Missing Indigenous woman’s remains found, now homicide investigation

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This article was published 09/06/2023 (864 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A gruelling three years of waiting and wondering have come to an end for the family of Melinda Lynxleg, whose remains were found this week at an abandoned home in a rural Manitoba community.

Lynxleg, a 40-year-old Indigenous mother of six, was last seen March 31, 2020, near Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve (also known as Valley River First Nation), around 60 kilometres west of Dauphin.

On Wednesday, police search units discovered her remains in San Clara, about 50 kilometres away.

On Thursday, an autopsy confirmed for investigators the death is a homicide, RCMP said.

“Even when we reported her (missing), that was already a long time, that was already a week. That was long. And then for the three years, it’s been a long time of wondering every day, where is she, what’s going on?” aunt Betty Lynxleg told reporters Friday afternoon.

“Did she just take off, that kind of thing? But we knew that wasn’t something she would do, because she wouldn’t leave her kids. So we knew then something happened.”

The announcement Friday comes after RCMP reported investigating an abandoned property in San Clara — about 350 km northwest of Winnipeg — earlier this week, saying new information had come forward in the missing woman’s case.

RCMP major crimes unit Sgt. Laura LeDrew offered few details on the years-long search, if there were any suspects and how officers were led to the residence.

“It’s a very, very long time for the family. It’s a very short, short time for us,” she said. “We get information and we follow up on all of those leads.”

RCMP received and investigated unconfirmed sightings, information offered by the Valley River community, and multiple tips. Police interviewed more than 60 people during their investigation.

In that time, the Lynxleg family offered a $5,000 reward for information about her disappearance.

“We had been searching for so long, when the remains were discovered, there was a collective moment of silence… however, our work is not done,” LeDrew said.

“Our investigation confirms that Melinda was murdered, and our job now is to find the truth of what happened to her — and I assure you that we are on it.”

It’s a day of both relief and pain for NDP MLA Bernadette Smith, as well. Lynxleg was her sister-in-law’s cousin.

Smith’s own sister went missing in 2008, and has never been found. She said it took police 10 days to begin searching for her sister, and hopes Lynxleg’s case had received a more urgent response.

“This is a circumstance where this family was active, they were vocal, they were calling on the RCMP to look for their loved one and, three years later, she’s found dead, suspected homicide,” the MLA said.

“And, yes, it’s good that she’s brought home, but at the same time, who’s responsible? And how much evidence have been lost in those three years? And how much investigating actually went into trying to find her?”

Smith said she’d like to see dedicated investigative units within the Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP solely for handling cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

“We need to start looking at some of the structures within the systems, and start putting things in place to help prevent these folks from going missing, from being murdered, and not being reactive,” she added.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee said support had been offered to Lynxleg’s family through its MMIWG unit.

“Melinda and her family deserve justice and answers,” Settee said in a statement.

Lynxleg was a single mom who came from a family of seven siblings and is survived by her parents and a large extended family.

Her aunt said she was “a character,” with a sharp sense of humour who never hesitated to advocate for her children.

“Whoever is responsible for this, how do they live their life every day when they’ve taken not only Melinda’s life, but they’ve broken our family?” Betty Lynxleg said.

The Lynxleg family has connected with other MMIWG families and that has helped them find some closure, she added.

“We get to bring her home. We have a place where we can go and visit, her children can visit her… They know where she is. She’s not lost anymore.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca