‘A loss to one, is a loss to all’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/02/2024 (572 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CARMAN — Stuffed animals, glitter hearts and flickering candles lined the front walk of the home where a slain mother, her three children and a 17-year-old girl had lived.

Upwards of 75 people gathered at a vigil Friday night to show love and support for the families of the victims. Their friends, family, neighbours, and community leaders showed up in freezing temperatures to hold candles in the dark and silently pay their respects.

“It’s very important to support the family and the people that are left… I think they need our love and support,” said Carman resident Leora Collingridge, whose grandchildren went to school with one of the victims. Collingridge brought teddy bears to the outdoor memorial in honour of the young lives lost.

“You don’t think something like that’s going to happen in little Carman. Nothing happens in Carman that’s not positive. (It’s) extremely shocking and heartbreaking,” she said.

“It hits very hard, and I think there’s been a dark cloud over Carman ever since it happened.”

Ryan Howard Manoakeesick, 29, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his partner Amanda Clearwater, 30, their three kids — two-month-old Isabella, four-year-old Jayven and six-year-old Bethany — and Clearwater’s 17-year-old cousin, Myah-Lee Gratton. It is one of the worst mass killings in Manitoba history.

Some relatives of the victims embraced and cried together outside the house, but didn’t speak to reporters. Cries echoed in the wind as community members stood by on the street, which was blocked off to traffic.

“It hits very hard, and I think there’s been a dark cloud over Carman ever since it happened.”–Leora Collingridge

Premier Wab Kinew attended to offer his condolences, as did Morden-Winkler Tory MLA Carrie Hiebert. Members of the Southern Health region’s mobile crisis team were on hand.

“A loss to one, is a loss to all,” said Cosmo Paton, who works in the grocery store and would often see members of the Clearwater family around town, which is home to about 3,000 people.

“Every impact, good or bad, impacts the entire community.”

Many young families attended, with parents taking young children by the hand or wrapping them in hugs.

“It’s good for kids to see the support that is happening,” said Carman resident Stefanie Dueck, who said she advocated for the flags in town to be lowered to half mast to mark the tragedy.

“We all want a change. There are people with mental health issues who end up going to drugs,” she said.

Autopsies on the victims have been completed, RCMP confirmed Friday. A spokesperson said they didn’t anticipate releasing further details about the case now that it is before the court.

Earlier this week, both Kinew and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the mass killing as a heartbreaking tragedy. Both leaders spoke publicly about the need for more culturally sensitive intimate-partner violence supports and resources.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Head Start

Weekday Mornings

A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.

Sign up for Head Start

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“There are many, many factors that play into this, but I really have to say how pleased I am to be able to work directly with premier Kinew on this issue that hits Manitobans particularly hard, but we’ve seen far too many tragedies right across the country over the past years that we will continue to work together to prevent in the future,” Trudeau said during an unrelated news conference in Winnipeg Thursday.

The victims and suspect lived together in a house in Carman, about 75 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

The victims were found dead Sunday at three separate locations.

Clearwater’s death was initially reported as a hit-and-run around 7:30 a.m. Feb. 11. Her body was found in a ditch next to Highway 3 about seven kilometres south of Carman.

The three children were declared dead near a burning vehicle on Provincial Road 248, about 70 kilometres north of Carman, at about 10 a.m.

Gratton’s body was found inside the family home.

Manoakeesick, who has struggled with mental health and addictions, according to court records, was arrested near the scene of the burning vehicle. RCMP said he had pulled his children from the burning vehicle prior to being arrested.

Gratton’s mother, Juliette Hastings, has been calling for answers from the provincial child-welfare system, saying her warnings about Manoakeesick were ignored. Her daughter had been staying with the family for about 10 months in a placement Hastings said was approved by CFS workers despite her warnings.

“I told (CFS) she shouldn’t be there; it’s not safe,” Hastings said, saying she knew Manoakeesick was violent.

“I want justice for my daughter. I want justice for CFS to admit to me their mistakes, I want them to own up,” Hastings said in an interview earlier this week.

Kinew said Thursday he would be open to an inquiry into the CFS placement decision.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Katie May
Multimedia producer

Katie May is a multimedia producer for the Free Press.

   Read full biography