The stories behind ‘absolutely reprehensible’ crimes

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This article was published 20/03/2025 (189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rejeana McIvor’s heart sank when she was told her one-year-old cat, Nami, was found dead under a bridge in west Winnipeg days after she had to give the animal to a new owner in December.

She said she was horrified when she found out from police that Nami had been tortured and killed.

“I had really bad anxiety. I didn’t want it to be real,” McIvor, 29, said. “When I decided to rehome (my two cats), you never think something like that could happen to you.”

McIvor said the second cat, a male named Nero, is missing.

“I just really hope that he’s out there somewhere,” she said.

Randy Jensen, 24, was formally charged last week with three counts of killing or injuring an animal.

Police said three cats were found dead under the Summit Road bridge, near CentrePort Canada Way, on Dec. 8, Dec. 28 and Dec. 30.

McIvor was told Nami, a female, was found dead Dec. 30, about three days after Nami and Nero were picked up by a man who responded to a classified advertisement she had posted online.

McIvor said she was unable to take her pets with her when she moved into a house in Lake St. Martin First Nation because a person she lives with is allergic to cats.

Nami and Nero initially stayed at McIvor’s mother’s home in Winnipeg, but the arrangement didn’t work out. McIvor’s mother has cats of her own and a dog.

The cats didn’t get along and Nami and Nero were stressed, said McIvor, who decided to seek a new home for the animals.

She posted an ad on Kijiji, which garnered a small number of replies. She had never rehomed a pet and didn’t think any harm would come to Nami or Nero.

A man who responded to the ad — using a first name on his profile information — arranged to visit McIvor’s mother’s home to collect the cats, she said.

A man was wearing a face mask when he arrived a day or two after Christmas to see the animals, said McIvor, who assumed he had a mask on because he was worried about contracting a virus at a time when influenza and COVID-19 were circulating.

He asked questions about Nami and Nero and spent some time with the cats and McIvor before leaving with the animals.

“He said, ‘Thank you,’ and then he left,” McIvor said. “I felt really sad. I didn’t want to (rehome the cats).”

Nami was curious and cautious, but enjoyed cuddles.

“She liked you once she got used to you,” McIvor said. “(Nero) was like the sweetest cat I ever had.”

McIvor thought she was being pranked when a person contacted her on social media Jan. 1 with questions about her cats and if they had been given to a new home.

She said a second person, who is involved in the cat rescue field, then contacted her and told her a cat was found dead under the Summit Road bridge Dec. 30.

When that cat’s ear tattoo was checked in a computer system, McIvor’s name came up as the owner. The details of the cat and owner were registered to McIvor’s old address, which led to her being contacted via social media.

“I was just hoping it wasn’t Nami,” she said.

McIvor said conversations with that person and a police officer confirmed her fears.

After Nami was found, McIvor sent a text message to the man who had picked up cats to ask how they were doing, she said.

“He said somebody in his family left the door open and they both got out, they escaped,” she said.

Later in the exchange, the man told her via text “I just hope they are both OK,” McIvor said.

Police informed her after a suspect was arrested at his home Jan. 10.

At a Jan. 14 news conference, police described the case as “absolutely reprehensible.” They said the cats that were found dead were lured or acquired via social media.

Local residents found some of the animals in a bag or on a path under the bridge.

McIvor is hoping for justice for Nami and the other cats that police say were tortured and killed. She hopes to see changes to federal and provincial laws to strengthen protections for animals and toughen penalties for people convicted of abusing or killing animals.

“I just hope that there are harsher laws when it comes to this type of thing,” she said.

The Summit Road bridge investigation, along with a separate case involving a couple who allegedly killed cats and sold videos of the killings on the dark web, have prompted calls for new regulations to address online sales and free giveaways of cats, dogs and other pets.

Police said some of the cats in the latter case were also acquired via social media.

The province has hinted that measures are on the way.

As for Nero, McIvor put up posters in the Crestview area and posted appeals on social media. McIvor is filled with anguish and regret over Nami’s death and Nero’s disappearance. She said people should be cautious and aware of potential risks when they rehome a pet.

“I was not as careful as I should have been,” she said, noting she thought her cats would find a safe and loving home.

Krista Boryskavich, the Winnipeg Humane Society’s animal advocacy lawyer, said people are usually encouraged to rehome a pet via a reputable shelter or rescue, but it’s difficult to do that right now because shelters and rescues in Manitoba are in a “capacity crisis.”

If rehoming a pet themselves, owners should screen potential adopters and ask questions to learn more about them, Boryskavich said.

Request references such as a veterinary clinic and carry out those reference checks, she said. “Try to do as much homework and due diligence as you can,” Boryskavich said. “The animal has no ability to speak up themselves.”

People should consider charging a nominal adoption fee instead of giving a pet away for free, she said.

Boryskavich encouraged people to spay or neuter their cat or dog to avoid contributing to the pet overpopulation.

A city bylaw prohibits owners from allowing their cats to roam, she said. chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca