Man found dead eight days after 911 call, police watchdog investigating

Manitoba’s police watchdog is investigating after a man was found dead eight days after officers were unable to locate him following a 911 call from Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation in 2024.

The Independent Investigation Unit said the call came in just after midnight on Nov. 22, 2024, with a disturbance audible in the background. GPS coordinates traced it to the First Nation, 305 kilometres west of Winnipeg, prompting Manitoba First Nations Police Service officers to search the area.

Officers could not find the caller, whom they believed to be a local man. Eight days later, on Nov. 30, MFNPS conducted another search and found a man dead.

The death was initially referred to RCMP Major Crime Services as suspicious. The RCMP later returned the case to MFNPS for possible referral to the IIU because of concerns about the eight-day delay in locating the man. MFNPS notified the IIU on Sept. 15, 2026 — nearly two years after the incident.

The IIU, which is required to investigate incidents involving a death potentially connected to police actions or conduct, said its investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information or video footage that could assist investigators is asked to contact the IIU at 1-844-667-6060.