Winnipeg police are asking the for the public to help find an man who died following a medical destress last month, who happened to have a Municipality of Baker Lake pen in his possession at the time. (Composite sketch by Winnipeg Police Service)
Could Baker Lake pen help police identify man who died in Winnipeg?
Police appeal to Winnipeg Inuit, Nunavummiut to help identify man who died May 31
A pen from Baker Lake could be a key to solving the mystery of an unidentified man who died last month in Manitoba.
Winnipeg police are looking for help from the city’s Inuit community and the public in Nunavut to solve the case.
A pen with the Municipality of Baker Lake’s logo on it was found in the possession of the man, who died after experiencing medical distress on May 31, according to a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service.
The incident occurred on the 600 block of Sherburn Street, a short walk from the Larga Kivalliq and Kivalliq Development Corp. building in the city’s west end.
Const. Dani McKinnon said, while it is not a criminal case, investigators are trying to identify the man so his family can be told of his death.
It’s possible the person has no connection to Nunavut; however, the Baker Lake clue prompted police to look more closely at it.
“We do have an Inuit community here in Winnipeg, so I know that the police have made some connection with them as part of their investigation and it’s turned up negative,” McKinnon said in an interview.
“We have nothing other than this pen. It just might be a red herring, but if it’s not and it’s helpful, then that’s wonderful.”
The RCMP’s Nunavut division shared the Winnipeg police release on its Facebook page.
A composite sketch of the man was released as part of the appeal to the public.
Winnipeg police said the unidentified man appears to be in his early 20s, about five-foot-six with a thin build and short, dark hair with artificial black or brown braids woven into his hair.
He was wearing a blue bandana around his head with the word “Dreams” written in a repeated fashion. He had on a black leather-type jacket, a black “Brazen Hall” T-shirt, brown corduroy pants and grey-blue and orange Asics runners.
The man has a thin moustache and wispy chin hair, his teeth have visible cavities and his left ear is pierced with a gold-red earrings. He had pink nail polish on his fingernails and toenails.
Nunatsiaq News attempted to contact Tunngasugit Inuit Resource Centre and the Inuit boarding home in Winnipeg for more information but did not receive a reply.
Municipal officials from Baker Lake were also contacted to ask whether the man was from the community, but did not respond.
Winnipeg police ask anyone with information to contact its missing persons unit at 204-986-6250.
Can the RCMP confirm whether this deceased man was an Inuit, native?
The man is not from Baker Lake and the person he may have been in contact with, if from Baker Lake, may not necessarily read Nunatsiaq News.
The better way may be to contact the RCMP in Baker Lake to put up his description on bulletins around Baker Lake or on Facebook “Baker Lake Public Bulletin.”
FYI, he was identified as a First Nation person, he was not Inuk.