Many questions remain over the circumstances surrounding the death of a Red Deer man, and his mother believes she may never get answers.
Darryll Daniels was found dead in Waskasoo Creek on Nov. 11, 2015. He was last seen a month earlier when police tried to stop a vehicle he was driving near where his body was found.
“I miss him, I really, really miss him,” said Marjorie, Darryl’s mother. “It’s quite emotional. You wait for years for answers and in your heart you know he couldn’t have drowned.”
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team cleared officers of any wrongdoing in Darryll’s death on Tuesday. ASIRT had been investigating since the body was found.
“I know Darryll could have swam that creek without drowning,” said Marjorie, adding the autopsy said drowning was the cause of death.
She said ASIRT was respectful with how they handled the investigation. “They did the best could with what they had to work with.”
Daniels’ body was found on Nov. 11, 2015 in Waskasoo Creek near the intersection of Taylor Drive and 32nd Street. He was last seen alive on Oct. 6, 2015. Marjorie searched the woods near Highland Green and Riverside Meadows looking for Darryll. On Oct. 21, Red Deer RCMP issued a missing person press release looking for Darryll.
On Oct. 6, 2015, Mounties used a spike belt to stop a vehicle driven by Daniels. He fled into the woods near 32nd Street. Police began pursuing him on foot, but he eluded arrest. According to ASIRT, police officers searched the area where the man was last seen, even using a police dog, but could not locate him.
Marjorie has set up a small memorial to Darryll near where his body was found. Cloth, flowers and letters adorn a tree in remembrance of Darryll, and his brother Gordon who was killed in car crash in 2017 near Lamont.
“I’m relieved this part is done,” she said. “I asked ASIRT, ‘please don’t tell me anything but the truth,’ I believe with the report they gave me they did the best they could.”
However, a fatality inquiry is still on the horizon. These inquiries look into the circumstances and gives judges the responsibility to make recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
“I’m still left with a lot of questions,” said Daniels. “I guess we will never know. At this point I’m putting it in the creator’s hands. We can’t bring Darryll back, we can’t ask him any questions. He knew what really went on.”
mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com
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