Woman found dead in Point Douglas apartment was victim of homicide, Winnipeg police say

A woman found dead in a Winnipeg apartment building on Monday is now believed to have been the victim of a homicide, police say.

They have identified the woman as Danielle Dawn Ballantyne, 36,from Winnipeg, a Tuesday news releasesaid.

Police previously said they were called just before 7 a.m. Monday to an apartment block on Jarvis Avenue near Main Street, where they found Ballantyne's body.

The death was one of four serious incidents police were called to in the same general area that morning, including three assaults against men in their 50s that happened within an hour of each other, Tuesday's release said.

Around 4:30 a.m.Monday, officers were called to a parking lot on Main between Jarvis and Sutherland avenues about half a block away from the buildingwhere Ballantyne was later found with a report of a man with serious injuries, police said.

He was taken to hospital in critical condition.

About a half-hour later,police found an injured man in an alley two blocks south, on Main Street near the Bell Hotel. That man was taken to hospital in unstable condition.

A third injured man who told police he had been assaulted was found in the nearby area of Logan and the Disraeli Freeway around 5:30 a.m. and taken to hospital in stable condition.

Two of themen are in critical condition, while the other is in stable condition, police said Tuesday. Investigators believe all three assaults are related, but have not said they believe Ballantyne's death is linked with them.

The homicide unit is overseeing all three assault investigations, with help from the major crimes unit.

Investigators believe more people were assaulted but have not yet spoken to police.

Anyone with information about Ballantyne's death or the assaults in the area on Monday morning is asked to call the homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.