Remains found in South Point Douglas those of unidentified woman: Winnipeg police
Police asking for help to identify woman they believe was victim of homicide
WARNING: This story contains graphic content.
Winnipeg police say partial human remains found near the Red River in the South Point Douglas area on Saturday were those of a woman over the age of 20 who hasn't yet been identified.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Sgt. Wade McDonald with the police service's homicide unit said it's believed the woman was the victim of a homicide but could not say why, and wouldn't say whether there were obvious signs of foul play.
Officers were called to the area around Curtis Street and Higgins Avenue around 1:30 p.m. Saturday after a report of possible human remains found in the area, police said in a news release on Monday.
Police had a large section of Waterfront Drive, upstream from where the remains were found, taped off on Sunday. Members of the underwater search and identification unit were still there on Monday.
A recreational path that runs alongside the Red River connects Waterfront and Curtis, which are blocks away from each other.
Police are now asking the public for help identifying the woman and have released some information about her.
She was over 20 years old and of unknown ethnicity, police said Tuesday. She was between five feet and five feet, five inches tall, with a slight build. She had short dark hair and both her ears were double-pierced.
The woman also had a caesarean (C-section) scar and was missing upper and lower teeth, police said.
McDonald said ground search and rescue searched an area about three kilometres long and that several units were involved in the search, including the dive unit. He said police don't know exactly how long the remains were there before they were discovered.
At this point, police are treating this as a stand-alone event and have no evidence to suggest it's related to any other cases, McDonald said.
Police ask anyone with information or surveillance footage to contact the homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.