Remains found near Red River identified as 40-year-old Winnipeg mother: police

WARNING: The details in this article may be disturbing to some viewers.

A 40-year-old Winnipeg woman has been identified by police after her partial remains were found near the Red River last month.

Winnipeg police have identified the remains as June Christine Johnson and said her death has been determined to be a homicide.

Johnson’s partial remains were found in the area of Curtis Street and Higgins Avenue in South Point Douglas on April 15. Sgt. Wade McDonald with the Winnipeg Police Service’s homicide unit said Johnson was dismembered, but did not reveal a cause of death.

She was identified after numerous tips from the public following a press conference on April 17, and identified Johnson through forensic verification.

McDonald said police believe her death is a standalone death and not related to any ongoing investigations.

During the press conference, McDonald read a statement from Johnson’s family, who noted that she struggled with addiction, but loved her family.

“June had a great sense of humour, was very outgoing, and we are going to cherish our good times and memories with her,” the statement said. “Sadly, addiction took over all aspects of her life, and we lost her in this very tragic way.”

Johnson’s family has requested privacy.

During a news conference Wednesday morning, McDonald said Johnson was last seen in February 2023 in the downtown area.

“We know she accessed several of the community organizations downtown,” he said, naming Main Street Project, Siloam Mission and Salvation Army.

McDonald added more than 60 members of the Winnipeg Police Service have worked on the case, and 11 terabytes of video has been collected and reviewed by investigators.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information on her death is asked to contact police.