Jonathan Uriah Molina, 3 - 29 October 1985 - White Bear First Nation, Saskatchewan
- Terynn Boulton
- Oct 28
- 4 min read
30 October 1985
At around 6:30 pm on October 30, 1985, a resident of White Bear First Nation saw smoke and went to investigate. He came across an active grass fire, and the burned out shell of a car nearby.
The car, a white 1980 Thunderbird, belonged to 39-year-old Maria Del Carmen Molina, a mother of two young boys, Jonathan, 3, and Benjamin, 2, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. RCMP Corporal Larry Edwards of Carlyle, Saskatchewan, says, "It appears the car got stuck in the swampy slough, overheated, and caught the grass on fire." Maria was no where to be found.
The Carlyle RCMP contacted the Winnipeg police for more information. According to them, her car was not reported stolen, nor had there been any insurance claims made on the vehicle. Maria was not wanted by law enforcement, and she had not been reported missing. Without a missing persons report or evidence of any wrongdoing, that was that.
Spring 1985
About six months after the discovery of Maria's car, hunters on White Bear First Nation stumbled upon a woman's jacket, a fashionable spiked-heel cowboy boot, and pieces of children's clothing. Two kilometers further into the forest, they found a set of car keys.
The hunters called the RCMP, who obtained the car keys and returned to the location Maria's car was found on October 30, 1985, to search again. About 100 yards from the car, officers found a suitcase and three garbage bags of clothing hidden in the bush. Inside the suitcase were Maria's camera and all of her identification, including her passport. The luggage had not been tampered with. The items of clothing the hunters had found, were further back in the bush, away from the highway.
Given this discovery, police re-opened the investigation. They learned that at 11:30 am, on October 29, 1985, Maria and her two young children, Jonathan and Benjamin, walked into a farm yard in Langbank, Saskatchewan. While Maria used the washroom, the boys sat quietly in the kitchen. As they were leaving, Maria asked the farmer's wife for milk for Benjamin's bottle, and also asked for directions to Vancouver, British Columbia.
According to Corporal Edwards, "Instead of turning left at the end of the farm road which would have taken her to the Trans Canada Highway, she turned right. Later that day, she turned up in Carlyle, Saskatchewan."
Maria, Benjamin, and Jonathan were last seen at 4:41 pm on October 29, 1985 at a gas station in Carlyle. The attendant remembers filling the tank and repairing a tire. According to police, the attendant also said, " A bus to Winnipeg had pulled into the station and the woman had asked how much it cost to take a bus to Vancouver. She was told it was more than the $13 she claimed she had. Then she asked how much it cost for a ticket to Regina." When the bus pulled out of the service station, the woman and her car were gone.
In June, believing Maria and her sons may have perished in the bush on White Bear First Nation, police drained the swamp where the car was abandoned, but found nothing.
In July, the Winnipeg Free Press ran a story quoting Maria's estranged common-law husband, 37-year-old Ralph Larry. Ralph told reporters he had last seen Maria during the early morning hours of October 28, 1985. According to him, she appeared disturbed and confused. Ralph also told reporters his last contact with Maria was a phone call. The Winnipeg Press quotes him as saying, "She said, 'I'll phone you right back.' She didn't say goodbye or anything. Those were the last words she said to me."
By the end of July 1986, investigators had more questions than answers as to the whereabouts of Maria Molina and her two sons, Benjamin and Jonathan. Why did she go to Carlyle? Why did she leave the highway and drive her car on a remote road on White Bear First Nation, 2 kilometers from the highway? Were the three of them still alive? Did she take her boys to Columbia? Maria had dual citizenship and travelled between Columbia and Canada often. She had moved from Columbia to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1974/1975.
1 October 1986
The skeletal remains of Maria Molina and one of her children were discovered on White Bear First Nation about 7 kilometers from Kenosee Lake, about 200 kilometers southeast of Regina. Maria was positively identified through dental records. RCMP can only presume the skeletal remains of the child found with Maria, are those of Benjamin. There is no evidence of a second child, but they presume he, Jonathan, is also deceased.
In a Leader Post, November 6, 1986 article, Corporal Edwards is quoted as saying, " There is nothing to indicate foul play. We can only assume they wandered into the bush and died of exposure. It is not a satisfactory way of closing a case. We are forced with a moral dilemma. We did an extensive search of the area where the bodies were found, but couldn't find any evidence of the other little boy. How long do we continue searching? I don't know if we will ever find his body."
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jonathan Uriah MOLINA please contact one of the following agencies:
F Division RCMP Historical Case Unit
(639) 625-4111 or Toll free 1-833-502-6861 • saskmissingpersons@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
If you wish to remain anonymous please contact
Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at:
1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
***There are no photos available of Benjamin or Jonathan Molina***
Comments