Portage la Prairie homicide investigation focusing on Winnipeg property where house burned: RCMP
Police looking at address on Alfred Avenue, between Salter and Aikins streets as location of interest
RCMP are digging through rubble at a property in Winnipeg's North End where a home burned last month, as they investigate the homicide of a 27-year-old father whose remains were found in Portage la Prairie.
The remains of Gerhard Reimer-Wiebe were found on June 24 near Baker Street in the city, about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg.
Supt. Michael Koppang, the officer in charge of major crime services for the Manitoba RCMP, said Reimer-Wiebe was a husband and father to a three-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter.
He was originally from Bolivia, but moved to Steinbach, Man., and had been living in Winnipeg before his death, police say.
On Tuesday, police were investigating at an address on Alfred Avenue between Salter and Aikins streets, in the William Whyte neighbourhood, which they described as a location of interest.
There was a fire in the home at that address on June 20, and the house was later demolished for safety reasons, RCMP said in a news release.
"We're quite confident that there's evidence in this home that's going to assist us in being able to find out what happened to Gerhard," Koppang said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
He wouldn't say what evidence RCMP are looking for or why investigators are focused on the wreckage of the house, but did say RCMP believe the fire there was the result of arson.
Koppang says investigators have a difficult job ahead of them as they have to dig through rubble to find evidence.
It could take several weeks, if not more, to go through all of the debris they're collecting, which will be analyzed elsewhere, but he said RCMP have state-of-the-art equipment and even the tiniest scrap of evidence could help break the case open.
"Even trace amounts of evidence in today's scientific and technological community can lead to startling results that even years ago would seem like science fiction. But today they're a reality."
When Reimer-Wiebe's body was found in Portage la Prairie, police weren't immediately able to identify him.
After releasing information to the public on two separate occasions, hoping for tips, RCMP were able to identify Reimer-Wiebe, and learned he regularly stayed at homeless shelters in Winnipeg.
Court documents say he was also a graduate of the Adult and Teen Challenge program, which aims to help people who have addictions.
Police believe his body was placed on Baker Street between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on June 20 — about four days before it was found.
Officers also previously released pictures of people of interest who they believed might have more information.
Koppang says RCMP still need the public's help.
Anyone who may have seen Reimer-Wiebe in the area of Alfred Avenue, or who knows anything about his actions between May 15 and June 20, is asked to call the major crime tip line at 431-489-8551.
RCMP major crime and forensic identification units plan continue investigating on Alfred Avenue for the next three days, an RCMP news release said. Alfred Avenue, between Salter and Aikins streets, will be closed to traffic except for local residents during that time.
