Emergency alerts sounded again.  A helicopter and drones flew overhead.  A regular armored vehicle arrived at the scene, passing through a checkpoint where the journalists were.  Shortly after, police vehicles left the scene and Miles Sanderson remained at large 48 hours after the knife attacks.
	“We didn’t hesitate,” Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commander of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said of the investigation, which bypassed standard police practice of verifying information. 
	“We felt that the risk to individuals, if it was actually there, outweighed the benefit of (holding) that information closely to make it more reliable.”
	Residents of a community already grieving the loss of so many were left in limbo as another lead on a suspect appeared to go cold.
	“People are going to have that sense of nervousness until Miles Sanderson is located and taken into custody, and understandably so,” Blackmore said. 
	“A lot of these people… have seen things, and probably been attacked themselves. Things that no person should have to see or deal with.”
	Sanderson, 32, is one of those charged in the weekend stabbings at various locations on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon, where 10 men and women were killed and 18 injured. 
	Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said late Monday afternoon that based on new information, his agency no longer believes Sanderson may be in his community.  Police had reported a possible sighting in the city over the weekend of a vehicle driven by Sanderson and his brother.
	Blackmore encourages the public to report anything that looks out of place, as police follow up on all tips.
	“As the hours go by and the days go by here, I don’t want people to get complacent … because we haven’t seen any casualties since … Sunday,” Blackmore said.  “We certainly don’t want people to think there’s no danger out there.”
	RCMP said Sanderson’s brother, Damien Sanderson, who was also a suspect in the killings, was found dead Monday in a grassy area not far from one of the crime scenes.  Police said they do not believe he took his own life and are investigating whether Miles Sanderson was involved in his brother’s death.
	More victims were identified on Tuesday.
	The Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans Association confirmed Earl Burns’ death in a Facebook message, saying he was a veteran of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. 
	His sister confirmed his death in a statement to the news website paNow in Prince Albert.  Deborah McLean told the report that her brother died protecting his family and that his wife is in intensive care.
	The Saskatchewan health authority said 10 of the injured victims remained in hospital Tuesday, three of them in critical condition.
	The prairie-wide search has left other communities worried. 
	The Piapot First Nation, 45 kilometers northeast of Regina, urged residents to be vigilant.
	“Do not let strangers into your homes or answer the door for anyone you do not know. Please keep all windows and doors locked,” community leaders wrote in a safety alert posted online Tuesday.
	Leaders of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations have issued an appeal to find Miles Sanderson, pleading with anyone who knows his whereabouts to come forward to help end the manhunt without further loss of life.
	One former Mountie said the vast open spaces of the prairies could complicate any manhunt.
	“This is a huge area, and there’s not too much of anything,” said retired RCMP officer Sherry Benson-Podolchuk.  “There are many places people can hide.”
	Benson-Podolchuk noted that police monitor roads entering and exiting neighboring provinces.
	“The suspects are not going to go on the (main) streets. If they can take a side street or a dirt road or a dirt road somewhere, they will,” Benson-Podolchuk said.
	Parole documents show Miles Sanderson has a criminal record spanning nearly two decades, which included convictions for assault, assault with a weapon, assault on a peace officer and robbery.  The parole board said he was prone to violence when drunk.
	“Your criminal history is very troubling, including the use of violence and weapons related to your index offences, and your history of domestic violence,” said the document obtained by The Canadian Press.
	Sanderson was granted statutory release from prison in August 2021, but it was revoked about four months later because the board said he failed to communicate with his supervisor. 
	In the document, the council said it had decided to reinstate his statutory release with a reprimand and said Sanderson “will not present an unreasonable risk to society”.
	In May, a Crime Stoppers notice was issued for Sanderson, warning that he was unlawfully at large.
	Damien Sanderson has been facing assault charges since June, according to court documents obtained by The Canadian Press on Tuesday.
	The Mounties have not said what motivated the attacks.  Police believe some victims were targeted, but others were chosen at random. 
	People in the region have rallied around the victims and affected communities.
	An online fundraising effort has been launched for the victims and their families on the James Smith Cree Nation.  It had raised more than $104,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
	A community garden organization near Prince Albert posted on social media that it is sending produce to the First Nation for a wake and other gatherings in the coming days.
	“We will be peeling carrots, cucumbers and potatoes to send out for the wakes. If you can help pick, peel or cut, we need a few extra hands,” read the post on Jessy’s Garden’s Facebook page.
	In nearby Melfort, Sask., Monday night, the Mustangs Junior A hockey team observed a moment of silence for the victims ahead of their preseason game against the Nipawin Hawks.
	Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and First Nations leaders observed a moment of silence Tuesday at the opening of a hockey complex on Big River First Nation, about 180 kilometers from where the stabbings took place.  
	“Those of you who have friends and family in the community of James Smith or Weldon, or are affected in any way, please know that the whole heart of this province is with you and your family this weekend and in the weeks and months ahead Moe said.  .
	This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 6, 2022.