Selkirk Avenue rooming house part of historic homicide investigation
No details provided about what led police to home in North End of Winnipeg
Winnipeg police executed a search warrant in a North End rooming house Tuesday morning in connection with a historic homicide.
Const. Jason Michalyshen said new information came to light that led police to execute a search at the home on Selkirk Avenue near Sinclair Street at 10 a.m. CT.
Michalyshen did not release any details about what led police to the home, stating only that investigators believe the home is tied to an ongoing homicide investigation.
The investigation is being carried out as part of Project Devote, a joint team made up of RCMP and Winnipeg police investigators who focus on cases involving missing and murdered and exploited persons.
Project Devote is currently engaged in 28 such investigations, Michalyshen said.
Families on edge
Bernadette Smith passed by the home Tuesday evening. Her sister, Claudette Osborne, went missing nine years ago and was last seen in this area.
Smith said she and other families received a call from Project Devote investigators to notify them of the search Tuesday morning.
"We know [Claudette] made a call right at the corner here ... So we know she was on Selkirk Avenue, you know, and is there a possibility? Absolutely," she said. "Anytime there is an investigation or remains found, you know, it's like an emotional roller coaster for families because we don't know, that could be our loved one."
While she was pleased to see police acting on a tip, Smith said she is not convinced the search is tied to her sister's case.
"In my heart I don't feel like it is, I guess because we've had so many places of hope that you kind of just wait to find out the final result ... because you don't want to be let down."
Kyle Kematch also showed up at the home Tuesday evening to see the investigation firsthand. His sister, Amber Guiboche, disappeared from downtown Winnipeg six years ago. She was 20.
"It's good to know that they're doing the best they can," he said. "Maybe that there's an answer for one of the families out there and hopefully for mine."
Smith hopes so too.
