Portage la Prairie woman killed in double homicide remembered as a good mom to 3 kids
Emily Smoke, 37, and 42-year-old boyfriend were found dead at Portage la Prairie home Sunday night: RCMP
A 37-year-old Portage la Prairie woman who was killed in a double homicide last weekend is being remembered by her family as a caring, fun mother and friend.
Emily Smoke's mother, Lorette Francouer, identified her daughter as one of the victims in the Sunday killing in the small Manitoba city, about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg.
Francouer says her daughter, who grew up in Portage la Prairie and nearby Dakota Plains First Nation, loved her three children.
"She was close with her children," Lorette told CBC in a phone interview on Thursday. "She was a very good mom. They go on outings together, go spend weekends somewhere else out of town."
Her daughter's death is difficult to accept, she said.
Smoke and her 42-year-old boyfriend were found dead after RCMP were called to a home in Portage la Prairie on Sunday night, police said Monday.
Mounties later said it's believed they were the victims of a targeted homicide.
CBC News isn't identifying the man at this time.
Earlier this week, RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre said the 42-year-old was active in the drug trade and had a criminal history.
"We don't believe this is to be random. The individuals were, or the male for sure, would have been targeted," Manaigre said.
In an update released on Friday, RCMP said they've constructed a timeline surrounding the double homicide.
Mounties said they determined two people who are believed to be suspects in the killings exited a maroon SUV and entered a home on Oak Bay in Portage la Prairie at 7:14 p.m. on Dec. 1. A short time later, both people exited the home and "fled in the SUV at a high rate of speed," police said.
RCMP released photos of the vehicle and are asking for help from the public to identify it.
Fun and generous
Miranda Francouer recalls teaching Smoke, her cousin, how to paint her nails and do her hair and makeup when she was young.
Miranda remembers her cousin as a generous person who liked to crack a joke and smile.
"It's very unbelievable that this happened. Our family wants justice for Emily," she said in a text message.
A longtime friend of Smoke's, whom CBC isn't naming because they fear for their safety, said Smoke loved dancing and listening to music, particularly Bob Marley, as well as having people over for coffee, and was a fantastic person to be around.
Smoke had expressed last year that she was happy with her new boyfriend, despite having ongoing mental health challenges, the friend said.
Smoke's mother and the friend say they grew concerned about her in the last couple of years, but she denied using drugs.
Her friend agrees Smoke needed help, but long waits for mental health support in Portage la Prairie made that difficult.
Lorette says her daughter came to live with her northwest of the city at the end of summer and worked as a potato harvester in the fall.
She last saw Smoke in early November, when she left to visit her boyfriend on Oak Bay in Portage la Prairie.
Lorette grew even more worried when Smoke stopped communicating with her around mid-November.
The RCMP's Manaigre said the investigation into the homicides is continuing.
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