On Wednesday morning, Jan.19, RCMP officers with the Integrated Border Enforcement Team received concerning information from their counterparts in the United States.
Specifically, the information outlined that officers with the US Customs and Border Protection had apprehended a group of individuals who had crossed into the US from Canada, near the town of Emerson, Manitoba. Further, it indicated that one of the adults had items meant for an infant but that no infant was with the group.
Upon receiving this information at 9:23 a.m., a search was immediately launched on both sides of the border.
RCMP officers were already patrolling the area and the search began at 9:24 am. Extensive patrols were conducted and, at approximately 1:30 p.m., the bodies of three individuals were located on the Canadian side of the border, approximately 10 km east of Emerson.
They have been identified as:
o An adult male;
o An adult female; and
o An infant.
Fearing there may be additional victims, officers continued their search and located the body of an additional male, believed at this time to be in his mid-teens.
The Emerson border crossing is about an hour-and-a-half drive south of Winnipeg.
All victims were located approximately 40 feet from the US/Canada border.
At this very early stage of the investigation, it appears that they all died due to exposure to the cold weather. Work is underway to identify the victims and an autopsy has been scheduled to confirm the cause of death.
The search for any possible survivors or additional victims continued throughout the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 19, and RCMP officers continue to patrol the area today. To date, no other victims have been located.
The RCMP will be conducting a thorough investigation and is working in close collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
All of our agencies are committed to a thorough and comprehensive investigation.
