Winnipeg police officers made contact with Tina Fontaine on the last day she was seen alive, while she was reported missing, CTV News has learned.
The 15-year-old aboriginal girl was found dead in Winnipeg after she ran away from foster home in August. Her body was wrapped in a bag and dumped into the Red River.
CTV Winnipeg’s Alesia Fieldberg reported Wednesday that two police officers had spotted Fontaine during a car check on Aug. 8, the last day she was known to be alive.
“We're told the man with her was impaired and taken away by police,” Fieldberg said. “But Fontaine, who was known to be missing, was let go by the officers.”
Fontaine then checked in with her care provider, only to disappear again, Fieldberg reported.
After leaving her care provider, the teen was reported missing for the final time. Her body was found on Aug. 17 and the case renewed calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.
The officers who spotted Fontaine were a field trainer and a recruit, Fieldberg reported. They are now on restricted duties, and the incident is under investigation to determine if any disciplinary action should be taken.
The murder investigation is ongoing, and police are still asking for the public’s help in gathering information about Fontaine’s disappearance and death.
