Four bodies, including an infant and a teenager, were discovered in a field on the Manitoba side of the Canada-U.S. border Wednesday..RCMP believe they all died of exposure while attempting to cross into the U.S. in -35C temperatures..A Florida man has now been charged with human smuggling, according to CTV News..The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota released a statement indicating 47-year-old Steve Shand was arrested for smuggling undocumented foreign nationals on Wednesday by U.S. Border Patrol..It has been reported Shand was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol less than two kilometres south of the border transporting two undocumented people in a large van..The charges against Shand have yet to be proven in court..The bodies were discovered about 12 metres from the border near Emerson..“What I am about to share is going to be difficult for many people to hear,” RCMP Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy told a news conference Thursday..“It is an absolute and heartbreaking tragedy.”.MacLatchy said at 9:20 a.m. Wednesday morning U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended a group of people who crossed into the U.S. from Canada..One of the individuals had items for an infant, but there was no infant in the group..They alerted RCMP and a search was immediately launched on both sides of the border..After an extensive search of the area, at about 1:30 p.m., RCMP officers found the bodies of an adult man, an adult woman, and the baby. A male, believed to be in his mid-teens, was found a few metres away. .The process of identifying them is underway and autopsies have been scheduled to confirm the cause of death..Environment Canada recently issued an extremely cold weather warnings for Southern Manitoba with 10- to 25-cm of snow and wind gusts of up to 70 km/h..“At this very early stage of the investigation, it appears that they all died due to exposure to the cold weather,” said MacLatchy..Officials believe the victims were connected to the group that was apprehended on the U.S. side of the border..“We’re very concerned that this attempted crossing may have been facilitated in some way and that these individuals, including an infant, were left on their own in the middle of a blizzard when the weather hovered around –35C [with the wind chill],” she said..“These victims faced not only the cold weather but endless fields, large snowdrifts and complete darkness.”.“I can assure you that the search for any possible survivors or additional victims continued throughout the evening and our officers continued to patrol the area today,” said MacLatchy..RCMP officers must navigate the difficult terrain and deep snowdrifts in all-terrain vehicles..No other victims have been found..RCMP continue to work closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security..“I also have a message to anyone who’s thinking of crossing the border in Manitoba, either heading south or north: just don’t do it,” said MacLatchy..“Do not listen to anyone who tells you they can get you to your destination safely. They cannot. Even with proper clothing it is not a journey that is possible..“I do understand that, for some, there may be a great need to get to another country, but this is not the way. You will be risking your life and the lives of the people you care about if you try it. We simply cannot have another tragedy of this magnitude in Manitoba or in Canada.” .Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
