Daughter of woman who died of severe burns 1 year ago critical of Winnipeg police response
Police say they've exhausted all avenues of investigation and are appealing to the public for tips
WARNING: This story contains details that may be distressing.
Nearly a year after a First Nations woman died of severe burns in Winnipeg, her daughter is still waiting for justice to be handed down to the person or people who killed her.
Melissa Cook, 41, a member of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, died in hospital on Aug. 20, 2022, after suffering burns in the month or two prior, police said at the time. The office of the chief medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide.
"Why would somebody do that to my own mother? Why would somebody take her away from us?" said her daughter Naturelle Cook in an interview on Friday.
As of Thursday, police are still looking for tips to find her killer.
"We've exhausted all avenues of investigation and are requesting your help," said Const. Claude Chancy with the public information office in a video produced by police, which was released on Thursday.
Police say Melissa, who had been living in Winnipeg since April of 2022, did not have a house in the city and may have been living in homeless encampments.
She sometimes spent time at Siloam Mission and in the south Point Douglas area.
Police also believe Melissa was burned at the end of June or early July, and sometime shortly after that informed a shelter of her injuries.
At that point, she was brought to hospital, where she eventually died.
Thursday's video was the first news Naturelle has heard of her mother's homicide investigation since she was contacted in October by police, she says.
"Me and my siblings, we feel as if the police sort of just brushed our mom aside. They haven't really tried contacting us children just to give us updates on what they're doing or what they're going to do for our mom," she said.
Const. Dani McKinnon with the public information office said in an email Friday that police encourage family members to contact the investigators directly for information or updates.
Sometimes an investigator appoints a person to be a family liaison, she added.
Naturelle is grateful investigators are asking for tips, but wonders why it's taken so long.
She says she's gutted that they have no new leads.
"This is very much overwhelming and broke my heart again," Naturelle said.
Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call the Major Crimes Unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
Support is available for anyone affected by MMIWG or by the latest reports.
An independent national toll-free call line is available 24 hours a day to provide support for anyone who requires assistance: 1-844-413-6649. The service is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.
Individuals can also access immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention services at the Hope for Wellness helpline by calling 1-855-242-3310 or online at www.hopeforwellness.ca.