‘Feels like going through the pain of losing him again’

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This article was published 17/04/2025 (486 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg woman is pleading for thieves to return a treasured family heirloom stolen during an apparent heist at a Niverville jewelry store this week.

Jessica Bednarski said a gold and diamond ring belonging to her late father Mario was among items stolen from 88 Carats Co. in the rural community south of Winnipeg.

“It was like living a nightmare,” Bednarski said by phone, sobbing as she described the moment she learned the ring was gone.

“It’s just the most heartbreaking thing… It just feels like going through the pain of losing him again.”

Mounties were called to the business around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and confirmed an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise, including jewellery, had been stolen, an RCMP spokesperson said in an email.

“Officers were told the store owner had just arrived and discovered the building had been broken into. Investigation revealed the suspects gained entry through breaking a second storey window sometime overnight,” RCMP said.

In a video published on social media, the business owners said they believe the theft occurred between 10 p.m. Monday and 5 a.m. Tuesday. They asked anyone with video of the break-in to come forward and offered a $50,000 reward for information that leads to a full recovery of the stolen goods and smaller payouts for other recovered goods based on their value.

The business does not have insurance that will cover the loss, Danielle and Travis Wiebe said in the video.

Travis Wiebe told the Free Press on Friday the business plans to replicate customers’ missing items on their own dime. The estimated loss is over $250,000.

“We’re going to make sure that our customers are taken care of,” Wiebe said.

The store is on the second floor of the building. It appears the thieves used a ventilation system, recently installed as a Pizza Hut moved into the first floor, to reach a less-secure window to bust their way in, he said.

Wiebe said he believes the thieves previously cased their business, which allows customers in by appointment only.

“They knew what to avoid, they knew what not to take, what didn’t have value,” he said. “We believe they’ve definitely been in our store before. The good thing about that is… if somebody shows up at our door, we have their name and their number and we have video of everybody that’s come in.”

He said they would make a deal with the thief for the $50,000 reward, if he were to come forward, with no police involvement.

Wiebe added he had tried to reach RCMP to provide them with names of potential suspects and video surveillance, but did not get a follow-up until Friday.

“We’ve been a little bit frustrated,” he said. “We’re walking around, doing all the legwork ourselves… The lack of response has been very disheartening.”

Wiebe said the couple’s life savings were pilfered in the theft. “It was really tough to see everything gone.”

“You take your safety for granted in a small town and I guess the growth (of Niverville), this is just a wake-up call for us and the whole town,” said Wiebe. “We’ve got to rethink safety concerns here.”

Customer Bednarski planned to have diamonds removed from the ring and repurposed into necklace pendants for her mother and sisters “so that everybody had a piece.”

She said someone from the store called her Wednesday to tell her about the theft. She was told she could not be reimbursed due to the lack of insurance, she said.

Along with the ring, Bednarski also lost six other jewelry items she had brought there.

“Making those necklaces was just a way I wanted to ensure that it wasn’t just me and my fiancé who were going to have that ring… We’re really holding out hope that it comes back to us.”

The ring had been reformed into a wedding ring that was to be worn by Bednarski’s fiancé, Jeremy de las Alas. It is engraved with the numbers “517” — a reference to their upcoming wedding May 17.

Bednarski has been calling Manitoba pawn shops and gold dealers, asking them to keep an eye out for the heirloom.

“Someone out there knows something. We don’t even need to know who or what happened, we just really want the ring back at the end of the day,” de las Alas said.

“Just put it under a rock at the park and send me an anonymous message,” Bednarski added.

Elvin Krahn, president of the Niverville Chamber of Commerce, declined comment on the theft, but urged community members to report any suspicious activity to local authorities.

“We would recommend and encourage our membership and those in the business community to review their business investment and evaluate and explore the appropriate security options available to support their operations. Additionally, being vigilant is an important aspect as well,” Krahn said in a statement.

Niverville Mayor Myron Dyck deferred comment to RCMP.

The RCMP said an investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call St-Pierre-Jolys RCMP at (204) 433-7908, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or leave a secure tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.

— with files from Erik Pindera

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca