them in the vehicle, but I don’t know if that’s true or not. Details of what I’m hearing from the community, it’s bothersome.”
Chum is in regular contact with police but is frustrated with the pace of the investigation.
“I didn’t lose faith in OPP. I just lost faith in the system. How slow it is. It’s too slow for me. It’s too slow for our family,” he said.
Chum has tried to gather information on his own, revisiting the scene of his daughter’s death and speaking with community members.
“I just wish police would act on it. Be more aggressive with knocking down doors,” he said.
“I actually watched them knock on a person of interest’s door. They just knocked for a minute and just walked away.”
The Chum family continues to receive support from their First Nation community, which has set up a fund to help with counselling and other needs.
“I sat down with the kids, and I told them, when you guys are ready, we will go to counselling. We’ll start talking about all this,” Chum said.
The loss of Loni has deeply impacted the family. Chum’s grandson, River, often cries for his “aunty,” and Loni’s biological mother is struggling.
“We’re trying to help her but she doesn’t want the help right now. So, hopefully we’ll get her help before it’s too late,” he said.
White believes the case can be solved.
“I’m really hoping people will overcome the reluctance to speak to authorities about it,” she said.
She urged community members to share any information, no matter how small.
“We would like to hear everything, because somebody in that community might have a missing puzzle piece that we need, that Robert needs, that the police need,” White said.
For Chum, finding those responsible for Loni’s death would bring some degree of peace.
“It would give me closure for sure, but it’ll take me a long time to forgive after,” he said.
“Coming from a small community like Moose Factory, which I called my home all my life, only to have my daughter left dead on the road. That’s not human. That’s not right.”
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact Pulse Private Investigators’ tip line at 289-975-0909 or email [email protected].
