3 people wanted in 'brutal' assault of woman who was forcibly confined for hours: Winnipeg police
Woman was tied up, assaulted, then forced into dumpster on Dec. 9, police say
UPDATE: On March 22, 2024, the Crown directed for all charges against Lorde Barrios and Misty Bird to be stayed, a provincial spokesperson said.
Winnipeg police are asking for help to find three people they say violently assaulted and forcibly restrained a 27-year-old woman earlier this month.
"This was a brutal assault," Sgt. Andrea Scott of the Winnipeg Police Service's specialized investigations division said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Joey Michael Audy, 35, Evelyn McKay, 40, and Romeo Chris Miles, 27, police said.
Audy is wanted for attempted murder, assault causing bodily harm, uttering threats, robbery and forcible confinement, while McKay and Miles are both wanted on charges of forcible confinement and robbery.
Police say anyone who sees the individuals should call 911 immediately but should not approach them.
The woman was assaulted and bound over a period of several hours on Dec. 9 at an apartment suite on Carlton Street, just north of Assiniboine Avenue. She was assaulted so badly she lost consciousness, police said.
They believe the victim had gone to the building with someone she knew that afternoon, but she didn't know her attackers.
Lorde Barrios, 28, and Misty Bird, 26, have been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with forcible confinement. Police are also still looking to speak with the person who brought the victim to the apartment.
Victim tied up, forced into dumpster
Police say following the assault, the woman was forced into a dumpster while she was still restrained. She remained there, in sub-zero temperatures, for about an hour until she was eventually freed after someone heard her screaming.
"I don't know of any way she could have freed herself without the assistance of somebody," Sgt. Gary Mathez of the sex crimes unit said at Wednesday's news conference.
WATCH | Assault victim 'could no longer defend herself': Winnipeg police
Police have obtained video surveillance that shows the suspects placing the victim in the dumpster, Mathez said.
"It's disturbing and it's a complete disregard for any kind of human life, as far as I'm concerned."
Police were alerted about the assault on Dec. 10, after the woman was taken to hospital. She's since been released but suffered significant injuries to her face, Mathez said.
WATCH | Winnipeg police news conference:
The sex crimes unit took the lead on the investigation because it was initially believed the victim might have been sexually assaulted, but no sexual assault charges have been laid at this time, a police spokesperson said via email.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call investigators at 204-986-6245 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.
Neighbour says he witnessed arrest
Arthur Szymkow lives near the Carleton Street apartment where the victim was forcibly confined.
He saw several police officers go into the building a few days ago, while three police cruisers were parked behind it near a dumpster, he said. Later, he said he saw police place a woman in handcuffs in the back of a police car.
Officers told him not to go near the dumpster because they were preserving it for evidence, Szymkow said.
Nathalie Kleinschmit said the area has been "a little bonkers" in recent weeks, but she doesn't remember witnessing anything specifically on the weekend of Dec. 9.
"The problem is when you live here, there are so many sirens and so much going on that you stop paying attention to it," said Kleinschmit, who has lived in the area since 2021.
She loves her neighbourhood — which is close to the Manitoba Legislature and the law courts — but is tired of the crime.
"It is amazing to me that we are two streets from the … [legislature], we are on the boulevard where all the lawyers and the courts are, and there is no justice, there is no order and there's no respect — at the very minimum — of the law," she said.
"We're better than that."
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With files from Rosanna Hempel