‘Was somebody there holding her hand?’: former foster mom grieves for slain 14-year-old

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This article was published 18/12/2023 (631 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 14-year-old girl who was stabbed to death in downtown Winnipeg Friday afternoon — after police say an acquaintance turned on her — is being remembered as a “precious” child with unfulfilled potential.

The Indigenous teen spent part of her life in Manitoba’s child-welfare system, moving between foster homes in northern Manitoba and, recently, Winnipeg, a former foster mother told the Free Press.

“She was a beautiful young girl. She was loved by many and she had a beautiful spirit,” the woman said in a tearful phone interview Monday. “She had so much potential in her life.

“She’s a precious little girl. She just wanted a home.”

The Free Press cannot name the foster mother nor the victim of the daylight attack, which happened at about 1 p.m. on Graham Avenue’s south sidewalk, just west of Fort Street and close to Winnipeg Police Service headquarters.

“We know the victim was with a group of other young people shortly before she was attacked,” Chief Danny Smyth said at a news conference. “One of the young people she was with suddenly turned on her and stabbed her.”

He told reporters he doesn’t believe a fight led up to the slaying.

Smyth was alarmed by the circumstances of the killing, which happened five months after a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed near the same intersection.

In Friday’s incident, police are looking for a male suspect and two female witnesses who were with her and could be around the same age, he said.

He said he didn’t know whether a suspected weapon had been recovered.

Investigators do not consider the attack to be random, given it appeared the victim and three others knew each other, he added.

“Until we find the (suspect), we won’t know why it happened,” the chief said.

Smyth said the Youth Criminal Justice Act prevents police from releasing the names of young suspects and victims of crime.

The 14-year-old is the youngest of Winnipeg’s 40 homicide victims this year.

The attack happened in front of the Cargill office building, close to a busy bus stop and Tim Hortons restaurant at Graham and Fort.

“We know the victim was with a group of other young people shortly before she was attacked … One of the young people she was with suddenly turned on her and stabbed her.”–Chief Danny Smyth

A coffee shop employee said the victim was inside with a male and two females shortly before she was stabbed.

He said there appeared to be a disagreement or argument before the group left, and at least one of the girls appeared visibly upset.

Officers were nearby and rushed to help the injured teen, who ended up just inside the Cargill Building.

A chest seal was applied before paramedics arrived and took the girl to hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery and died.

The Tim Hortons employee said police were given surveillance video from the coffee shop and other places nearby.

The girl’s former foster mother doesn’t know what led up to the attack nor what’s been happening in the teen’s life in recent months.

“She was still so young. I can’t imagine what she went through (Friday).”–Victim’s former foster mother

Smyth said the victim was reported missing multiple times in the past, resulting in her being located and returned to her caregivers. She was not reported missing at the time of her death.

“She was still so young. I can’t imagine what she went through (Friday),” said the foster mother. “You’re left wondering, was somebody there holding her hand? I would have been there in a heartbeat.”

Smyth said police stayed with the girl. A police officer went with her to hospital in an ambulance and was in an operating room with her, he said.

The foster mother was in shock when she learned of the teen’s death.

“I’ve been crying off and on for days,” she said.

The girl lived with the woman’s family in a northern community, where she learned about First Nations culture and traditions, from dancing to hunting.

“I made sure she was loved and cared for, and knew her roots as an Indigenous young lady,” the woman said.

She said the girl went through difficult stages in her life and was unable to set family roots because she was moved around a lot.

The foster mother said she was told the girl was moved out of her care to a different community so she could be closer to supports that she required. The teen eventually ended up in Winnipeg.

The foster mother believes the child-welfare system could have done more for the girl. They had not been in touch since the child left her care, but the teen had tried contacting her.

“I had messages saying she wanted to come home now,” she said.

The province said it cannot confirm if the victim was in the care of any child and family service agency, citing privacy and confidentiality concerns, and the active police investigation.

It said the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth can review the death of a child who received a “reviewable service,” such as child and family services, in the year before their death.

In June, a 17-year-old boy, who had just left a concert at Canada Life Centre, was fatally stabbed near Graham and Fort.

Police previously released details about three other violent incidents at or near the corner this year — two unprovoked robberies at the bus stop and an attack on four international students from India.

“I made sure she was loved and cared for, and knew her roots as an Indigenous young lady.”–Victim’s former foster mother

Smyth said police are increasing their presence downtown, following a commitment to double foot patrols.

It will take some time to recruit additional resources, he said, but community support units have been reassigned from other areas in the interim.

“Although we weren’t able to prevent this particular case, our members were right there to provide assistance and render first aid within moments,” Smyth said of Friday’s homicide. “Our presence is out there. It is making a difference in a number of different areas within the city.”

Before being voted out of power in October’s provincial election, Manitoba’s former Progressive Conservative government announced a $10-million, two-year plan to improve safety downtown. More police officers and security cameras were among the promised measures.

The funding came after the WPS said violent-crime severity in 2022 was at the city’s highest level since 2009.

Smyth also said police are working with social agencies and the RCMP to try to support girls or young women who’ve moved to Winnipeg from northern communities.

Police are asking anyone with information about the slaying to call the homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca