WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – Canadian police have arrested a man in the murder of a 15-year-old girl, whose death last year focused attention on the country’s problem of indigenous women disappearing or being killed.
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“Investigators know that Tina was highly vulnerable and was exploited during her time on the run”, deputy police Chief Danny Smyth said at a news conference in Winnipeg.
Fontaine was 15 years old when her body was found wrapped in a bag and dumped in the Red River in August of 2014.
It’s believed Cormier and Fontaine had several previous encounters. Earlier this year, he was found guilty of drug possession.
Court records indicate Cormier has previous convictions including assault with a weapon, and failure to comply with conditions.
“Investigators discovered that Tina frequented a residence on the east side of the city”. “People came to us”, lead investigator Detective John O’Donovan said.
Calls for an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women intensified after Fontaine’s death. She survived and has become an advocate for indigenous rights and a federal inquiry.
Fontaine, from the Sagkeeng First Nation community, had been sent into the care of Manitoba’s child custody system, from which she was reported missing eight days before her death.
Police say they have made an arrest in the homicide investigation of Manitoba teenager Tina Fontaine.
Favel has said the officers did know the girl had been reported missing.
“I think Canadians expected the government to act and put in place measures to prevent this in the future”, Bennett said.
The murder rate for Aboriginal women in Canada is disproportionately high.
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Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman praised the Winnipeg Police Service for its work investigating the case and echoed North Wilson on how the news is affecting Fontaine’s relatives.
