Police make arrest in girl’s death on heels of DNA testing
GARDEN HILL FIRST NATION, MAN .• RCMP have made an arrest in the death of an 11- year- old northern Manitoba girl originally thought to have been killed by a bear.
The Mounties say a man has been taken into custody on the Garden Hill reserve where Teresa Robinson lived.
She disappeared last May 5 after leaving a birthday party in the remote fly- in community. Six days later, her remains were found, and the condition of her body indicated she had been killed by an animal.
But on May 15, the RCMP said her death was being investigated as a homicide. Police said that while her remains had been disturbed by animals, there was no evidence to suggest that animals played a role in her death.
“While we understand that this arrest will generate a lot of questions, we are not in a position to provide further information at this time as there are a number of investigative steps currently being undertaken,” Sgt. Bert Paquet said Thursday.
Last month, RCMP asked about 2,000 males on the reserve between the ages of 15 and 66 to volunteer samples of their DNA.
“The process of collecting DNA is not new, but what is new is the magnitude of the task,” Paquet said Feb. 5. “The community has been receptive to this initiative,” he said.
Sheila North Wilson, grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, told the CBC last month she supported collecting DNA.
“This doesn’t happen very often, this kind of massive DNA collection and testing,” she said. “I think the community has been calling for something to happen, and for the investigation to move.
“If t hat means an inconvenience ... I t hink they’re willing to do that,” she said.