Two Adults, A Teenager & An Infant Have Been Found Dead At The Canada-US Border
All victims were found around 12 metres from the border.
Manitoba RCMP has confirmed that a group of people, including a teenager and an infant, have been found dead at the Canada-U.S. border.
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On January 20, the police force revealed that a day earlier, officers with the Integrated Border Enforcement Team received information from their U.S. counterparts that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers had apprehended a group of people.
It is believed they crossed over into the U.S. from Canada near the town of Emerson, Manitoba.
According to police, one of the adults had items meant for an infant, but no infant was with the group.
After receiving the information just before 9:30 a.m. on January 19, a search was "immediately launched" by officers on both sides of the border.
RCMP officers, who were already in the area on patrol, conducted an "extensive" search and at around 1:30 p.m., the bodies of three people were found on the Canadian side of the border, just east of Emerson.
They have been identified as an adult male, an adult female and 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," Manitoba RCMP said.
All four people were located approximately 12 metres from the border, on the Canadian side.
"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," Manitoba RCMP said.
The area saw temperatures in the negative 20s overnight on January 18 and into January 19.
After the discovery, officers continued searching for "any possible survivors or additional victims" throughout the evening on January 19 and into January 20, but so far, nobody else has been found.
The RCMP will conduct an investigation into the situation and is working closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.