Saskatchewan RCMP say the number of homicides in their jurisdiction has dropped in the first half of 2025, following a record-breaking year for violent deaths.
Between January 1 and July 15 of this year, RCMP reported 13 homicide files involving 13 victims. That’s down sharply from the 23 cases reported over the same period in 2024.
“We never stop trying to solve these cases because the victims deserve justice and their loved ones deserve answers,” said Insp. Ashley St. Germaine, Senior Investigative Officer with the RCMP Major Crimes Branch.
"In some cases, the passage of time allows police to revisit a file with fresh eyes and apply new investigative techniques.”
Of the 13 homicides this year, four remain under investigation. The other nine have been cleared.
But the relief comes on the heels of a grim record. In all of 2024, Saskatchewan RCMP reported 39 homicide files with 41 victims — the highest total ever for their jurisdiction. It marked a 26 per cent increase in cases and a 32 per cent rise in victims compared to 2023. Only the year 2022 saw more deaths, due in part to a mass casualty event that year.
Here’s how the past five years compare:
- 2020: 31 files, 32 victims
- 2021: 31 files, 35 victims
- 2022: 33 files, 43 victims (including mass casualty victims)
- 2023: 31 files, 31 victims
- 2024: 39 files, 41 victims
- 2025 (Jan 1 – July 15): 13 files, 13 victims
The RCMP’s homicide clearance rate over the past decade is 85 per cent, well above the national average of 72 per cent between 2020 and 2024. That means most investigations ultimately lead to charges or other resolution.
However, St. Germaine cautioned that the numbers only reflect cases in RCMP jurisdiction — not homicides investigated by municipal forces. The totals also exclude suspicious deaths that were later deemed non-criminal, or cases where the person responsible was found to be non-culpable.
Two of the 2025 cases involved five victims in total and were investigated with the assistance of the File Hills First Nations Police Service. Those cases are now closed.
The RCMP emphasized that even long-dormant files remain open and are periodically reviewed.
“We use all resources, techniques, and avenues available,” said St. Germaine. “Cases that aren’t solved continue to be actively and diligently worked on.”
Community-specific information and comparative national data are available on the RCMP’s crime statistics portal and through Statistics Canada’s official site.