Man arrested after woman left in dumpster

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This article was published 23/12/2023 (704 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City police have arrested a man accused in a brutal assault, nearly two weeks after a woman was found beaten, bound and abandoned inside a dumpster in downtown Winnipeg.

Police captured Romeo Chris Miles in the 100 block of Marion Street around 2:10 p.m. on Friday, after attending the location for an unrelated matter, the Winnipeg Police Service announced Saturday.

He was taken into custody without incident, with the support of a police tactical unit, WPS said.

Miles, 27, is among five people facing charges in connection to the disturbing assault of a 27-year-old Indigenous woman who was victimized for several hours within a Manitoba housing complex on Dec. 9.

The woman was found restrained and pleading for help inside a garbage bin near 24 Carlton St. the following day. She was brought to hospital and treated for numerous significant injuries, including to her face.

“This is a very serious incident. Even to investigators and seasoned police officers this is something that is shocking to them,” WPS Const. Claude Chancy said by phone. “There is a lot of trauma involved in this case.”

Police continue to search for two other suspects — 35-year-old Joey Michael Audy and Evelyn Marie McKay, 40 — who are also accused in the case. They have evaded police capture since Dec. 15, when warrants were issued for their arrests.

WPS identified the suspects at a news conference Wednesday, asking the public to report any sightings or information that may assist in their arrests. All three are charged with robbery and forcible confinement.

Audy is facing additional charges of attempted murder, assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats.

Police believe the remaining fugitives are still in Winnipeg, but “there is always the concern that they may flee outside of the city,” Chancy said.

“Having the one person arrested is always a good thing, but we do believe these two individuals do represent a danger to the public and we do emphasize they should not be approached.”

Police previously arrested Misty Bird, 26, and Lorde Barrios, 28, on Dec. 14 in connection to the attack.

Investigators believe the victim attended the 10-storey public housing tower with somebody she knew, but did not know her attackers. Once inside, she was forced into a suite where she was assaulted, robbed and lost consciousness.

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Police have video footage of the suspects placing the restrained victim in the dumpster.

The woman has since been released from the hospital, but updates on her condition were not available Saturday. Police are releasing limited information about her in an effort to protect her identity, Chancy said.

“Rest assured, we know this is something that is a very traumatic experience for her and something she will be dealing with for a long period of time. We are making sure that we can get her all the resources that are available,” he said.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the remaining suspects is asked to call 911, investigators at 204-986-6245 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.