Calgary, Alberta — 12 years after an Airdrie father's death, his family continues to search for the person or people responsible.
Someone on an ATV discovered 37-year-old Erick Joseph Danis' body wrapped in a blanket in a field northeast of Calgary on April 22, 2011.
"He was just fun to be around," said Erick's sister, Manon Danis to Global News. "He had a great sense of humour, he was the joker of the family."
Manon said her brother became addicted to opioids and there would be long periods when she wouldn't hear from him. Danis was known to police at the time of his death and his family says they just want answers. "It's easy for everybody to say it was drug related, I'm not going to say it wasn't, but nevertheless, we need to know who what why where," said Manon.
"The doctors gave him medication and he got addicted fast, really fast," she said. "He went from doctor to doctor until he got flagged." Manon said she last spoke with her brother in November 2010.
"He called me and he was not making any sense at all. And I said to him, 'Erick, something's wrong with you.'"
Manon wouldn't learn about her brother's death until several months later when his body was discovered.
Investigators said that since Danis' death, they have interviewed several people of interest but have not yet zeroed in on a suspect.
"The RCMP feel that it's a very small circle of people who know exactly what happened to Erick," said Sgt. Jason Zazulak with the RCMP K-Division's serious crimes branch. The cause of death has not been released to the public in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.
"The very specifics of what the cause of death were would possibly be only known to a small number of people, and that could be significant evidence in the case," Zazulak said.
Erick left behind a daughter who was only two years old when he died.
"We didn't even have a celebration of life for Erick, we didn't have a funeral," Manon said. "This little girl is not going to know her father."
Manon is now working to help other families who are battling addiction and hopes that one day soon, Erick's killer will be brought to justice.
"No one deserves to die like that, his family [members] are now the victims, over and over and over."
Anyone with information that might assist police in investigating the circumstances of Erick Danis' death is asked to call the Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
