Police are asking for help in identifying two men they say are responsible for attacking and throwing a Winnipeg teen with intellectual disabilities in a dumpster.
Jean-Michael Morrissette, 13, doesn't like to talk about what happened to him after school on Jan. 7.
But his parents say their son was on his way home, in the city's North End, when he was approached by two men who assaulted him and threw him in a dumpster in an alley near Flora Avenue and Parr Street.
"This happened at 3 p.m. in the afternoon, (in) broad daylight," Sgt. Rob Kanaski, of the Winnipeg Police Service, said at a press conference on Friday.
"He was yelling and screaming when they were dragging him. Anyone in the vicinity would have known that he was in distress."
Morrissette spent hours in the trash bin on a day when temperatures hovered around -15 C.
The 13-year-old was eventually found by Nicole Langlois, who initially heard faint cries when she was walking past the dumpster that evening, but didn't know where they were coming from.
She returned a few hours later and found Morrissette sleeping in the dumpster, covered with garbage.
"He wasn't seriously injured, but the emotional injury that he sustained is quite substantial," said Kanaski.
Police have canvassed the area and looked at surveillance video, but they haven't been able to track down the two male suspects.
Morrissette's father, John, is hoping that someone will come forward with information that can help advance investigation.
"I want to plea to the public: Think about it as being your kid," he said. "This is our kids that play in this area – that live in the area – let's make it safe again."
Anyone with information is being asked to contact police at 204-986-2848 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.
With a report from CTV Winnipeg's Michelle Gerwing
