Man charged with missing Indigenous man's murder in northern Ontario

Two people from northwestern Ontario have been charged after the body of a local missing Indigenous man was found, police say.
On Sept. 4, 45-year-old Buifford 'Beaver' Cowley, of Naotkamegwanning First Nation (Whitefish Bay First Nation) – 90 kilometres south of Kenora – was reported missing.
45-year-old Buifford 'Beaver' Cowley, of Naotkamegwanning First Nation (Whitefish Bay First Nation). (Facebook)
His remains were found in the Northwest Angle #33 First Nation area – near the Manitoba border -- by Treaty Three Police, the OPP Emergency Response Team and OPP Canine Unit, police said in a news release.
As a result of an investigation two people have been arrested in connection with his death, Ontario Provincial Police said.
A 29-year-old man from the victim's community is charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court in Kenora on Dec. 8.
The second person is a 23-year-old woman from Kenora with the same last name as the victim who has been charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact and indignity to a dead body. However, there is no confirmation that they are related. She is being held in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 1.
- Download our app to get alerts sent to your device
- Get the latest newsletter sent right to your inbox
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
The victim's obituary said he died Sept. 1, three days before he was reported missing.
"He grew up in Naotkamegwanning First Nation and truly enjoyed being with family, his children, fishing in all seasons, being out on the lake, walking around nature, tinkering with automobiles and had a great sense of humour," the obituary said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How more than 100 women realized they may have dated, been deceived by the same man
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.

Mother charged with sexual abuse of toddler in Edmonton area after FBI tip
A Strathcona County toddler has been rescued from suspected sexual exploitation, and the child's mother has been charged, police said.
LeBron James becomes NBA's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James is the NBA's new career scoring leader. With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points on Tuesday night and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.
Biden in State of Union urges U.S. Congress: 'Finish the job'
U.S. President Joe Biden exhorted Congress Tuesday night to work with him to 'finish the job' of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
Fears grow for untold numbers buried by Turkiye earthquake as deaths pass 7,700
Rescuers raced against time early Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble before they succumbed to cold weather two days after an earthquake tore through southern Turkiye and war-ravaged northern Syria. The death toll climbed above 7,700 and was expected to rise further.
Canadian military plane heads home after two surveillance flights over Haiti
A Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane was heading home on Tuesday after two intelligence-collecting flights over Haiti.
On list of 50 'most Instagrammable' places, only 1 is in Canada
A new ranking by global travel site Big 7 Travel has revealed the most Instagrammable places for people to visit in 2023, but only one Canadian location, Banff, is among them.
Spy balloon part of a broader Chinese military surveillance operation, U.S. intel sources tell CNN
U.S. intelligence officials believe that the recently recovered Chinese spy balloon is part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, according to multiple American officials familiar with the intelligence.
From $55 to $130: Which Canadians plan to spend the most this Valentine's Day?
As Valentine's Day approaches, many Canadians are preparing to celebrate by taking their loved ones to dinner and buying them gifts, but how much are we spending on this day coast to coast?