A Behchokǫ̀ mom hopes her son’s ATV death will not be for nothing

A Behchokǫ̀ mom hopes her son’s ATV death will not be for nothing Cabin Radio Monday July 6, 2026 at 6:00am MT Share Missy Mantla is remembering her late son, Gewii Lafferty, as a loving, smart boy who was just developing a passion for hand games when he passed away in June. Gewii was killed at the age of six in an ATV accident in Edzo. An eight-year-old and an 11-year-old were also injured in the same incident. The children had not been wearing helmets at the time, RCMP said. The precise nature of what took place remains unclear, though the ATV was the only vehicle reported to have been involved. Mantla said she hoped some good could come from the tragedy, such as families being more vigilant about ensuring their children wear helmets. She praised police in Behchokǫ̀ for their renewed efforts to make sure young people are wearing helmets in the aftermath of Gewii’s death. Over the course of an interview recorded in late June, Mantla described what happened from her perspective, how she and her family have coped with the loss, and the memories she holds of her son. Gewii was six and a half years old. He was about to turn seven in September. He was born on my late dad’s birthday: September 16, 2019. He’s just the sweetest kid ever. He was a fast learner from when he was a baby, he was so smart. He’s the youngest of five and he started walking the fastest, he got off the bottle the fastest, he started using the toilet the fastest, and he was such a fast kid. He was so talkative. He talked fast. His attitude was like a little bossy old man. He always wanted to be around me, wanted to follow me. We unfortunately lost his dad, Troy Lafferty, when Gewii was just 14 months old. He was so close with his stepdad, Roland Mackenzie – he was like his tail. Gewii loved his stepdad. Missy Mantla said. Photo: Submitted Gewii shared the same birthday as Missy Mantla’s late father. Photo: Submitted He loved hand games and he actually played his first hand games tournament here in Behchokǫ̀ when they had hand games for the youth. They were so good. There was video, people were going live, people were screaming for them, it was awesome. The night before the accident, he stayed at his aunt and uncle’s in Edzo. His cousin, they’re like brothers, they always do everything together. They wanted to go to Yellowknife. They left and I didn’t hear anything until I got the call that my son was in an accident at about 9:15pm. I called my friend to drive me to Edzo because…