Bizarre abduction detailed in court after guilty plea

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/09/2024 (395 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW details are emerging about how a Winnipeg woman came to be beaten and dumped in an apartment garbage bin in sub-zero temperatures, as well as her ultimate rescue.

Evelyn McKay, one of five people arrested in connection to the Dec. 10, 2023, incident, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of forcible confinement.

McKay, 41, choked back tears as she confirmed her plea during a brief appearance before provincial court Judge Mary-Kate Harvie.

McKay will be sentenced at a later date following the completion of a court-ordered pre-sentence report.

An agreed statement of facts provided to court says the 27-year-old victim was waiting for a bus at Sargent Avenue and Maryland Street around 3:30 p.m. when a man she didn’t know approached her and said, “You’re coming with me,” before pulling her onto a departing bus.

The man took the victim to a Manitoba Housing complex at 24 Carlton St. and led her to a suite where McKay was visiting the tenants, Lorde Barrios and Misty Bird. Also present were Joey Audy and Romeo Miles, two gang members who had gone to the suite armed with a crowbar and knife for the purpose of “recruiting” Barrios to their gang.

The woman used the washroom after she entered the suite, during which time the man who took her there left the building. When the woman exited the washroom, Audy asked her who had taken her there and she mistakenly identified Barrios.

“When Barrios denied knowing the victim, Audy suspected that the victim was a ‘narc’ or a ‘rat’,” says the agreed statement of facts.

McKay, who had been in a brief relationship with Audy, tried to leave the suite. Audy directed her to check the victim for “wires” or recording devices.

Audy punched and kicked the victim in the face before telling McKay and Bird to tie her up with duct tape, the agreed statement of facts alleges. Audy shoved the woman underneath a bed before telling Miles to grab her belongings. He told Barrios he would came back later and “collect” the victim.

“Barrios, Bird and McKay argued over whether to untie the victim, but decided to keep her tied up because Audy was going to return,” says the agreed statement of facts.

McKay left the suite shortly before 7 p.m. By 8 p.m., Audy had not yet returned. Barrios and Bird untied the victim and took her with them to play VLTs. Barrios gave her $5 to play the machines.

Barrios, Bird and the victim had already made their way back to the suite at 9 p.m. when Audy returned and asked why the victim had been freed from her restraints.

“Barrios replied that he did not think (Audy) was coming back,” says the agreed statement of facts.

Audy punched the woman in the face, then gave her a beer. He spent the next three hours drinking, using drugs and “socializing” with Barrios and Bird.

“During this time, Audy commented that he was going to toss the victim in the dumpster and light her up,” says the agreed statement of facts.

McKay returned to the suite shortly after midnight, at which time Audy told her to tie up the victim again. Audy stomped on the woman’s head and forced her body into a hockey bag.

Audy and McKay took the woman to an elevator, as Audy played music on a portable speaker to “mute (the victim’s) screams.” Once outside, Audy and McKay dragged the hockey bag to a dumpster, where Audy tossed it inside and closed the lid.

“The victim remained quiet for a short period of time and then started screaming and banging on the dumpster,” says the agreed statement of facts. “She was trying to untie herself and panicking as she thought she was going to die.”

About half an hour later, Barrios went outside and heard the woman screaming. Barrios opened the dumpster lid and told the woman he would be right back. He returned an hour later with Bird and the two removed the woman from the duffel bag and removed her restraints.

That account differs from the one initially provided by city police, who said at the time the woman had been found by a passerby.

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.

The woman was taken back to the suite where she was provided a shower, clothing and food. The next morning, Bird helped the woman board a bus for the Health Sciences Centre, where staff contacted police.

Last month, Audy — who has been charged with attempted murder and other offences in connection to the incident — was ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine whether he should be held criminally responsible for his actions.

Charges of forcible confinement and robbery involving Barrios and Bird were stayed earlier this year.

Miles pleaded guilty to forcible confinement and robbery and was sentenced in March to 18 months in jail.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca

Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter

Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.

Every piece of reporting Dean 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.