Over the course of the past two years, the Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services, Winnipeg Police Service (WPS), and Manitoba First Nation Police Service (MFNPS) have been conducting a joint investigation into the homicide of Bud Paul, a 56-year-old male from Winnipeg.
The investigation began on August 7, 2020, when a concerned co-worker contacted the WPS and requested a well-being check on Bud Paul as he failed to attend work and couldn’t be reached for a number of days. Officers with the WPS immediately began their search and launched a missing person’s investigation.
Three days later, on August 10, 2020, Bud’s burned-out vehicle was discovered on Queen Street in Winnipeg; elevating the concern of investigators.
On August 11, a body was located by MFNPS hidden in deep brush in Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation – approximately 100km south of Winnipeg. It was later confirmed to be the body of Bud Paul and deemed a homicide.
As the investigation spanned three police jurisdictions, a decision was made to begin a joint investigation so that information and resources could be more readily shared.
The joint investigation led officers to Neepawa, where surveillance video from a liquor store captured Bud Paul with two individuals. The video was from August 1, 2020, and was the last known sighting of Bud Paul alive. A plea to the public for any information about the two people in the video was issued on October 14, 2020.
On December 17, 2020, new information led RCMP and WPS investigators to Bud Paul’s last-known residence on Hespeler Avenue in Winnipeg and a search was conducted. On the same date, the two primary suspects in the homicide were publicly identified as a 36-year-old female and a 39-year-old male.
Investigators also established that the suspects and the victim were known to each other.
On December 20, 2020, the female suspect was arrested in Winnipeg and taken to Manitoba RCMP HQ for questioning. She was later released without charges.
Between January 2021 and July 2022, investigators from all three police services conducted multiple interviews and followed-up on all tips received by the public.
During this timeframe, forensic evidence was also examined by the RCMP laboratory in Ottawa as well as a laboratory in the United States.
Through the use of the forensic evidence, tips from the public and statements obtained from witnesses, Aaron Mousseau a 41-year-old male from Winnipeg was identified as being responsible for the murder of Bud Paul. On August 30, 2022, Aaron Mousseau, was arrested and charged with 1st Degree Murder.
No additional charges are expected at this time.
