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Leo Payash, 8 - Red Lake, Ontario - July 1, 1957


A young boy with short hair looks directly at the camera with a neutral expression. The background is blurry with dappled light and foliage.
Leo Payash, born in 1949, was only 8 years old when he went missing with his mother Cecilia

On July 1, 1957, 47-year-old Cecilia Payash, and her eight-year-old son, Leo Payash, were last seen walking along the railway line from Red Lake to Morgan, Ontario. They have not been seen or heard from since. Some sources specifically state they were walking on Red Lake Road in Red Lake, Ontario. To clear up any confusion, Red Lake Road (today called Highway 105) runs from the town of Red Lake, in the north, to the community of Vermilion Bay in the south. The community of Red Lake Road, near Vermilion Bay, is named for the road.

Satellite map of Northwestern Ontario showing Red Lake circled in blue. Key locations and highways are labeled in white and yellow.
Red Lake, Ontario is located at the northern end of Red Lake Road (now known as Highway 105)

From comments made on social media by family and schoolmates, I learned that Leo was the youngest child in his family and that he attended St. Mary's Residential School in Kenora, Ontario.

People and children outside a large brick school building, on a grassy area. They are in uniform, possibly playing or gathering.
St. Mary's Residential School - Kenora, Ontario
A person wearing a hat and light clothing looks directly at the camera. The image is black and white, with a blurred, textured background.
Cecilia Payash, born in 1910, would be 115 if still alive today

The following information has not been confirmed but some sources have stated, with comments on social media supporting, that the reason Cecilia and Leo were walking that day was to seek medical attention for Leo. It is said that he had an eye infection so severe his left eye was swollen shut. These same sources say Cecilia had $30 in her purse, equivalent to $333 today - indicating her intent was to secure medical treatment.


Did Leo ever receive that medical treatment?


If you have information on this case, please contact any of the following:

  1. Dryden OPP OPP ONCMPUR 1-877-934-6363; 1-705-330-4144; opp.isb.resolve@opp.caReference Case#: RM05006562

  2. Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) or online at https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tipCrime Stoppers provides anonymous tipping

  3. Send email to the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains at: canadasmissing-disparuscanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

REFERENCES

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