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Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild by Susanne Reber
A teen’s suspicious death, a shocking police cover-up and a mother’s search for the truth.
In 1990, on a November night that hit –28 degrees Celsius, seventeen-year-old Neil Stonechild disappeared only blocks from his mother’s home. His frozen body was found three days later, eight kilometres from where he was last seen in downtown Saskatoon. The police investigation was cursory — no one seemed to wonder about the abrasions on his wrists or the scrapes on his face, or the fact that he was missing a shoe. Neil was drunk and out walking, the police believed, and had died by misadventure. His mother, Stella Bignell, tried her best to push for answers, but no one in authority wanted to listen to a native woman whose sons had often been in trouble with the law.
But Stella did not give up, and neither did the only witness, sixteen-year-old Jason Roy, who had seen Neil, beaten and bleeding, in the back of a Saskatoon police cruiser the night he disappeared. Starlight Tour recounts their struggle for justice in the face of indifferent officials, destroyed police files and institutionalized racism. In the decade following Neil’s death, rumours persisted that police sometimes drove natives beyond the edge of town and abandoned them. But it was only in January 2000, when two more men were found frozen to death, that the truth about Neil Stonechild’s fate began to emerge. A third man, Darrell Night, survived his “starlight tour,” and lived to tell the tale. And soon one of the country’s most prominent aboriginal lawyers, Donald Worme, was on the case.
With exclusive co-operation from the Stonechild family, Worme, and other key players, and information not yet revealed in the press coverage, The Starlight Tour is an engrossing and damning portrait of rogue cops, racism, obstruction of justice and justice denied, not only to a boy and his mother but to the entire country’s native community.
In 1990, on a November night that hit –28 degrees Celsius, seventeen-year-old Neil Stonechild disappeared only blocks from his mother’s home. His frozen body was found three days later, eight kilometres from where he was last seen in downtown Saskatoon. The police investigation was cursory — no one seemed to wonder about the abrasions on his wrists or the scrapes on his face, or the fact that he was missing a shoe. Neil was drunk and out walking, the police believed, and had died by misadventure. His mother, Stella Bignell, tried her best to push for answers, but no one in authority wanted to listen to a native woman whose sons had often been in trouble with the law.
But Stella did not give up, and neither did the only witness, sixteen-year-old Jason Roy, who had seen Neil, beaten and bleeding, in the back of a Saskatoon police cruiser the night he disappeared. Starlight Tour recounts their struggle for justice in the face of indifferent officials, destroyed police files and institutionalized racism. In the decade following Neil’s death, rumours persisted that police sometimes drove natives beyond the edge of town and abandoned them. But it was only in January 2000, when two more men were found frozen to death, that the truth about Neil Stonechild’s fate began to emerge. A third man, Darrell Night, survived his “starlight tour,” and lived to tell the tale. And soon one of the country’s most prominent aboriginal lawyers, Donald Worme, was on the case.
With exclusive co-operation from the Stonechild family, Worme, and other key players, and information not yet revealed in the press coverage, The Starlight Tour is an engrossing and damning portrait of rogue cops, racism, obstruction of justice and justice denied, not only to a boy and his mother but to the entire country’s native community.
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First published November 8, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
May 15, 2019
His last image of Neil, angry and scared, looking at him out the back window as the cruiser headed south down Confederation, was never far from Jason's mind as he talked with Jarvis. Like most natives living in Saskatoon, Jason had heard about “starlight tours”, stories about Saskatoon police driving natives out of town and forcing them to walk back. He wondered if that's how Neil had gotten to the industrial area where he had died.
Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild, released in January of 2019, is the revised and updated version of a book originally published in 2005. I can't speak to just how necessary these revisions might be for the original text (although there were a couple of very interesting facts in the new epilogue), but anything that keeps this horrifying story of racism, abuse, and the stonewalling of a corrupt police force in the public discourse is vital and welcome in today's Canada. Thoroughly researched and squarely reported, I found this account to be equally engrossing and mortifying: Just how can this happen here? Deserves to be read widely.
On November 24, 1990, seventeen-year-old Neil Stonechild was out partying in Saskatoon, on what many described as the coldest night of the year. Separated from his friend Jason Roy, Neil was last seen alive in the back seat of a police cruiser – wearing handcuffs, bleeding from the nose, and screaming “They're going to kill me” – only to be discovered a few days later, frozen to death in a field at the city limits. After a perfunctory police investigation – what's one more drunk Indian succumbing to misadventure? – the Stonechild case was officially closed; but it never closed for the friends and family who knew that Neil would never have been walking out there in such thin clothing by his own volition.
In January of 2000, Indigenous man Darrell Night survived being dumped in the freezing cold at Saskatoon's city limits by police officers, and after eventually being convinced to come forward with his story, local media made the connection between Night's indisputable account and two recent freezing deaths of other Indigenous men. When the link was made back to Stonechild's death a decade earlier, the Saskatoon Police Services found themselves at the center of an external investigation by the RCMP.
One native man had brought the terror of the “starlight tour”, long considered urban folklore outside the native community, to the public's attention for the first time. The photos of Lawrence Wegner's frozen body lying face down on the snow-covered prairie sped instantly across wire services to media all over the world. Saskatoon achieved instant notoriety as the little Canadian city where police dumped native people like human trash.
The story that follows of the years-long investigation, interviews, and official Commission of Inquiry make for heartbreaking reading: at every turn, it would seem that the police officers involved either failed in their duties to serve and protect (when they weren't outright harming Indigenous peoples), and when the narrative reaches the commission stage, the courtroom drama is as enthralling as any work of fiction – but with so much more at stake with the loss of actual human lives and the offences to the dignity of Neil Stonechild's mother, family, and friends. The big blue wall in Saskatoon wasn't going to go down without a fight.
Was it going to be as simple as that, Worme thought to himself as he listened. Just a matter of saying that Neil was GOA on November 24, to deny any knowledge about the boy's disappearance and death and to say they could not remember associating the discovery of his body with the call to Snowberry Downs? Worme felt his anger and cynicism build as he thought through the strange mathematics in a commission of inquiry that made denying and forgetting add up to nothing happened.
I understand that authors Susanne Reber and Robert Renaud wrote Starlight Tour from a certain point-of-view: although no one can actually prove that Neil Stonechild was dumped at the city limits, where he later froze to death, by Constables Brad Senger and Larry Hartwig, the preponderance of evidence suggests that that's exactly what happened; the Commissioner of the Inquiry, The Honourable Mr. Justice David H. Wright, concluded as much in his findings, and the authors present this narrative from that perspective. I find that to be a fair viewpoint, and although the officers never faced criminal proceedings for their actions, I agree with the assessment of Neil Stonechild's mother, Stella Stonechild Bignell: “They'll have to pay eventually, they will. Whoever did this. We all have to answer to one God – they're going to have to die, too, one day. When you answer to God, you can't take a lawyer with you. No lawyers where they're going.” May it be so.
June 7, 2019
Misinformation comes from what we have not been told. This book tells us much about racism and hatred turning to indifference. It informs us about the assumed superiority of whites. The dismantling of racism is surely in the best interest of everyone. Where does this much hatred come from? How can one human leave another human to freeze to death? This book is a tough but necessary read. Starlight tours are not an urban legend. Please read this and become informed.
March 11, 2019
This is a heartbreaking account of racism in Canada. Being Canadian myself it can be easy to vilanize that US and forget Canda's deep rooted systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples. Starlight tour accounts the horrific police practice of Starlight tours that claimed the life of Neil Stonechild (Starlight tour = police taking an indigenous individual into custody if they are deemed to be causing a disturbance and dropping them on the outskirts of town to leave them to walk back into town, often in the middle of winter in freezing temperatures). I live two hours away from the city this took place in and have visited it more times than I can count and I'm horrified that I am just now learning of this tragedy and stories similar to it. This is an extremely important book in addressing and educating people about the racism that is extremely evident in Saskatchewan culture and society. Something that I highly recommend to Canadians and others unaware of this case read.
November 7, 2021
I have to give this book five stars because I have not been able to stop thinking about it since the first page. Probably one of my top reads of the year. I just had no idea how much there was to the story of Neil Stonechild and the starlight tours.
My interest was piqued when I read the chapter about this case in Indian Ernie. It seemed that Loutitt didn't think very highly of this book but I guess that made me want to read it more, haha.
It was exceptionally well-written and easy to follow. It appears to be extremely well-researched and thorough. I recognize that all authors have a perspective/bias and the perspective/bias in this case was that it is very likely the Saskatoon Police were covering something up and perhaps responsible for Stonechild's death. While it has not ever been established that this is a definitively true fact, the evidence was compelling enough for the RCMP and Stonechild Inquiry commissioner to conclude that something shady happened along those lines. Even if the SPS is completely innocent, it's pretty clear that they dug their own grave by doing a laughably terrible investigation, actively refusing multiple opportunities to reopen the case, and treating the family members like trash, while taking every opportunity to behave as if they had something to hide. (There is another book that claims to tell the "true facts" from the police's side, and I considered reading it but after perusing its website the author comes across as a conspiracy theorist, victim blamer, and apologist for all the terrible activities it was definitively proven that the police engaged in, so I have no desire to hear "the other side" of the story if that is the tone it takes - perhaps that's my own bias but I'll admit that.)
I had to go back and re-read the Neil Stonechild chapter in Indian Ernie too. A good point he makes that wasn't really covered in this book, perhaps showing some of the authors' biases, is that this case was a major turning point not only for the SPS, but for police departments across the country in terms of protocols for transparency and accountability - there are now checks and balances in place so that the opportunity for these types of situations are few and far between. And while this doesn't mean an abuse of power of this magnitude could never happen again, it would not be an easy feat. Especially with all of the various movements of the past few years such as #defundthepolice and #metoo, police/other people in power have very little social leeway to treat people poorly anymore without having to answer for it. At least, this is what it seems like to me from my throne of white privilege, so take that with whatever grain of salt you will.
From a pure "enjoyment" perspective, it was neat to read a book that took place in Saskatoon, where I could picture all of the landmarks so easily, and there were so many recognizable names. Perhaps a little surreal.
Again I must reiterate how absolutely wild and fascinating this story is. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.
I don't mean to say that this was a fun book by any means, because it deals with so many levels of tragedy. Let's not forget either that Neil Stonechild was a KID. A kid with loving parents and supportive mentors in his life, who should have had many years ahead of him to take opportunities to turn his life around, and whatever happened to take this away from him is a horrible shame. The fact that the SPS phoned in the investigation and dismissed it (best case) or covered up what really happened (worst case) is undisputedly despicable.
Would recommend highly if you are interested in: true crime, indigenous issues, Saskatoon history
My interest was piqued when I read the chapter about this case in Indian Ernie. It seemed that Loutitt didn't think very highly of this book but I guess that made me want to read it more, haha.
It was exceptionally well-written and easy to follow. It appears to be extremely well-researched and thorough. I recognize that all authors have a perspective/bias and the perspective/bias in this case was that it is very likely the Saskatoon Police were covering something up and perhaps responsible for Stonechild's death. While it has not ever been established that this is a definitively true fact, the evidence was compelling enough for the RCMP and Stonechild Inquiry commissioner to conclude that something shady happened along those lines. Even if the SPS is completely innocent, it's pretty clear that they dug their own grave by doing a laughably terrible investigation, actively refusing multiple opportunities to reopen the case, and treating the family members like trash, while taking every opportunity to behave as if they had something to hide. (There is another book that claims to tell the "true facts" from the police's side, and I considered reading it but after perusing its website the author comes across as a conspiracy theorist, victim blamer, and apologist for all the terrible activities it was definitively proven that the police engaged in, so I have no desire to hear "the other side" of the story if that is the tone it takes - perhaps that's my own bias but I'll admit that.)
I had to go back and re-read the Neil Stonechild chapter in Indian Ernie too. A good point he makes that wasn't really covered in this book, perhaps showing some of the authors' biases, is that this case was a major turning point not only for the SPS, but for police departments across the country in terms of protocols for transparency and accountability - there are now checks and balances in place so that the opportunity for these types of situations are few and far between. And while this doesn't mean an abuse of power of this magnitude could never happen again, it would not be an easy feat. Especially with all of the various movements of the past few years such as #defundthepolice and #metoo, police/other people in power have very little social leeway to treat people poorly anymore without having to answer for it. At least, this is what it seems like to me from my throne of white privilege, so take that with whatever grain of salt you will.
From a pure "enjoyment" perspective, it was neat to read a book that took place in Saskatoon, where I could picture all of the landmarks so easily, and there were so many recognizable names. Perhaps a little surreal.
Again I must reiterate how absolutely wild and fascinating this story is. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.
I don't mean to say that this was a fun book by any means, because it deals with so many levels of tragedy. Let's not forget either that Neil Stonechild was a KID. A kid with loving parents and supportive mentors in his life, who should have had many years ahead of him to take opportunities to turn his life around, and whatever happened to take this away from him is a horrible shame. The fact that the SPS phoned in the investigation and dismissed it (best case) or covered up what really happened (worst case) is undisputedly despicable.
Would recommend highly if you are interested in: true crime, indigenous issues, Saskatoon history
February 9, 2019
A masterpiece that every Canadian should read.
July 13, 2023
I couldn't put it down!
An important read for people in Saskatoon. When the trials and inquests of the early 2000s were happening I was in high school and too young/distracted to appreciate what was going on. I'm very glad I read this book.
An important read for people in Saskatoon. When the trials and inquests of the early 2000s were happening I was in high school and too young/distracted to appreciate what was going on. I'm very glad I read this book.
July 21, 2021
A product of three intensive years of research into the Neil Stone case. Interviews, police video and notebooks, multiple transcripts, public exhibits and witness testimonies heard during the public inquiry in 2003 were consolidated to create a very detailed account into the suspicious death of Neil Stonechild and a glaringly obvious coverup by the Saskatoon Police Service.
Very thorough. Some of the prologues seem disparate to the Neil case (such as the beginning of the book about Don Worme’s tragic story of witnessing his mother and sister’s tragic murder in the 60’s(?) as a child), until he is later introduced as an indigenous rights lawyer to the case. It also turns out he was the uncle of Jason Roy, Neil’s friend who last saw him the night he died. There are other prologues with a slow build up, describing the preceding events to the victims related to starlight tours nearly a decade after Neil’s murder. The prologues are very much a cold open. It’s an interesting way of writing the story that eventually becomes full circle. I’ve admittedly felt daunted reading a book this way. There’s so many names tied to this investigation.
The facts were:
Neil Stonechild was the subject of two complaints causing a disturbance on the evening of November 24, 1990.
Constable Bradley Senger and Larry Hartwig were dispatched at 11:51pm to investigate mentioned complaint and encountered Neil and took him into custody.
According to the coroners case, Neil died of cold exposure the next day on November 25th. His body was found in the northwest city limits in a industrial park wearing light outerwear. There was no suspicion about his location.
The principal investigator assigned to this freezing death case came to a hasty closure on the file on December 5th. His death was deemed to excessive alcohol use and hypothermia. According to the notes, he spent the first four and a half hours of his shift doing nothing, not even visiting the site where his body was found. His notes were sketch. There was no mention that Jason Roy (Neil’s friend and last person to see him in the back of a police cruiser the night he went missing) who told him Neil was picked up by the cops. He dismissed important information provided to him by officers in his unit.
The homicide investigator, Jack Warner, produced compelling evidence that Neil Stonechild had been in Hartwig and Senger’s custody the night he died. That the markings on his face were the markings of handcuffs that struck his face prior to his death, and the CPIC system had shown there was a warrant out for Neil’s arrest at the time. Singer failed two polygraph tests and Hartwig refused to take one - but not permitted as evidence as polygraphs are considered inadmissible in court.
Very thorough. Some of the prologues seem disparate to the Neil case (such as the beginning of the book about Don Worme’s tragic story of witnessing his mother and sister’s tragic murder in the 60’s(?) as a child), until he is later introduced as an indigenous rights lawyer to the case. It also turns out he was the uncle of Jason Roy, Neil’s friend who last saw him the night he died. There are other prologues with a slow build up, describing the preceding events to the victims related to starlight tours nearly a decade after Neil’s murder. The prologues are very much a cold open. It’s an interesting way of writing the story that eventually becomes full circle. I’ve admittedly felt daunted reading a book this way. There’s so many names tied to this investigation.
The facts were:
Neil Stonechild was the subject of two complaints causing a disturbance on the evening of November 24, 1990.
Constable Bradley Senger and Larry Hartwig were dispatched at 11:51pm to investigate mentioned complaint and encountered Neil and took him into custody.
According to the coroners case, Neil died of cold exposure the next day on November 25th. His body was found in the northwest city limits in a industrial park wearing light outerwear. There was no suspicion about his location.
The principal investigator assigned to this freezing death case came to a hasty closure on the file on December 5th. His death was deemed to excessive alcohol use and hypothermia. According to the notes, he spent the first four and a half hours of his shift doing nothing, not even visiting the site where his body was found. His notes were sketch. There was no mention that Jason Roy (Neil’s friend and last person to see him in the back of a police cruiser the night he went missing) who told him Neil was picked up by the cops. He dismissed important information provided to him by officers in his unit.
The homicide investigator, Jack Warner, produced compelling evidence that Neil Stonechild had been in Hartwig and Senger’s custody the night he died. That the markings on his face were the markings of handcuffs that struck his face prior to his death, and the CPIC system had shown there was a warrant out for Neil’s arrest at the time. Singer failed two polygraph tests and Hartwig refused to take one - but not permitted as evidence as polygraphs are considered inadmissible in court.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2019
This was a very difficult read for me, as I come from Saskatoon, and grew up with an indigenous brother. This book details the history of Starlight tours, where Saskatoon Police Services drove indigenous men out of the city and left them on the outskirts of the town to freeze.
The authors were very thorough in their research, and did a lot of good investigative journalism. I really liked how they treated the indigenous people in their story with a great deal of compassion.
This was a hard read for me, and I had to take breaks. I occasionally got confused, because there were so many characters in this book. I think that was my problem, and not the fault of the authors.
The authors were very thorough in their research, and did a lot of good investigative journalism. I really liked how they treated the indigenous people in their story with a great deal of compassion.
This was a hard read for me, and I had to take breaks. I occasionally got confused, because there were so many characters in this book. I think that was my problem, and not the fault of the authors.
September 20, 2019
This book is such an important read, and so hard to get through because of the nature of the story. I spent a lot of my youth in Saskatoon and yet I hadn't heard Neil's story (though like many Canadians I am unfortunately familiar with the infamous Starlight Tours that STILL take place in cities across the country). This is a powerful read about Neil's life, his death, and the aftermath. I think that efforts towards reconciliation should include books like this being part of the school curriculum, because it behooves every Canadian to stand up against these and other racist practices that are too often swept under the rug.
January 24, 2016
Terrifying. Serves as a reminder -- as if you really needed one! -- that racism is alive and well, and that the police are as likely to act on it as anyone else out there. It's also a reminder that there are good-hearted people out there, who will never stop asking the right questions and working to see that justice is done. If only that were enough to give Neil Stonechild back to his family.
July 9, 2023
This is an important awful story about my city that I am keenly aware of, yet I have never actually read too deeply into the details of. I felt sick to my stomach processing the events in areas that I am familiar with around Saskatoon.
This is well written in a way that makes it easily consumable and personal and empathetic, but at the same time I felt a little offput by the way the story was told. The opening prologue that depicts a double homicide in front of young family members like a thriller felt a little disrespectful and exploitative. I also just find narrative non-fiction a bit strange, as even though this book seems to be well researched, conversations and thoughts are presented in much greater detail than could possibly be remembered. This felt especially weird to me in the context of a story about memory of events and the facts of what happened. (I strangely do not have the issue with movies that portray real events, I think because I see them more as a fictionalized telling of the story?)
The book ends basically right after the results of the inquiry into Stonechild's death. I wish it went into the ramifications of the outcome on the police force and the city, but I'll have to seek out another source for that.
This is well written in a way that makes it easily consumable and personal and empathetic, but at the same time I felt a little offput by the way the story was told. The opening prologue that depicts a double homicide in front of young family members like a thriller felt a little disrespectful and exploitative. I also just find narrative non-fiction a bit strange, as even though this book seems to be well researched, conversations and thoughts are presented in much greater detail than could possibly be remembered. This felt especially weird to me in the context of a story about memory of events and the facts of what happened. (I strangely do not have the issue with movies that portray real events, I think because I see them more as a fictionalized telling of the story?)
The book ends basically right after the results of the inquiry into Stonechild's death. I wish it went into the ramifications of the outcome on the police force and the city, but I'll have to seek out another source for that.
July 8, 2023
Simply one of the most important books I’ve read in a while. Required reading, especially if you live in Saskatchewan.
I live in Saskatoon and I’ll never look at my city the same way ever again.
I live in Saskatoon and I’ll never look at my city the same way ever again.
February 16, 2024
Was reminded of this book and want my book club to read it
March 19, 2023
Je le dirai jamais assez mais ACAB criss.
J'ai ri, pleuré, sacré, crié après ce livre là. Wow
J'ai ri, pleuré, sacré, crié après ce livre là. Wow
April 21, 2019
”He wasn’t a man. He was a boy. He didn’t have the chance to grow up to be a man”.
Stayed up all night reading this. Starlight Tour tells the story of Neil Stonechild and how the local police covered up his death. Seventeen years old, the police drop him off out in the Saskatoon cold. While walking, he freezes to death. So deeply moving, it is an essential story on racism in Canada. There are pictures of the crime scene and autopsy photos in this book, so I want to give warning.
Stayed up all night reading this. Starlight Tour tells the story of Neil Stonechild and how the local police covered up his death. Seventeen years old, the police drop him off out in the Saskatoon cold. While walking, he freezes to death. So deeply moving, it is an essential story on racism in Canada. There are pictures of the crime scene and autopsy photos in this book, so I want to give warning.
July 28, 2011
I read this about 4 months after moving to Saskatoon. It was a very revealing look into the prejudice facing the aborignal population here, and whilst Saskatoon is reflected in a poor light, I think it is a very human story of the racism aboriginal populations face across the world.
June 3, 2021
'Painfully relevant as ever'. I couldn't put this book down. My soul feels bruised. I felt a constant gnaw of nauseating abhorrence learning of the deliberate (and in my opinion sociopathic) disregard for human life. 'Starlight Tours' as a common phenomena shows the downright heinous historical systemic racism permeating the Canadian justice system, that still rears it's ugly head masquerading in other forms present day.
It will utterly infuriate you as you read the cowardly dismissive responses by the perpetrators and outright lies to conceal their guilt. The same individuals who have been chosen to uphold a duty to serve & 'protect' their communities above all else...
The Starlight Tour survivors and their families have been courageous beyond comprehension and proved that the fight to uncover silent FATAL systemic transgressions and any semblance of 'justice' is worth both the wait & weight.
I argue this book should be mandatory curricula for Canadian students. PERIOD.
It will utterly infuriate you as you read the cowardly dismissive responses by the perpetrators and outright lies to conceal their guilt. The same individuals who have been chosen to uphold a duty to serve & 'protect' their communities above all else...
The Starlight Tour survivors and their families have been courageous beyond comprehension and proved that the fight to uncover silent FATAL systemic transgressions and any semblance of 'justice' is worth both the wait & weight.
I argue this book should be mandatory curricula for Canadian students. PERIOD.
July 30, 2019
Extremely well written and easy to understand. The revised edition shows exactly why we need to talk about racism here in Canada and how to find accountability for it.
An unfortunate part of Canadian history that needs to be read and shared, Neil's story is absolutely heart-breaking.
If there's one thing that I got from this book was the importance of listening to one another and how to be more of an Ally when it comes to listening and helping indigenous people here in Canada.
An unfortunate part of Canadian history that needs to be read and shared, Neil's story is absolutely heart-breaking.
If there's one thing that I got from this book was the importance of listening to one another and how to be more of an Ally when it comes to listening and helping indigenous people here in Canada.
October 30, 2022
An important, if heartbreaking, read that exposes another of Canada's disgraceful treatment towards Indigenous peoples. Living in Saskatoon the story is geographically, as well as temporally, near to me. The ending is dissatisfying with no criminal charges being brought against the police officers involved. Nonetheless, an important look into how individual and systemic anti-Indigenous racism played out in one police force.
November 7, 2025
grade 10 i love Mr scaddan
February 21, 2018
I will come back to write a better review. This book made me angry, exasperated, disheartened and in the end, a little hopeful.
June 12, 2021
A heart wrenching, detailed look into the cases of starlight tours and the SPS. Fantastic research and reporting into some terribly sad and disgusting cases. 4.5/5
January 2, 2025
The story of Neil Stonechild is heartbreaking, enraging, and sadly, not an uncommon story of Indigenous life in Canada.
Neil was born in Brandon, MB in 1973, to Stella Bignell. The family was originally from Waywayseecappo FN in Manitoba. Neil had five siblings: 3 older ones named Dean (given up for adoption at a young age), Erica (called Gypsy), Marcel, and then a younger brother, Jake . Stella was a single parent, and moved to Saskatoon in 1980 for a fresh start. At one point, she was married to Neil's stepfather, Norman, but I can't recall the timeline (writing this long after reading the book), and it's not terribly important to the story.
Neil was described by his family and presents as such in the book; Very smart, handsome, an award-winning wrestler. He was funny and easygoing, and had taken part in sports and cadets. Neil was also mischievous, and around age 15 became involved with the youth criminal justice system for petty crimes. Neil had a huge support network, though, and the family had a lot of hope that things would look up for him.
Neil was living in a group home, age 17, and visiting his mother on the fateful night of November 24, 1990. It was a bitterly cold night , common to Canadian prairie winters ( reportedly, -28 C) . Stella didn't want him to go out. Neil promised he'd report back to the community group home tomorrow (he'd been staying unlawfully with Stella) and that he was just going to a friends' place tonight.
Neil and his good friend, Jason Roy, polished off most of a bottle of vodka and got very intoxicated. Neil decided to go visit a former girlfriend at an apartment complex called Snowberry Downs. At some point, Jason and Neil get separated, and the police are called on Neil and he is picked up. It's noteworthy to mention that Neil was only wearing a light jacket and runners (sneakers or tennis shoes, for Americans) despite the freezing cold weather (not uncommon for teenagers).
Jason Roy alleged that the last time he saw Neil, he was in the back of a police squad car with blood on his face, handcuffed, and calling for Roy to save him, that they were going to kill him. Jason lied and gave a fake name to the cops when they questioned him, afraid of being hauled in.
Around November 29, 2 construction workers came upon the frozen-solid body of a young man in a remote field, on the outskirts of Saskatoon. He was only wearing one shoe, and a light jacket and jeans. Tragically, it was Neil. Despite the fact that he looked quite young and, as a bantamweight wrestler, likely only weighed about 120 lbs, the news reported that it was a man found in the field, long before family was notified. They showed his body from a distance on the news, but as they said it was a grown man, the family didn't know at first that it was Neil.
The two officers that Roy saw with Neil denied any involvement with Neil that night, and slammed Roy as a not credible witness, as he had been drinking that night and was known to police for petty crime.
As the story unravelled, the horrifying truth was discovered: the two officers that picked up Neil had taken him on what was known as a "starlight tour", which is when police pick up Indigenous people (often men and boys) and drop them off in remote area, regardless of temperature. This had happened so often before that it was given this name. It took a man who managed to run for safety to a nearby power station after such a "tour", and the freezing deaths of 2 other Indigenous men, to blow the whistle on the whole operation.
Nonetheless, the police continued to deny responsibility, claiming Neil must have stumbled out there when intoxicated.
It doesn't take professional detective skills to conclude that that is a ridiculous premise; a 17 year old kid, dressed in light clothing, found with one shoe, managed to walk all the way to the outskirts of town while heavily intoxicated? In -28 C weather? I live on the Canadian prairies, and can tell you that that is next to impossible.
The devastated family noted at Neil's funeral that he had marks on his nose that looked consistent with injuries from handcuffs.
Eventually, there is a formal inquiry held by the province of Saskatchewan: the final report being made in September 2004. The conclusion was that the two officers involved were fired, but there were never any criminal charges laid or true change seen in the p0lice department, much to the dismay and horror of his family and the Indigenous community.
Understandably, Neil's death and the circumstances of how he died was a huge, traumatic blow to the family; both immediate and extended, and it was a very large family. Neil's younger brother began getting into trouble. Marcel was wracked with guilt over the fact that he was the one who purchased the vodka that Neil and Jason drank that night. Neil had been the "leader" of his cousins, and they started to fall apart after he was gone and descend into trauma. His death sent ripples into the community at large, driving an even larger wedge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and Indigenous and police, in Saskatoon, a place where racism has always been rampant.
I admittedly have a little inside knowledge into the case, as an ex of mine was fairly closely related to Neil. I met several of his family members. I won't betray their privacy, as they've been through enough already, but I was amazed at the strength and determination that they all displayed, the quiet dignity and graciousness in which they moved towards healing. They never forgot Neil, of course, and his absence still left a tremendous rift and trauma response all those years later. I will always remember how they were so welcoming to me, and invited me in as family, no questions asked. That is common in Indigenous communities, and it's incredibly sad that the tenacity and sheer kindness of Indigenous communities often get overlooked by society, and the negative aspects of these places (the same as in small towns anywhere) are what gets advertised and exaggerated. Despite years of genocidal colonial efforts on behalf of the Canadian gov't and all of its' subsidiaries, the Indigenous people have remained strong, wise, welcoming, and kind. That is truly amazing.
My mother was Metis, so I am part Indigenous myself. However, I grew up in a middle class environment and "look(ed) white", so never faced the same discrimination as Neil's family did. However, we did have our own trauma that sadly runs like a river through all Indigenous families due to colonization efforts; our history and culture were dormant for many years due to the racism and discrimination that my Grandfather experienced. It took years of healing and understanding for this to be amended.
I'm very sad to say that not much has changed since 1990 in Canada. The Canadian prairies where I call home, with its' stark beauty and wide open spaces, is also a bastion of racism and an often dangerous place for Indigenous people. Police/RCMP and other institutions still have incredible racism in their ranks. , as do many who are supposed to be our government leaders. Read up on the landfill search in Manitoba if you don't believe me; it's one of the most disgusting examples of that. My visibly Indigenous friends still get profiled and searched in stores where I am sent off with a wave and a smile by the employees. Children are still scooped into care without good reason. People still deny and minimize the awful, genocidal legacy of abusive residential schools. Indigenous people still can't trust police and gov't institutions, with good reason.
There are, however, Indigenous people and settler allies who are trying to make change. I guess that's what we have to focus on.
This is a very compelling and well written book. I hope that it helps people to remember Neil Stonechild. I hope it helps to remember him as the person he was; loved, funny, friendly, athletic, and smart and not just the circumstances of his death. We owe that at the very least to his family and community.
My heart still breaks for the family, for Jason Roy, for all who were directly hurt by Neil's death (and those indirectly affected as well.). We need action to ensure that "starlight tours" never happen again; we aren't there yet.
Neil was born in Brandon, MB in 1973, to Stella Bignell. The family was originally from Waywayseecappo FN in Manitoba. Neil had five siblings: 3 older ones named Dean (given up for adoption at a young age), Erica (called Gypsy), Marcel, and then a younger brother, Jake . Stella was a single parent, and moved to Saskatoon in 1980 for a fresh start. At one point, she was married to Neil's stepfather, Norman, but I can't recall the timeline (writing this long after reading the book), and it's not terribly important to the story.
Neil was described by his family and presents as such in the book; Very smart, handsome, an award-winning wrestler. He was funny and easygoing, and had taken part in sports and cadets. Neil was also mischievous, and around age 15 became involved with the youth criminal justice system for petty crimes. Neil had a huge support network, though, and the family had a lot of hope that things would look up for him.
Neil was living in a group home, age 17, and visiting his mother on the fateful night of November 24, 1990. It was a bitterly cold night , common to Canadian prairie winters ( reportedly, -28 C) . Stella didn't want him to go out. Neil promised he'd report back to the community group home tomorrow (he'd been staying unlawfully with Stella) and that he was just going to a friends' place tonight.
Neil and his good friend, Jason Roy, polished off most of a bottle of vodka and got very intoxicated. Neil decided to go visit a former girlfriend at an apartment complex called Snowberry Downs. At some point, Jason and Neil get separated, and the police are called on Neil and he is picked up. It's noteworthy to mention that Neil was only wearing a light jacket and runners (sneakers or tennis shoes, for Americans) despite the freezing cold weather (not uncommon for teenagers).
Jason Roy alleged that the last time he saw Neil, he was in the back of a police squad car with blood on his face, handcuffed, and calling for Roy to save him, that they were going to kill him. Jason lied and gave a fake name to the cops when they questioned him, afraid of being hauled in.
Around November 29, 2 construction workers came upon the frozen-solid body of a young man in a remote field, on the outskirts of Saskatoon. He was only wearing one shoe, and a light jacket and jeans. Tragically, it was Neil. Despite the fact that he looked quite young and, as a bantamweight wrestler, likely only weighed about 120 lbs, the news reported that it was a man found in the field, long before family was notified. They showed his body from a distance on the news, but as they said it was a grown man, the family didn't know at first that it was Neil.
The two officers that Roy saw with Neil denied any involvement with Neil that night, and slammed Roy as a not credible witness, as he had been drinking that night and was known to police for petty crime.
As the story unravelled, the horrifying truth was discovered: the two officers that picked up Neil had taken him on what was known as a "starlight tour", which is when police pick up Indigenous people (often men and boys) and drop them off in remote area, regardless of temperature. This had happened so often before that it was given this name. It took a man who managed to run for safety to a nearby power station after such a "tour", and the freezing deaths of 2 other Indigenous men, to blow the whistle on the whole operation.
Nonetheless, the police continued to deny responsibility, claiming Neil must have stumbled out there when intoxicated.
It doesn't take professional detective skills to conclude that that is a ridiculous premise; a 17 year old kid, dressed in light clothing, found with one shoe, managed to walk all the way to the outskirts of town while heavily intoxicated? In -28 C weather? I live on the Canadian prairies, and can tell you that that is next to impossible.
The devastated family noted at Neil's funeral that he had marks on his nose that looked consistent with injuries from handcuffs.
Eventually, there is a formal inquiry held by the province of Saskatchewan: the final report being made in September 2004. The conclusion was that the two officers involved were fired, but there were never any criminal charges laid or true change seen in the p0lice department, much to the dismay and horror of his family and the Indigenous community.
Understandably, Neil's death and the circumstances of how he died was a huge, traumatic blow to the family; both immediate and extended, and it was a very large family. Neil's younger brother began getting into trouble. Marcel was wracked with guilt over the fact that he was the one who purchased the vodka that Neil and Jason drank that night. Neil had been the "leader" of his cousins, and they started to fall apart after he was gone and descend into trauma. His death sent ripples into the community at large, driving an even larger wedge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and Indigenous and police, in Saskatoon, a place where racism has always been rampant.
I admittedly have a little inside knowledge into the case, as an ex of mine was fairly closely related to Neil. I met several of his family members. I won't betray their privacy, as they've been through enough already, but I was amazed at the strength and determination that they all displayed, the quiet dignity and graciousness in which they moved towards healing. They never forgot Neil, of course, and his absence still left a tremendous rift and trauma response all those years later. I will always remember how they were so welcoming to me, and invited me in as family, no questions asked. That is common in Indigenous communities, and it's incredibly sad that the tenacity and sheer kindness of Indigenous communities often get overlooked by society, and the negative aspects of these places (the same as in small towns anywhere) are what gets advertised and exaggerated. Despite years of genocidal colonial efforts on behalf of the Canadian gov't and all of its' subsidiaries, the Indigenous people have remained strong, wise, welcoming, and kind. That is truly amazing.
My mother was Metis, so I am part Indigenous myself. However, I grew up in a middle class environment and "look(ed) white", so never faced the same discrimination as Neil's family did. However, we did have our own trauma that sadly runs like a river through all Indigenous families due to colonization efforts; our history and culture were dormant for many years due to the racism and discrimination that my Grandfather experienced. It took years of healing and understanding for this to be amended.
I'm very sad to say that not much has changed since 1990 in Canada. The Canadian prairies where I call home, with its' stark beauty and wide open spaces, is also a bastion of racism and an often dangerous place for Indigenous people. Police/RCMP and other institutions still have incredible racism in their ranks. , as do many who are supposed to be our government leaders. Read up on the landfill search in Manitoba if you don't believe me; it's one of the most disgusting examples of that. My visibly Indigenous friends still get profiled and searched in stores where I am sent off with a wave and a smile by the employees. Children are still scooped into care without good reason. People still deny and minimize the awful, genocidal legacy of abusive residential schools. Indigenous people still can't trust police and gov't institutions, with good reason.
There are, however, Indigenous people and settler allies who are trying to make change. I guess that's what we have to focus on.
This is a very compelling and well written book. I hope that it helps people to remember Neil Stonechild. I hope it helps to remember him as the person he was; loved, funny, friendly, athletic, and smart and not just the circumstances of his death. We owe that at the very least to his family and community.
My heart still breaks for the family, for Jason Roy, for all who were directly hurt by Neil's death (and those indirectly affected as well.). We need action to ensure that "starlight tours" never happen again; we aren't there yet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2025
It's hard to digest something this atrocious that's happened a mere two hour drive from where you live. It's INSANE that "Starlight Tours" was ever coined as a saying and that people PASSED from being put in these situations by ignorant people in positions of power.
I have been endeavouring to read more nonfiction and indigenous stories especially related to the area I live in to keep informed on our past & present, and the people whose land we currently stand on. I personally believe it's important as a Canadian to learn about First Nations ways of life, and the history of indigenous people on this land because it's not really taught in schools or spoken about.
Knowing that people in positions of power, took other HUMANS out of town, clearly not dressed for -40 degrees celsius WINTER in Saskatchewan (which I know very well how that feels being outside for short amounts of time) and dumped them and expected them to walk back into the city?? Not to mention that instances like this weren't marked with timestamps in their vehicles because the people who were doing this KNEW it was wrong.
This book was absolutely MADDENING. I'm angry now writing this because I can't understand a person's reasoning for doing this in the first place.
This book is meant to make you mad; it's meant to make you SAD. It IS SAD.
This isn't a type of ignorance that just goes away, especially not in this province. That's why it's so incredibly important to pass these experiences and stories along to more and more people.
People should absolutely know what was going on, and that the "Starlight Tours" in Saskatchewan were designed to specifically target indigenous people for no reason other than they were in the wrong place at the right time.
I have been endeavouring to read more nonfiction and indigenous stories especially related to the area I live in to keep informed on our past & present, and the people whose land we currently stand on. I personally believe it's important as a Canadian to learn about First Nations ways of life, and the history of indigenous people on this land because it's not really taught in schools or spoken about.
Knowing that people in positions of power, took other HUMANS out of town, clearly not dressed for -40 degrees celsius WINTER in Saskatchewan (which I know very well how that feels being outside for short amounts of time) and dumped them and expected them to walk back into the city?? Not to mention that instances like this weren't marked with timestamps in their vehicles because the people who were doing this KNEW it was wrong.
This book was absolutely MADDENING. I'm angry now writing this because I can't understand a person's reasoning for doing this in the first place.
This book is meant to make you mad; it's meant to make you SAD. It IS SAD.
This isn't a type of ignorance that just goes away, especially not in this province. That's why it's so incredibly important to pass these experiences and stories along to more and more people.
People should absolutely know what was going on, and that the "Starlight Tours" in Saskatchewan were designed to specifically target indigenous people for no reason other than they were in the wrong place at the right time.
July 16, 2021
"Starlight tour" - the Saskatoon police driving natives out of town & forcing them to walk back no matter what the weather conditions.
This book made me so angry I had tears in my eyes. As a true crime lover it's usually the police catching the bad guys but this book paints a darker side of the Saskatoon Police Service, a predominantly white police department supposedly looking after indigenous communities.
The first recorded case was that of Neil Stonechild who was only seventeen when two racist police officers dropped him outside the city limits in 1990 at temperatures reaching -25°C. Needless to say he froze to death and the case was deemed an accident.
Over the next ten years many more first nation bodies turned up in the same area but there was one survivor. Thanks to Darrell Night the police secret Starlight Tours would now become more than just a myth.
At no point does this book try to paint the indigenous population as saints but there is absolutely no excuse for the treatment they receive from law enforcement.
I struggled reading how one human being can treat another like such trash.
I highly recommend this for all true crime lovers.
If any of my language regarding Canadian indigenous people is offensive I apologise and am open to being informed on the correct language.
This book made me so angry I had tears in my eyes. As a true crime lover it's usually the police catching the bad guys but this book paints a darker side of the Saskatoon Police Service, a predominantly white police department supposedly looking after indigenous communities.
The first recorded case was that of Neil Stonechild who was only seventeen when two racist police officers dropped him outside the city limits in 1990 at temperatures reaching -25°C. Needless to say he froze to death and the case was deemed an accident.
Over the next ten years many more first nation bodies turned up in the same area but there was one survivor. Thanks to Darrell Night the police secret Starlight Tours would now become more than just a myth.
At no point does this book try to paint the indigenous population as saints but there is absolutely no excuse for the treatment they receive from law enforcement.
I struggled reading how one human being can treat another like such trash.
I highly recommend this for all true crime lovers.
If any of my language regarding Canadian indigenous people is offensive I apologise and am open to being informed on the correct language.
August 14, 2025
“Starlight Tour” is a powerful and deeply unsettling exploration of discrimination, racism, police corruption, and cover ups. This book was a true eye opener for me. It is emotional from start to finish, and what makes it even more disturbing is realizing these events happened so close to where I once called home, and not that long ago.
What struck me most was the blatant disregard shown by the police, a shocking indifference to human life and justice. The accounts in this book are not only heartbreaking but also enraging, exposing the dangerous abuse of power that can exist within the justice system.
This is a must read for anyone considering a career in law enforcement or any aspect of the justice system. In truth, everyone should read it. The story deserves to be told to a wider audience, and I can easily imagine it adapted into a movie or mini series so more people can understand the gravity of what happened.
What struck me most was the blatant disregard shown by the police, a shocking indifference to human life and justice. The accounts in this book are not only heartbreaking but also enraging, exposing the dangerous abuse of power that can exist within the justice system.
This is a must read for anyone considering a career in law enforcement or any aspect of the justice system. In truth, everyone should read it. The story deserves to be told to a wider audience, and I can easily imagine it adapted into a movie or mini series so more people can understand the gravity of what happened.
December 11, 2019
The attention to detail throughout this book is astounding and a true testament to the lives who lived the reality on the pages of this book. The themes of courage and resilience read throughout this book and bring hope to the pages of heart ache and darkness that this writing encompasses. The need for these stories to be told, the racism rampant to be identified and named, and the reality that this does occur and continues to occur is a necessity in our society.
Although technical at times, the writing was real, raw and showcased the value of storytelling, perception, and whose stories are valued. The writing created a true sense of connection to the folks within its pages and my heart aches for those involved, while standing in admiration for the courage of Jason Roy, Don Worme, and Stella Stonechild. A truly spectacular account of a dark reality on Canada’s prairies.
Although technical at times, the writing was real, raw and showcased the value of storytelling, perception, and whose stories are valued. The writing created a true sense of connection to the folks within its pages and my heart aches for those involved, while standing in admiration for the courage of Jason Roy, Don Worme, and Stella Stonechild. A truly spectacular account of a dark reality on Canada’s prairies.
May 15, 2020
This book works on two levels: It first and foremost exposes ugly truths of institutional racism and the fact that often in society, vulnerable people, particularly many First Nations people in or affiliated with the justice or foster care systems in Canada, are swept under the rug, ignored, treated like second class citizens and this needs to stop.
In addition to this, it works on a second level: as an edge-of-your seat crime thriller featuring sympathetic and inspirational protagonists that I wish I could meet, an explosive scandal, a riveting courtroom section. Written with rich, narrative prose, I devoured this book in just a couple of days. It is fascinating and horrifying but also tells a story with empathy, seeking the truth and allowing us to see how victims are loved, cared about, remembered. It is true crime at its best.
In addition to this, it works on a second level: as an edge-of-your seat crime thriller featuring sympathetic and inspirational protagonists that I wish I could meet, an explosive scandal, a riveting courtroom section. Written with rich, narrative prose, I devoured this book in just a couple of days. It is fascinating and horrifying but also tells a story with empathy, seeking the truth and allowing us to see how victims are loved, cared about, remembered. It is true crime at its best.
May 22, 2022
The very coverage of Starlight Tours deserves 5 stars because it is an abhorrent phenomenon that should never exist. It is deeply rooted in racism implanted by colonialism. Coverage of these stories is crucial, but I’m not sure this book is the most effective way to really impact settler society. The first 150 pages tell several heartwrenching stories about the fate of Don Worme’s family, Neil Stonechild, Lawrence Wegner and Darryl Night (and more); these are must-know stories that define the historically despicable Indigenous-RCMP relations. The last 200ish pages were more investigative and featured several white RCMP officers - it was hard to keep them all separate in my mind. None of the characters had overly well-developed voices/personalities and it was hard to keep track of them. Moreover, I have listened to podcasts that cover these stories in an excellent way. However, the book was not a seamless read for me because of how many characters are involved. The authors tell layered, complicated stories that span years, generations and various families; particularly the trial was challenging and confusing to read. It was just too much to comprehend.
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