Winnipeg police say a body was found frozen in the city on December 28.
Police are not releasing the name, gender, or age of the person in question. They are not releasing where the body was found.
Family have identified the deceased as 29-year-old Windy Sinclair.
Family tells CTV News Sinclair was found in the 300 block of Furby Street.
For weeks, Winnipeg and Manitoba have experienced bitterly cold temperatures that have prompted several extreme cold alerts. According to Environment Canada, the low temperature on Dec. 28 was minus 28 degrees celsius.
Windy’s mother Eleanor Sinclair tells CTV News Windy left their North End home on Dec. 25 between 8 and 8:30 p.m.
She said Windy had called 911, was incoherent and wanted help, and was taken to Seven Oaks General Hospital in an ambulance.
Sinclair's mother said Windy, a mother of four children between the ages of four and 11 was struggling with a crystal meth addiction.
She said when she called the hospital next day staff told her, Windy had been released.
Eleanor said she’s angry and upset that she wasn’t notified her daughter had left the hospital.
Windy cousin’s Tina Easter said her body was found in the 300 block of Furby Street. Easter said she was found by a vent, likely trying to keep warm.
Statement of behalf of Réal Cloutier, Interim President and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority:
“We are saddened to hear about the loss this family has experienced and have reached out to them directly to share our condolences. We have offered to meet with them to share details of their daughter’s care and will do so in the near future. We have indicated to the family that we are investigating to learn more about her visit to the hospital and any treatments she may have sought or received. The family has provided the WRHA with permission to speak about their daughter’s care. While we are in the initial stages of reviewing this case, we do know that Ms. Sinclair was brought to Seven Oaks General Hospital in the evening of December 25. She was seen in the Emergency Department and was in the process of receiving treatment. When staff returned to her treatment area to share results of some testing, Ms. Sinclair had taken her belongings and left the building. Staff searched the area for her, but were unable to locate her. Calls to the number on Ms. Sinclair’s file were unanswered.
It is important to note that staff in hospital make every effort to provide quality care and service to any patient that comes to see them, but there may be factors that affect the ability of staff to provide quality care or service, such as if the care is interrupted or if an individual leaves the facility before their treatment has been completed.
We will continue to review this case and provide any additional details to the family. “
Meanwhile the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to CTV News that it is investigating the death, but says it will be several months before it can determine the manner in which she died.
The office said the cause of death likely won't be known until the spring.
