Manitoba

Winnipeg middle-school students find body during community cleanup exercise

Pembina Trails School Division superintendent Ted Fransen said a group of École South Pointe School students involved in a community cleanup day were doing service education when they came across the body in a field across from the school.

Students at École South Pointe School will have access to counsellors, psychologists: division superintendent

Several police vehicles and numerous investigators were seen at working on the other side of this fence near École South Pointe School Friday where students encountered a dead body during a class cleanup exercise. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

A group of middle-school students in Winnipeg came across a dead body in a field during a class exercise on Friday.

Pembina Trails School Division superintendent Ted Fransen said students involved in a community cleanup day at École South Pointe School were doing service education when they came across the body in a field across from the school.

Administration then sent a letter out to the school community to notify parents of what occurred, he said.

"In this case, the school administration clearly and correctly believe that the entire school community should become aware of it," Fransen said.

"It just happened, and so I've not been informed of how kids are doing. I can only imagine that those who were the closest to the situation would be quite traumatized by it."

Officers and investigators worked on the other side of this fence Friday afternoon where the body was found. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Fransen said police are investigating but he has no knowledge of what's been discovered so far. 

Const. Claude Chancy with the public information office says an autopsy will be conducted in the coming days to determine the identity and the cause of the death.

Chancy said the body was that of an adult, but can't confirm their race or sex at this time.

The investigation is ongoing.

École South Pointe School guidance counsellors, resource teachers and division psychologists will be on hand first thing Monday to support students troubled by the finding, said Fransen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bryce Hoye

Journalist

Bryce Hoye is a multi-platform journalist covering news, science, justice, health, 2SLGBTQ issues and other community stories. He has a background in wildlife biology and occasionally works for CBC's Quirks & Quarks and Front Burner. He is also Prairie rep for outCBC. He has won a national Radio Television Digital News Association award for a 2017 feature on the history of the fur trade, and a 2023 Prairie region award for an audio documentary about a Chinese-Canadian father passing down his love for hockey to the next generation of Asian Canadians.