The death of a 41-year-old woman who suffered severe burns has been ruled a homicide by the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS)..Melissa Cook, believed to have been living in homeless encampments, died August 20 in hospital..Police became involved on August 25 when the Chief Medical Examiner’s office ruled Cook’s death a homicide..It is believed she sustained the injuries in late June or early July. .Police have not revealed the location of the burns on Cook’s body..“That's an aspect of the investigation we're going to hold back at this time, but we can acknowledge that she had severe burns,” WPS spokesman Const. Jay Murray told a news conference Monday. .“She did live with them for some time.”.Cook told a staff member at a shelter about her injuries in early July and was rushed to hospital where she remained until she died..The WPS is appealing to the public for help in learning more about Cook, or the circumstances that lead to her death..Cook, from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, 400 km northwest of Winnipeg, had been living in Winnipeg since April..Police have not determined where in Winnipeg the assault on Cook occurred..“Melissa wasn't very candid with some of the individuals she interacted with about the injuries,” said Murray..The WPS major crimes unit hopes to speak to anyone who knew her — or to anyone who may have been victimized in the same way..Cook, who did not have a home in Winnipeg, also spent time at Siloam Mission and in the South Point Douglas area. .Police believe she may have been living in homeless encampments, said Murray..“The audience that we’re hoping to target with this release is that of the unhoused community that she might have been residing with or anyone that works in and around shelters in the downtown, South Point Douglas area,” said Murray. .“We want to know if she confided in her injuries to anyone, the source of the injuries, or maybe a better timeline as to when it happened.”.Murray added Cook’s grieving family “want to have justice and they want to have answers.”.Anyone with information is asked to call major crimes at 204-986-6219 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477)..This is Winnipeg’s forty-first homicide this year.
The death of a 41-year-old woman who suffered severe burns has been ruled a homicide by the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS)..Melissa Cook, believed to have been living in homeless encampments, died August 20 in hospital..Police became involved on August 25 when the Chief Medical Examiner’s office ruled Cook’s death a homicide..It is believed she sustained the injuries in late June or early July. .Police have not revealed the location of the burns on Cook’s body..“That's an aspect of the investigation we're going to hold back at this time, but we can acknowledge that she had severe burns,” WPS spokesman Const. Jay Murray told a news conference Monday. .“She did live with them for some time.”.Cook told a staff member at a shelter about her injuries in early July and was rushed to hospital where she remained until she died..The WPS is appealing to the public for help in learning more about Cook, or the circumstances that lead to her death..Cook, from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, 400 km northwest of Winnipeg, had been living in Winnipeg since April..Police have not determined where in Winnipeg the assault on Cook occurred..“Melissa wasn't very candid with some of the individuals she interacted with about the injuries,” said Murray..The WPS major crimes unit hopes to speak to anyone who knew her — or to anyone who may have been victimized in the same way..Cook, who did not have a home in Winnipeg, also spent time at Siloam Mission and in the South Point Douglas area. .Police believe she may have been living in homeless encampments, said Murray..“The audience that we’re hoping to target with this release is that of the unhoused community that she might have been residing with or anyone that works in and around shelters in the downtown, South Point Douglas area,” said Murray. .“We want to know if she confided in her injuries to anyone, the source of the injuries, or maybe a better timeline as to when it happened.”.Murray added Cook’s grieving family “want to have justice and they want to have answers.”.Anyone with information is asked to call major crimes at 204-986-6219 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477)..This is Winnipeg’s forty-first homicide this year.