2020 missing woman case now homicide investigation: RCMP

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This article was published 06/06/2023 (853 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RCMP are searching a rural Manitoba community for human remains in the case of a missing Indigenous woman believed to be a victim of homicide.

Mounties announced Tuesday they are investigating an abandoned residence in San Clara, a rural community roughly 350 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Melinda Lynxleg was 40 when she was reported missing April 16, 2020. Police are now investigating her disappearance as a homicide, RCMP said in a release.

Without providing specifics, police said “new information has come forward,” which led them to the abandoned property.

Several RCMP units arrived on scene Monday, including search and rescue, forensic anthropologists and homicide detectives. Images released by RCMP include a picture of an excavator near what appears to be the remains of a building.

RCMP spokesperson Tara Seel confirmed the equipment is involved in the search.

”We included this photo to provide an idea of what the scene looks like. This is very much an ongoing investigation and we cannot discuss particulars such as suspects and evidence,” she said in an email. “We continue to work to find answers for Melinda’s family.”

RCMP assured there was “no public safety threat,” and said a “large police presence” was expected to remain on scene Tuesday.

RCMP liaisons have contacted Lynxleg’s family, and they are aware of the developments, police said.

The hamlet of San Clara is part of the Municipality of Roblin. The almost 1,700-square-km area’s population was 3,089 in 2021, according Statistics Canada census data.

Roblin chief administrative officer Dione Cherneski said RCMP had alerted community officials about the search in San Clara, but did not provide further details.

“It’s a little hamlet north of Roblin, just before the Duck Mountain Provincial Park. It’s very, very small. They have a post office, but really there is nothing else there,” she said.

Lynxleg was last seen March 31, 2020, near Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve (also known as Valley River First Nation), some 50 km east of San Clara.

Police previously said the woman had not contacted relatives or friends, had not been active on social media, and had not used her bank accounts since April 2020.

In January 2021, Lynxleg’s family told media it had issued a cash reward and a plea for anybody with information to come forward.

Investigators have interviewed more than 50 people, followed up on numerous tips, and collaborated with partner agencies in search of the missing Indigenous woman, RCMP said.

Lynxleg, a mother of six, is described as 5-5, 190 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

NDP MLA Bernadette Smith spoke alongside Lynxleg’s aunt, Betty Lynxleg, during an October event honouring Manitoba’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The women are distant relatives, she said.

Smith — whose sister, Claudette Osborne-Tyo, has been missing since 2008 — said the RCMP update into Lynxleg’s disappearance brings mixed emotions to those with missing relatives.

“You feel for the family because that’s not the outcome that you’d want them to have, but at the same time, they might be bringing home their loved one and that’s something we envy,” the MLA said by phone Tuesday, her voice wavering.

“So many of our families want answers.”

Indigenous women and girls represent around four per cent of the national population, but accounted for 28 per cent of homicides perpetrated against women in 2019, government data shows.

The federal government introduced a national action plan to address violence against Indigenous women and girls in June 2021, which included a framework for how each province should approach the issue.

According to the latest progress report, Manitoba has fulfilled some aspects of the plan, including providing grants to several Indigenous organizations, expanding victim services for families of MMIWG, and introducing legislation to crack down on human trafficking.

Smith feels the province has a long way to go.

“There’s far too many (Indigenous) people that are going missing and aren’t being found. And there’s so many being murdered and nobody is being brought to justice for it,” she said.

“Society has become desensitised to it. Even though they are human, and a community member, it’s like people don’t respond to it unless they are directly affected… The public needs to pay attention and get involved.”

Tootinaowaziibeeng Chief Barry McKay was not available for comment Tuesday.

Anyone with information is asked to call Roblin RCMP at 204-937-2164, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca