Daughter of woman who died after being burned says Melissa Cook struggled with drug use after loss of family

A woman from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation whose death police are investigating is remembered as a generous and caring woman who fell into drug abuse as she struggled to cope with family losses.

Melissa Cook, 41, died in hospital with severe burns on Aug. 20. Winnipeg police are investigating her death, which was ruled a homicide by the chief medical examiner.

"My mom was a very beautiful woman. She always had a smile on her face, no matter what," said Cook's daughter, Naturelle Cook.

Cook "always had open arms for everybody," her daughter said.

"My mom was a happy woman before she got into the drug abuse."

The 18-year-old said Cook had a history of substance abuse, which played a role in losing custody of her children. Cook was using "on and off" when she was pregnant with Naturelle's little sister, but her use got worse as more of her children went into the care of Child and Family Services, Naturelle said.

In 2013, Cook's 10-month-old son died while in foster care. A few months later, she was with her then-partner, whom Naturelle describes as "the love of her life," as he died of a drug overdose.

Cook's mother died in 2015, followed by her father in 2016.

"She didn't know how to handle her emotions so she turned to drugs, and she was a very heavily addicted user," Naturelle said.

Naturelle said her mother was attacked over a drug debt in June. Cook was severely burned, but was reluctant to speak about her injuries and how she got them, her daughter said. She didn't seek medical attention until late July.

The last time Naturelle and her family saw Cook was when she was in the hospital in August, but they were unable to speak to her, because Cook was in a coma.

The last time Naturelle spoke with her mother was in July 2021, when she ran into Cook outside the grocery store in Swan River. Naturelle bought her some food and asked why she was abusing drugs.

"She told me everything. She told me that she struggled with the losses and she struggled without us … as we were in foster care," she said.

"She cried to me. I cried to her and I asked her, I said, 'Mom, are you going to sober up?' And she said, 'Yes, my girl.'"

Naturelle said she believed Cook was trying to seek treatment to stop her substance abuse because some months later, she got a parcel from her mother addressed to her and two of her younger siblings.

"It had three medallions she had made … and in her letter she kept saying, 'I'm sorry, my kids, I'm sorry.'"

Naturelle never had a chance to tell her mother she believed her and ultimately forgave her. 

"I live with this guilt every day," she said.

While Cook talked about going into treatment, she said she didn't have any help or resources, her daughter said.

Her mother said she felt like she was alone.

"I think that if there's more resources to help people … that want to get help, then I think that would be very beneficial," Naturelle said.

Sapotaweyak Cree Nation Chief Nelson Genaille knew Cook when he was working as a welfare administrator and remembers her as an outgoing person. 

More needs to be done to make sure people have support, he said — especially when people are reluctant to ask for help or speak about their experiences. 

Partnerships between rural communities and big cities like Winnipeg would help support people when they move, he said.

"Maybe that interaction of agencies needs to happen a little more, so we can follow a case [between different locations]," Genaille said.

Police said Cook had been living in Winnipeg since April. She didn't have a home in Winnipeg and spent some time at Siloam Mission and encampments around the city. 

Police said they delayed their public plea for more information about Cook's death because they were trying to locate a different photo of her, but ultimately released a photo they say most closely resembles her appearance before she died. 

Naturelle said her family is taking Cook's death very hard.

"We thought we wouldn't have lost our mom this early," she said.

She hopes they'll eventually get more answers about what happened to her.

'My mom was a happy woman before she got into the drug abuse'

2 years ago

Duration 2:04

Melissa Cook is being remembered by her family as generous and caring. The 41-year-old struggled with substance abuse as she tried to cope with family losses. She died in August from severe burns. Police are looking for help solving her homicide.

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