Family of four found frozen to death near Canada-U.S. border identified; RCMP investigation continues
Four people who froze to death while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border in Manitoba have been identified.
According to a release from the High Commission of India, later confirmed by RCMP on Thursday, the four people have been identified as Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, a 39-year-old man, Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, a 37-year-old woman, Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, an 11-year-old girl, and Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, a three-year-old boy.
The release said the four people were all Indian nationals, adding their next of kin have been notified.
RCMP Chief Superintendent Rob Hill offered an apology for originally identifying the 11-year-old as a male teen.
"Please understand that the frozen state in which the bodies were found and the clothing made by the family made the initial identification difficult. It is also why the process to confirm the names took an extended period of time," said Hill.
Hill said the family of four arrived in Toronto on Jan. 12 and travelled to Emerson, Man. on Jan. 18.
"The Consulate General of India in Toronto is in touch with the family of the deceased and is providing all consular support," the release reads.
The release said, following a medical examination, Canadian authorities have determined all the deaths to be consistent with exposure to outdoor elements.
It said a special team led by a senior consular officer from the Consulate General of India in Toronto is currently in Manitoba helping with the investigation.
"There was no abandoned vehicle on the Canadian side of the border. This clearly indicates that someone drove the family to the border and then left the scene," said Hill.
Hill noted this was a long period of time to travel across the country, especially for a family unfamiliar with Canada.
"A part of the investigation is determining whether this travel was facilitated in some way by an individual or individuals," said Hill, adding RCMP believes people would have had interactions with the Patel family, including hotel, gas station, and restaurant employees.
"We need anyone who had interaction with the Patel family or has information about their journey to the border to think about what they went through, and to step forward."
For the Indian community in Manitoba, knowing who the identity of the family is a step closer to closure.
"The community is very strongly looking forward for answers," said Ramandeep Grewal, president of the India Association of Manitoba.
"We will be looking forward to having some closure into this episode and having the bad actors behind bars so that this cannot be repeated and that the vulnerable people are not paying off these traffickers anymore."
According to U.S. officials, it is believed the family ended up separated from a large group of seven Indian migrants who were arrested trying to enter the U.S. from Canada.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection told CTV News the migrants will be deported, saying they were administratively processed for removal or placed into removal proceedings last week.
"All the migrants have been released from Border Patrol’s custody and ordered to report to ICE at a later date," they said in a statement.
Steve Shand, a man from Florida, has been charged in the U.S. with human smuggling. The charges have not been proven in court.
If anyone has information that they can share with the RCMP, they’re encouraged to call 431-489-8551 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.