TRENTON, Canada

An investigation into unmarked graves and missing children at four sites in Canada has confirmed at least 158 deaths and also uncovered more unmarked burial sites, the Indigenous Sto:lo First Nation said at a press conference Thursday.

Researchers for the Sto:lo First Nation said an archival investigation at three former residential schools and an Indigenous hospital in southwestern British Columbia (B.C.) revealed that most of the children died from disease, others from accidents and some from unknown causes.

The investigation began after ground penetrating radar unearthed what was suspected to be 200 graves at a former Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C. in May 2021. In December 2021, the Sto:lo Nation, which represents 11 Sto:lo communities, then announced a plan to search three former residential school sites and the Coqualeetza Indian Hospital.

At the press conference, Sto:lo researcher Amber Kostuchenko said information was still being compiled and around 70,000 documents – about half of what is needed – have been collected to show what happened to some of the missing, the Vancouver Sun reported.

The deaths date back to the opening of St. Mary’s School in 1863. The Nation said of those, 96 died in hospital, many from tuberculosis that ran rampant at many of Canada’s roughly 131 Indian Residential Schools. The schools were established across the country beginning in the 1830s with the goal of destroying Indigenous culture by forcing Indian children to attend the boarding schools and instilling in them white culture.

Records show that many children were badly mistreated, suffering sexual, physical and emotional abuse, and were buried in unmarked graves, sometimes without notifying parents of what happened to their children. Many of the schools were run by the Roman Catholic Church. The last of the schools closed in the 1990s.

Lead researcher David Schaepe said Thursday that Sto:lo survivors of the schools spoke of atrocities committed, including sexual abuse, secret burials and starvation.​​​​​​​

The grounds searched were the St. Mary’s Residential School, the Coqualeetza Industrial Institute/Residential School, the All Hallows School and that of the Indian hospital.