On Monday afternoon, the Manitoba RCMP’s Major Crime Services charged 29-year-old Ryan Howard Manoakeesick, of Carman, with five counts of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of five members of his own family who were located deceased on Feb. 11.
Manoakeesick has been charged with the deaths of his 30-year-old common-law partner Amanda Clearwater, their three children — a six-year-old daughter Bethany, four-year-old son Jayven and two-and-a-half-month-old daughter Isabella — and his partner’s 17-year-old niece Myah Gratton.
The five victims were located deceased in three different locations in southern Manitoba.
At approximately 7:30 am, on Sunday, Carman RCMP responded to a report of a hit and run on Highway 3, approximately 6.5km south of Carman. When officers arrived, the body of Manoakeesick’s common-law partner was located just off the highway in a nearby ditch. She was pronounced deceased on scene.
At approximately 10 a.m., Headingley RCMP received a call of a vehicle on fire on Highway 248, north of PTH 424 in the RM of Cartier. The three young children were pulled from the burning vehicle. All three children were declared deceased on scene.
The RCMP confirmed that Manoakeesick removed the bodies of the children from the burning vehicle and was at the scene and taken into custody.
The 17-year-old niece was located deceased at a residence in Carman.
All five victims lived together and were residents of Carman.
Facebook Photos
Young father charged with five counts of murder in the death of his common-law partner Amanda Clearwater, her niece Myah Gratton, pictured left, and his three children, six-year-old daughter Bethany, four-year-old son Jayven and two-and-a-half-month-old daughter Isabella
Autopsies for the victims have been scheduled for this week.
RCMP Major Crime Services, along with Carman RCMP, Headingley/Stonewall RCMP, RCMP Forensic Identification Services and the RCMP Forensic Collision Reconstructionist Unit, continue to investigate these heinous crimes and plan to provide further updates to the public in the near future.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover funeral costs for the five victims. The GoFundMe fundraiser was closed after just 12 hours as it had already raised a total of $5,490.
The family of the victims are respectfully asking for privacy at this time.
