The last time Patrick Lucas saw his son was the week before Christmas in 2017.
“We skated, we gave him all these Christmas presents,” Lucas said. “I remember his laughter and his smile. His laughter was so contagious. The beautiful little smile. He was such a happy boy. A really happy boy.”
Less than three months later, Lucas Dontay’s six-year-old son was dead.
Dontei, a native of Heschiacht, was found in medical trouble at a home in Port Alberni on March 13, 2018, and was taken to hospital but did not survive.
On Friday, more than four years after the boy was killed, Dontay’s mother, Rachel Frank, and her partner, Mitchell Frank, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Until then, there were no arrests in the case.
“When I got the news, I immediately cried,” Lucas said.
Patrick Lucas, the father of a six-year-old boy who died in 2018, spoke to reporters after a police press conference on May 9, 2022 (Kathryn Marlow / CBC)
“My boy is … free”
Lucas says that while he is pleased with the outcome of the investigation, the arrests have taken too long.
Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth tribal council, of which she is part of the first Hesquiaht nation, said people in the community are aware of the situation and are increasingly frustrated with the legal process.
“These two have managed to live their lives and do what they want for the last four years,” she said.
Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-cha-nult tribal council, said it took too long to arrest the case. (Catherine Marlowe / CBC)
Sayers is pressuring investigators and politicians to speed up the process and get answers as to why it took so long.
Port Alberni RCMP Const. Richard Jones said investigators took the time to gather evidence, watch hours of video, talk to dozens of witnesses and review cell phone data.
Sergeant Clayton Weibe said the amount of material collected was “huge” and the Royal Crown’s lawyer also had to review it, which took time.
“I sympathize with the Lucas family,” Weibe said. “I understand that four years is a long time. Television makes murders seem very easy. In fact, they are not. Four years is a long time to wait for answers. And unfortunately, these things are just very complicated.”
Sergeant Clayton Weibe, left, and Patrick Lucas update the media on the arrests of Dontey Lucas’ death in 2018, pictured behind them. (Catherine Marlowe / CBC)
Sayers says she would like to see more staff hired in the area and in Victoria so she can conduct these types of investigations faster.
Although the accused has yet to be tried, Lucas says he is relieved that his son can finally “fly free”.
“It’s time for real healing to really begin,” he said. “I believe that justice has really been done now, my boy is actually allowed to rest in peace. He is free.
Dontey-Patrick Lucas with his father Patrick Lucas in this undated photo. (Submitted by Patrick Lucas)
Dontay was one of Lucas’ 10 children, and he said that Dontay’s siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles missed him every day.
“There’s not a day that I don’t think about him. There’s a lot of stress, a lot of frustration, so much anger,” Dontay’s aunt, Melissa Lucas, told the CBC.
Rachel and Mitchell Frank are due to appear in court on Wednesday, according to the RCMP.
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