First Nations group offers reward to help solve woman's slaying

A national aboriginal group iscontributing toa reward for information leading to an arrest in the fatal stabbinglate last yearof a pregnant mother of three.

Kelly Morrisseau, 27, an Ottawa resident who grew up in the Sagkeeng First Nations community of Fort Alexander, Man., died in hospital hours after being found naked and bleeding by a passerby in a parking lot at Gatineau Park, near Ottawa, on Dec. 10.

The Assembly of First Nations announced Thursday morning that it iscontributing $2,000towards a $4,000 reward to help solve her case the first reward the group has ever offered in a criminal investigation. The other $2,000 is from Crime Stoppers.

Gatineau police said Thursday, meanwhile, that the investigation into Morrisseau's slaying is ongoing. They said they received an anonymous tip early on, but have received little information since and hope the reward will change that.

National Chief Phil Fontaine asked for anyone with information or who wants to contribute to the reward to call police.

The group hopesto help draw attention to the case, which, Fontaine, said has received less media attention than other murders.

"I fear the reason Kelly's murder has not received much attention is because of her background, because she is a First Nations woman but the bottom line is that she and her family deserve the attention as much as any other victim and family," said Fontaine at a news conference in Ottawa attended by some of Morrisseau's relatives.

Rewards posted in other cases

More than 500 First Nationswomen have disappeared or died violently across the country in the past 30 years, Fontaine said. As an example, hepointed to the victimsin the RobertWilliam Pickton murder trial underway in B.C.,a case involving missing women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Morrisseau's own aunt, Glenda Morrisseau,was slainin Winnipeg in 1991 andno one was ever charged.

Fontainenoted that rewards of $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, were posted after the Ottawa slayings of Jennifer Teague in 2005 and Ardeth Wood in 2003.

In Teague's case, a $50,000 reward offered by her employer, Wendy's Canada, was matched by the Ottawa Police Services Board. In Wood's cases, the reward was offered by Ottawa police. Suspects have been arrested and charged in both cases.

The Gatineau police service typically does not offer rewards.