‘She was highly vulnerable and exploited during her time on run,’ deputy chief says

To see what was recovered from the river was horrific.

“Absolutely horrific,” said Winnipeg Police Sgt. John O’Donovan, the lead investigator in Tina’s case. “She was just a little kid.”

Tina Fontaine’s body — wrapped in plastic and stuffed in a bag — was pulled from the Red River on Aug. 17, 2014.

A child who had lost her beloved father in 2011, Fontaine was living under the care of child protection services. She resided in a hotel and ran away on July 31, 2014.

Winnipeg Police arrested Raymond Joseph Cormier, 53, in Vancouver on Wednesday and charged him with second-degree murder in the death of Fontaine.

Cormier will remain in custody in Vancouver until they can arrange for him to be transported to Winnipeg.

It is believed Cormier and Fontaine “were acquainted” and that they had a few meetings before he allegedly murdered her, deputy police chief Danny Smyth said before a packed news conference carried live on national television on Friday.

Public tips led police to a house in Winnipeg’s east side.

“Investigators discovered that Tina frequented a residence on the east side of the city. Investigators also discovered that Raymond Cormier also frequented that same residence,” Smyth said.

“The murder of this child, and let’s not forget she was a child, has shocked and outraged the community, and I think that outrage has resonated across the nation.”

One of the challenges for investigators was tracking Fontaine’s movements before her death.

But police came close to saving her and Smyth admitted mistakes were made.

At 3 a.m. on Aug. 8, police pulled over a truck in which she was a passenger. The driver was impaired. Police let Fontaine go.

Cormier was not the driver, O’Donovan said.

Hours before this encounter, Winnipeg paramedics had found Fontaine drunk in an alley and passed out, said Favel. They took her to hospital. She was released once she was sober.

“She was highly vulnerable and exploited during her time on the run,” said Smyth.

When asked if Fontaine was sexually exploited, O’Donovan replied: “Tina was a child and an exploited child. To be fair to the investigation and the upcoming court proceedings, we won’t make any comments on what any form of exploitation went on there.

“But you guys can figure out there was some exploitation going on and not just by the accused here but several.”