CANADA RCMP reviewing cold-case homicides for signs of serial killer

[Patience]

WINNIPEG — Six weeks before her body was found Thursday just outside Winnipeg, 18-year-old Hillary Angel Wilson wrote a tribute on a Facebook memorial to her friend Cherisse Houle, found dead in a creek outside the city last month.

Police aren't saying whether the deaths of the two young aboriginal women are connected. In fact, they're not saying much at all about the death of Wilson, though RCMP are calling it a homicide.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Sl...017/story.html

[Patience]

Winnipeg Free PressJuly 3, 2009

The body of a girl found in a stream in the R.M. of Rosser has been identified as Cherisse Houle, 17, of Winnipeg.

*snip

Anyone with information regarding Houle's whereabouts on or after June 26 is asked to contact the Headingley RCMP Detachment at 888-0358 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ye...915/story.html

[Patience]

By Chinta Puxley (CP) –

WINNIPEG — A growing chorus of voices is calling for a provincial task force into missing aboriginal women in Manitoba after another young woman's body was discovered on the outskirts of Winnipeg.
Police are treating 18-year-old Hillary Angel Wilson's death as a homicide but have said little else since her body was found last Thursday. Her death comes one month after her 17-year-old friend, Cherisse Houle, was found dead in a creek near Winnipeg.
The deaths have left friends uneasy and have many calling for a task force to examine why so many young aboriginal women are going missing or are being found murdered.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/can...jPb8yZKZfS3t0w

[Patience]

Both Wilson and Houle were aboriginal, a fact that has Raven Thundersky shaking her head. She is the chair of Sisters in Spirit, a campaign launched five years ago by the Native Women's Association of Canada to raise awareness about violence against aboriginal women.
"I can't remember the last time – and I mean for aboriginal women – when the last time was that we actually were able to see the face and have the name of one of the murderers responsible for taking one of our women," she said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...e-friends.html

[Patience]

WINNIPEG -- More than 250 people came out yesterday to remember slain Hillary Wilson and to call for action on finding her killer, as well as the killers of other young aboriginal women found dead on the city's outskirts in recent years.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/20...11991-sun.html

[Patience]

Where is Claudette Osborne? This beautiful young woman has been missing since July 24, 2008.

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/lo...b=WinnipegHome

If you can help find Claudette Osborne, you're asked to call the Winnipeg Police Service Missing Persons Unit at (204) 986-6050 or the Police Non-Emergency line at (204) 986-6222.

[Patience]

The recent deaths of two young aboriginal women near Winnipeg may be connected, according to a close friend who is now scared for her own life.
The woman, who CBC News is not identifying because of her concerns, said she was best friends with Cherisse Houle, 17, and Hillary Angel Wilson, 18, when they got involved a few years ago with a group of men who used them for sex in exchange for food, clothes and crack cocaine.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...-manitoba.html

Related

Internal Links

Unsolved murders of women under review by Winnipeg police2 Winnipeg friends found dead weeks apartRCMP reviewing cold-case homicides for signs of serial killerBody found in stream identified as missing Winnipeg girl, 17Police seek help locating missing Winnipeg girlsWinnipeg's murdered women deserve task force, say aboriginal groups

[kaas]

Very chilling indeed to think that there may be an organized group preying on these young woman. Let us hope that this is cracked wide open soon and that the women from the communities receive the support they need. Safehouses, community programs, etc etc.
It is heartening to see that this situation is finally receiving national attentionas well. Hopefully the integrated task force from Winnipeg, RCMP and the First Nations will be successful in solving these horrible crimes, bring the perpetrators to justice create measures to protect the vunerable women from further predation.

[Patience]

The Manitoba government, RCMP and Winnipeg Police Service formally established a task force Wednesday to review cases involving missing and murdered women in the province.
"The province is supporting police in this vital task," Attorney General Dave Chomiak said.
"These women were mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. Many are aboriginal. We share a common goal with the police, helping as they seek answers in these cases. The unit will help move these investigations to the next level."
Members of the Manitoba Integrated Task Force for Missing and Murdered Women are experienced investigators, Chomiak said, noting the unit includes three RCMP officers, two RCMP analysts and four officers from the Winnipeg Police Service.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...-manitoba.html

[Alta]

I am so glad to see this finally getting some attention.I think the police should also look into the cases in Manitoba & Saskatchewan being related.Tamra Keepness's case has always sat wrong with me,I have always thought someone in her immediate family isn't telling everything they know about the night she disappeared.

[Patience]

Possible Break in the Highway of Tears Cases!!!!! It is my opinion also that the homicides in B.C. , Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba could be related.


RCMP investigators descended on a two-hectare property west of Prince George on Thursday in connection with what they called a "historical homicide."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/0..._george_search

[Patience]

Friday, August 28, 2009 12:24 PM


Prince George, B.C.- Investigators from the "E" Division Provincial Unsolved Homicide Unit are continuing their search of a property located at 31645 Pinewood Road in the District of Isle Pierre, west of Prince George.
Investigators have now confirmedwhat opinion 250 reported last night, namely that they are searching for evidence on the property that will help further their investigation into the 2002 disappearance of Nicole Hoar.

http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/...++nicole++hoar

[Penelope]

I live in rural Manitoba and a friend of mine is very connected to the Winnipeg Police Force. He once told me that law enforcement does believe there is a serial killer in Winnipeg as well as one operating in Edmonton. He also told me that he two girls (Houle and Wilson) were part of a sex trade ring and were killed because they talked to the police and not by a serial killer. Aboriginal leaders have been demanding for years that the RCMP take the situation of missing aboriginal women in Canada seriously.

[Patience]

Missing-women task force sees links in Manitoba deaths

snip*

The task force was announced last August after the deaths of Hillary Angel Wilson, 18, and Cherisse Houle, 17.
Wilson’s body was found in the Rural Municipality of East St. Paul, and classified as a homicide.
In July, Houle’s body was found dumped in a field. Police said it was a suspicious death.
The possibility of a serial killer had been raised at meetings between the RCMP, residents and the province’s justice minister.
Under pressure to deal with the killings and disappearance of women in Manitoba — the same kind of incidents that have happened across Western Canada — police agreed to form the task force.
Speaking this week, RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Line Karpish and Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Jackie Chaput did not identify the number of homicides among the 84 Manitoba cases, or say how many involve missing women where foul play is suspected.
"We’re going to be pursuing certain investigations more aggressively and in a more in-depth fashion," said Chaput.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Mis...331/story.html

[Hazel]

Originally Posted by Patience

Where is Claudette Osborne? This beautiful young woman has been missing since July 24, 2008.

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/lo...b=WinnipegHome

If you can help find Claudette Osborne, you're asked to call the Winnipeg Police Service Missing Persons Unit at (204) 986-6050 or the Police Non-Emergency line at (204) 986-6222.

New break in case of missing Winnipeg woman
Global News: Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Up until now, it was believed she was last seen at the Lincoln Hotel on McPhillips Street. But now, investigators confirm that she left the hotel and was seen at the corner of Selkirk Avenue and King Street around 6:30 a.m.

"Now we need people to think, King and Selkirk at that time and that place," said Winnipeg Police Service Det. Clyde Raven. "Did they see her? Did they see where she went? Did they see who she could have been with at that time?"

http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/break+...292/story.html

[dotr]

New!!
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/20.../19917331.html

"WINNIPEG - A 52-year-old Winnipeg man charged with killing three Winnipeg prostitutes between September and January was initially being investigated for sexual assault, police revealed.

Shawn Cameron Lamb is being held on three counts of second-degree murder in the slayings of Tanya Jane Nepinak, Carolyn Sinclair and Lorna Blacksmith, court records state.

All three women were reported missing to Winnipeg police."

[dotr]

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06...n_1625297.html
"Police Chief Keith McCaskill acknowledged that people have been speculating for some time there was serial killer preying on women in Winnipeg, but there hadn't been evidence to tie any cases together until now.

"We never said there was no serial killer. We said we had no evidence to suggest there is one," McCaskill said. "Now we have that evidence."

[dotr]

http://www.cbc.ca/m/rich/news/story/...de-arrest.html
"The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) held a news conference following the police announcement Monday.

Grand Chief Derek Nepinak said First Nations women are sacred and valued citizens of aboriginal communities and must not be treated as second-class citizens.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief David Harper said that he is demanding a public inquiry into missing and murdered women in Manitoba.

The AMC will be holding a vigil for Sinclair, Nepinak and Blacksmith on Tuesday at the Manitoba legislature and said members will not leave until a public inquiry is called.

Police said they are looking into the possibility that there could be more victims"

[dotr]

My heart truly goes out to the families of these young ladies.
APTN news video
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2012/06/25...-nation-women/

"All three women disappeared within the space of five months around the same street, Ellice Ave, known locally as Winnipeg’s “street of tears.” Nepinak disappeared last September, Sinclair in December and Blacksmith disappeared in January of this year.

According to court records, police allege that Blacksmith was killed Jan. 12, while Sinclair was killed Dec. 18, 2011, and Nepinak was murdered on Sept. 13, 2011."

[KMouse]

All women are sacred and valued citizens.

An inquiry after Lamb's conviction would be interesting. The justice officials can then explain how this person was released again and again on a recognizance or bail.

Another big problem is the sex trade on the city streets. Not just in Winnipeg but in every city. Why is there a market for young girls??

[dotr]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2.../19924391.html

""This isn't just a provincial challenge, it's a national challenge," Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak told the predominantly female crowd, many of whom held or wore signs of protest and remembrance.

Along with calling for a public inquiry, Nepinak also called for the federal government to restore funding to Sisters in Spirit, an initiative to track roughly 600 national cases of murdered and missing women and raise awareness about high rates of violence perpetrated against aboriginal women and girls.


"We have to do something about this, we cannot sit and wait," said MKO Grand Chief David Harper, saying there are 80 cases of missing and murdered women in Manitoba alone
"

[dotr]

Would you believe this cowardly murderer actually sought protection from women?!
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2.../19932536.html

WINNIPEG - Accused serial killer Shawn Lamb once sought a protection order against a former girlfriend he said threatened to kill him.

The protection order is among several court files that shed light on Lamb's recent history with women"

[Penelope]

I live about an hour outside of Winnipeg and am very connected with the city's Aboriginal community. Over the past couple of days, I have become privy to the following regarding Shawn Lamb:
-- One young woman (under age 15) that I know is considered a "teen at risk" by the Winnipeg Police Dept. She had a few "run-ins" with Lamb. Once when she had disappeared from home she met Lamb and was invited to do drugs with him. He tried to sexually assault her but she fought and got away. She reported it to the police and was one of the reasons they began investigating Lamb.
-- Another adult woman met Lamb through the prison system. She saw Lamb at one of the vigils held by the Aboriginal Community for the Missing and Murdered Women. He actually came up to her and asked if she remembered him.
-- Both the teen and the woman are traumatized by Lambs arrest and the allegations against him and are relieved that they survived their encounters with him.

I just found this article. The woman quoted is a friend of mine -- her daughter is the girl mentioned above.

[dotr]

Originally Posted by Penelope

I live about an hour outside of Winnipeg and am very connected with the city's Aboriginal community. Over the past couple of days, I have become privy to the following regarding Shawn Lamb:
-- One young woman (under age 15) that I know is considered a "teen at risk" by the Winnipeg Police Dept. She had a few "run-ins" with Lamb. Once when she had disappeared from home she met Lamb and was invited to do drugs with him. He tried to sexually assault her but she fought and got away. She reported it to the police and was one of the reasons they began investigating Lamb.
-- Another adult woman met Lamb through the prison system. She saw Lamb at one of the vigils held by the Aboriginal Community for the Missing and Murdered Women. He actually came up to her and asked if she remembered him.
-- Both the teen and the woman are traumatized by Lambs arrest and the allegations against him and are relieved that they survived their encounters with him.

I just found this article. The woman quoted is a friend of mine -- her daughter is the girl mentioned above.

That poor Mother must be going through h..l, thinking of the what ifs, wishing her and daughter strength to overcome her difficulties.Reading about his prior crimes, I have wondered how many unsolved crimes he might have been responsible for in Ontario, especially this cold-case..

Mary Hammond, missing, presumed murdered coldcase /83 has new leads Brantford Ontario - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Mary Hammond, missing, presumed murdered coldcase /83 has new leads Brantford Ontario - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

[Penelope]

Originally Posted by dotr

That poor Mother must be going through h..l, thinking of the what ifs, wishing her and daughter strength to overcome her difficulties.Reading about his prior crimes, I have wondered how many unsolved crimes he might have been responsible for in Ontario, especially this cold-case..
Mary Hammond, missing, presumed murdered coldcase /83 has new leads Brantford Ontario - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

The teen's mother, stepfather and extended family have worked so hard to help this girl overcome her addiction issues. The mother herself had addiction issues when she was younger but now is a young leader in the aboriginal community and helps parents who are going through the same thing she and her daughter are experiencing.

Believe me, these are good people who are trying to heal from generations of abuse and addictions. To have an alleged killer like Lamb in their midst is terrifying, especially since his deceased mother was aboriginal. Many aboriginal people have suffered from trauma similar to what Lamb says he experienced in his youth -- many were taken away from their parents and put in residential schools where they suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse for years (as did my late husband). However, it is hard for people to understand what made Lamb turn against his own people by allegedly assaulting and/or killing aboriginal girls and women.