There is new insight into the property where Winnipeg police say human remains were placed in a barrel along with chemical agents.
A woman told CTV News she visited the home twice this past fall, in between the time police say the victim -- 42-year-old Jennifer Barrett died -- and when she was found.
Barrett was killed in August, Winnipeg police said Friday. Her remains were discovered in December.
Photos snapped inside the home in October and November on the property show feces, clothes and a mattress scattered on the floor.
The woman said she visited the home twice this past fall hoping to buy a pug puppy and now believes she was the victim of a possible scam.
"You walked in and you had to cover your nose," said the woman Sunday. "It was weird because I was sitting on an area rug and every time a puppy would poop, she wouldn't clean it up," she said.
The woman says she put down a $300 deposit for a pug she saw at the home after answering a Kijiji ad. When she returned weeks later, the people she dealt with were gone and the landlord let her inside. The woman now feels different about her visits to the home.
"It gave me anxiety knowing that, because my family was in that house, meanwhile a dead body was outside,” she said.
Winnipeg police said Friday three people were arrested in connection with Barrett's homicide. Barrett lived with the three accused.
Tara Garrett started digging into the possible pug scam after her mom, Colleen, tried to buy a pug in December and lost a $400 deposit.
Garrett said she's been in contact with 27 alleged victims caught up trying to buy pugs and losing money. She said four of the alleged victims went to the Waverly Heights property.
"You start thinking could these people have irritated them so much where they could have been attacked," said Tara.
"I would have nightmares finding a body stuffed in a barrel. There are sick people out there," said Colleen.
CTV News asked Winnipeg police if there is a connection between the possible pug scam and the home where Jennifer Barrett's remains were found. Officers said they aren’t sharing information at this time.
(File Image: Winnipeg Police Service)
Perez Adaryll Cleveland, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder.
Jessica Elizabeth Reid, 34, and Holley Alyssa Sullivan, 28, were charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
