Canadian former lawyer and writer, Dawn Walker was in a long-term relationship with her now ex-partner, Andrew Jansen and the duo share a son named Vicent.
In 2022, Dawn Walker, a successful writer and former lawyer, became the subject of nationwide attention when she was the subject of multiple criminal investigations across the United States and Canada after kidnapping her seven-year-old son and faking their death and disappearance.
Walker became further mired in controversy as her heavy involvement in FSIN’s election fraud scandal came to light.
Police hit Indigenous author Dawn Walker with nine charges and accused her of identity fraud, parental abduction, forgery, and passport falsification and cited domestic violence as a motive, the BBC reports.
She was handed a one-year conditional sentence, which requires her to serve time in the community, and 18 months of probation for her crimes.
When she was found, a few statements she made had her accusing her ex-partner of domestic violence, implying she had fled a domestic violence situation.
In the wake of her sentence, many now want to know more about her personal life, ex-partner, and children. Here’s everything we know.
Who is Dawn Walker’s ex-partner Andrew Jansen?
Best-selling author, Dawn Walker has never officially been married but was in a relationship with her now ex-partner, Andrew Jansen.
Best-selling author, Dawn Walker was married to her now ex-partner, Andrew Jansen.
Per a report by CKom, Jansen, and Walker were an inseparable couple five years ago.
The duo’s love story, including how they met, how long they were together and more, are undisclosed to the media.
However, their relationship was believed to have turned sour in their last years together.
The publication reveals Jansen had admitted Walker has tried to move away with their seven-year-old three times, including twice to Ottawa and once to the Victoria area.
“I know that is something that is kind of on her mind, so I’m hoping maybe it was a moment she wasn’t thinking clearly or something, that they just went. I think Dawn has resources that she could do that, but I don’t know. They could be anywhere,” Andrew said during the week-long search for the mother and son.
Members of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations who are close with Walker have alleged instances of domestic abuse at the hands of a former partner. Jansen was adamant he’d never hurt Walker, or anyone else.
“I think it’s a distraction,” he said. “I would never hurt Dawn or Vincent. There’s no truth to any of that, and that’s all I can say.”
Jansen said he’s never faced a criminal charge in connection with Walker or his son. As for why he waited more than a week to speak out after his son’s disappearance, he said he was in shock.
“I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know where they were,” he said. “I felt like I didn’t know what to do.”
Also when Walker was taken into police custody, she told first responders that she had fled a domestic violence situation.
Walker called her decisions a brief lapse of judgment and said the love for her child caused her to act illogically.
“As an Indigenous parent it is my sacred duty, responsibility, to protect my [child]’s innocence,” Walker said, per CBC.
“I am truly sorry for my actions. I cannot change what I did, but I will learn from it, grow from it, and help others.”
The prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk said all allegations against her ex-partner were thoroughly investigated, and claimed that her child was never in danger.
“I think the takeaway here by her guilty plea is an acknowledgment by her that she did not have a legal defense to these claims or these allegations,” Olenchuk said.
“These matters were fully investigated by several different agencies and did not result in charges.”
A known advocate for Indigenous people, she, at first, blamed systems of oppression for leaving her “with no choice” but to run, she said in a statement at the time.
“No one heard me,” she said before apologizing to anyone who may have been hurt by her actions. I am fighting systems that continuously fail to protect me as an Indigenous woman and protect non-Indigenous men.”
According to Walker, the police had allegedly been notified many times of her dangerous living situation, but would not provide any help.
She said she left the country “due to her honest belief that her child faced grievous imminent harm.”
Meanwhile, her ex-partner adamantly told the media that he was innocent of any crime.
Dawn and Jansen separated and he’s re-married now to his current wife.
What has Andrew Jansen said about Walker and Vincent’s case?
When asked why he thought Walker might try to move away from Saskatoon, Jansen said he wasn’t entirely sure.
“Part of it was work related, but I think part was maybe for a fresh start,” he said.
In court on Thursday, he gave a heart-wrenching impact statement describing being the object of scorn while his child was missing.
“We were devastated the moment they found Dawn’s truck by the river,” he said.
He told the court that he was unable to help search because of the abuse allegations.
“I felt helpless that I was not able to search for my own child,” he said.
“My life and my family’s life has been forever altered. I fear that if Dawn is not held accountable for her actions, I fear her behavior will further escalate.”
Walker pleaded guilty to abduction in contravention of a custody order, making statements that were false and misleading for the purpose of obtaining a passport, and possessing forged documents with the intention of committing an offense.
She still faces charges of felony aggravated identity theft and misdemeanor identity theft in the U.S.
How many children does Dawn Walker have?
Dawn Walker is a mother of one. She has a son named Vicent Jansen and shares him with her ex-partner, Andrew Jansen.
In an interview with 650 CKOM, Jansen opened up about Walker’s kidnapping hoax and disclosed that their son has a half-sister from his new marriage.
Andrew Jansen said the last time he saw his seven-year-old son Vincent was around 6 p.m. on July 22.
Earlier in the day, he took his son to a day camp at the Shaw Centre on Saskatoon’s west side. Jansen said he picked Vincent up afterward and then went with his wife and their daughter to get pizza, and then to Kinsmen Park.
“We just had a really nice time and we rode the little train they have there,” Jansen said, in an exclusive interview with 650 CKOM. “Vincent really wanted to sit in the caboose of that kids train there. I dropped him off with his mom … at about six o’clock, and that’s the last time I saw him.”