12°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Homicide probe has town stunned
Senior found dead in home
A homicide investigation is underway after a woman in her 70s was found dead in her home in Ethelbert.
RCMP officers were dispatched to the scene on Saturday where they found the body. An investigation is ongoing by the Parkland RCMP with assistance from the RCMP Dauphin major crimes unit.
Related Items
Neighbours of the victim said the deceased is Elsie Steppa, and she moved from Toronto in the mid 1990s to this village of about 320 people, about 60 kilometres north of Dauphin.
They said Steppa lived with her nephew, Harry Jones, who is in his mid-40s, and multiple dogs and cats. Neighbours say she kept to herself. Nadia Pelechaty, a neighbour who lives two doors down from Steppa, said she and a friend grew suspicious when they noticed smoke was no longer coming from Steppa's chimney. Pelechaty said they checked with a local store and an employee there confirmed they hadn't seen Steppa in "a long time."
Pelechaty said they informed Ethelbert's mayor, Mitch Michaluk, about their concerns.
"It makes me very scared because this is a small town and there is never crime here. I keep watching police come and go from her house. I'm very upset by this," Pelechaty said.
The mayor told the Free Press he went to Steppa's home on Friday evening and found the side door unlocked. There were no footprints in the snow, either coming or going.
"Something was just off," Michaluk said.
He said he could hear Steppa's dogs inside and worried they weren't trained and might bite him, so he left the home and contacted RCMP that evening.
The mayor said he hasn't heard anything more of the investigation, except that Steppa's nephew cannot be located.
"Of course, the citizens are quite curious as to what's going on. I've had a few phone calls asking me, and of course, I don't know much of the details besides the part that I played in it. People are concerned," Michaluk said.
Most of all, the mayor said he is concerned for the town.
"Really so much is still unknown. I just hope that the citizens, if they happen to know more, they come forward."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 21, 2013 A3
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Fire damages St. Vital home
05/19/2013 11:13 AM 0A home in St. Vital sustained $40,000 in damage after a fire Sunday.
Five fire units responded to a basement fire ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Police identify slaying victims
- North End proud
- Fishing for fashion
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- Fire damages St. Vital home
- The end of the credit card?
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Katz bogeys again
- Actor works to disable bullying
- Leaving a gang isn't easy — Sidney Letandre, now a paraplegic, knows it all too well
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- 'Responsible Winnipeg' ads appear on sign run by mayor-owned Goldeyes' baseball park
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Restaurant Dubrovnik demolished
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Man missing since 2009 found safe
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Fishing for fashion
- North End proud
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- Police identify slaying victims
- King of Veggies rules these parts
- Who says house calls are a thing of the past?
- Don't run again, Sam: survey
- Rejected by U of M, former Winnipegger became rocket scientist
- Mars Hill dirt bikers told to hit the road
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Fishing for fashion
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- WestJet to add Brandon
- Newly minted MD a beacon for kids in youth program
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Black market in moose thrives
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.