Gatineau Park slaying victim was troubled mother of 3

A woman found dead Sunday in Gatineau Park was the mother of three children who led a troubled life, say those who knew her.

Kelly Morrisseau, 27,was found naked and close to death in a parking lot in the western Quebec park Sunday morning, confirmed her aunt, Michelle Morrisseau.

Gatineau faces Ottawa from the north side of the Ottawa River.

The critically injured woman died in hospital soon after she was discovered.

Michelle Morrisseau said her niece was originally from Fort Alexander, Man., a community on the Sagkeeng First Nation, where the funeral will be held Thursday.

Kelly Morrisseau came to Ottawa seven or eight years ago, and most of her immediate family has been living in Ottawa's Vanier neighbourhood for several years.

The family has put up signs in the Vanier area asking for information about Morrisseau's last hours.

Michelle Morrisseau said the victim was close to her family.

"Everybody loves her," she said in an interview Tuesday. "I just don't know who'd do this and take her away from us."

Morrisseau said her niece's children were the focus of the young woman's life, but other evidence suggests she was not always able to care for them.

A former landlord and neighbours said the children were taken from her by the Children's Aid Society in October 2005.

Court documents show Morrisseau was convicted of assaulting her estranged husband with a knife a few months earlier. She received a conditional discharge.

An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday. It's expected police will release more information Wednesday.