Manitoba child advocate calls for more supports after family killed

By The Canadian Press on February 14, 2024.

WINNIPEG – Manitoba’s child advocate is calling on the provincial government to better support youth impacted by intimate partner violence after a man was charged with killing five family members, including his three young children.

Sherry Gott says her office is devastated by the deaths and sends sympathies to relatives, friends and the southern Manitoba community where the victims lived.

Gott’s office released a report in 2022, which suggests a child in the province witnesses a police-reported case of intimate partner violence every two hours.

The report features recommendations, including an increase in funding to family violence shelters for a child-focused trauma specialist.

Ryan Howard Manoakeesick faces five counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his common-law partner, their three children, as well as his partner’s 17-year-old niece.

Gott’s office says a team is reviewing the deaths to determine whether it will launch its own independent investigation into what services the family may have received.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2023.

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