Four people found frozen in a Manitoba field near the Canada-U.S. border last week have been officially identified as a family from India.
The bodies of husband and wife Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, and Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, 37, were discovered in a field just north of the border on Jan. 19, alongside their three-year-old son, Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel.
The body of their other child was also found nearby, officials said last week. She has now been identified as their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel.
The identities of the family were confirmed by the High Commission of India in Ottawa in a news release Thursday. Manitoba RCMP identified the father as Jagdishkumar Patel.
“We apologize for that error, but please understand that the frozen state in which the bodies were found and the clothing worn by the family made the initial confirmation difficult. It is also why the process to confirm the names took an extended period of time,” Hill said.
Autopsies of the four were done on Wednesday by Manitoba’s chief medical examiner and confirmed that the family members died of exposure to extreme weather conditions.
Autopsies completed Wednesday confirmed the Indian family found dead in a Manitoba field near the Canada-U.S. border last week died of exposure to extreme weather conditions, RCMP say. (Submitted by RCMP)
RCMP have been working on the investigation closely with liaison officers in New Delhi, India, and Washington, D.C., Hill said.
They’ve also been in regular contact with Indian consular officials, who arrived in Winnipeg on Saturday and helped to notify the family’s next of kin in India earlier Thursday morning.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto has been in touch with the family and is providing support, the High Commission release said.
Police seeking tips
Hill said investigators have determined the Patel family arrived in Toronto on Jan. 12 — their first point of entry into Canada.
They then made their way to the Manitoba community of Emerson, near the international border, around Jan. 18.
Police are still trying to determine the details around their arrival in Toronto and how they got to Manitoba, he said.
No abandoned vehicle was found on the Canadian side of the border near where the bodies were discovered, which indicates someone drove the family there and left, Hill said.
Investigators believe the case involved human smuggling and would like to speak to anyone who may have helped or seen the family while they were in Canada.
“We need anyone who had interaction with the Patel family or has information about their journey to the border to think about what they went through and step forward,” Hill said.
He added that Mounties believe the family’s interactions could have included hotel, gas station and restaurant employees.
Manitoba RCMP Chief Supt. Rob Hill said investigators are still trying to determine the details around the Patel family’s arrival in Toronto and how they got to Manitoba. (Global News pool)
“This is an extended period of time for a family who is unfamiliar with Canada to be travelling across the country,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the RCMP’s major crime services tip line at 431-489-8551.
Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a secure tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.
Other Indian nationals released
Authorities have said they believe the family members died while trying to walk across the international border into the United States.
Shortly before the bodies were discovered in Manitoba last week, U.S. officials had detained seven other Indian nationals on the other side of the border.
Two of those people were travelling in a van with 47-year-old Steve Shand of Florida, who has been charged with transporting or attempting to transport undocumented migrants.
The other five Indian nationals were taken into custody around the same time, very close to where Shand was arrested, a document filed in court last week said.
It’s believed the 11 Indian nationals were all part of the same group, but that the family of four had gotten separated from the rest during the journey.
Six of the seven people detained were placed under an order of supervision, while one was released on an order of recognizance for humanitarian purposes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Kris Grogan said in an email on Thursday.
All seven were either administratively processed for removal or placed into removal proceedings and have since been released from U.S. Border Patrol custody. They’ve all been ordered to report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, at a later date, Grogan said.
Community shocked
Little else is known about the Indian nationals taken into custody in the U.S. The court document filed last week said they speak limited or no English, but are fluent in Gujarati, a language spoken in western India.
Hemant Shah, a member of the Gujarati community in Winnipeg, said he was shocked to learn the news last week about the four people who died — as were friends and colleagues in both Canada and India.
“My heart is crying. What they may have gone through crossing this border, you know, we can’t visualize. We can’t imagine this,” said Shah, urging anyone who knows anything about the family’s journey to come forward.
“Maybe it will help other people who are coming this way. They may stop this. Because this is not — the loss of four lives, it’s not easy. Especially two kids.”
Hemant Shah is a member of the Gujarati community in Winnipeg. He said he was shocked to learn the news last week about the four people who died. (Zoom)
Shah, who is also the trade director for Overseas Friends of India Canada, said he hopes the tragedy spurs Canadian and Indian governments and organizations to do more outreach and education about the risks of trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border on foot.
The High Commission of India in Ottawa and the country’s consulate in Toronto are working closely with authorities in Canada on the investigation, the High Commission release said.
A special team led by a senior consular officer is in Manitoba to help those investigations and offer consular services for victims.
Canada is a preferred destination for Indian immigrants and students, the news release said, and the two countries work together to ensure the safety and well-being of Indian immigrants in Canada.
“The two countries have a regular consular dialogue which takes up issues related to migration and welfare of citizens in each other’s territories,” the release said.
The death of the family discovered last week has highlighted the need to ensure migration and mobility between countries are made safe and legal to avoid similar tragedies, the release said.
A number of ideas to prevent irregular migration, human smuggling and trafficking are being discussed by the two countries, it said. That includes a comprehensive migration and mobility partnership agreement with Canada, which the release said remains under the consideration of the Canadian government.
Bodies found frozen near Canada-U.S. border confirmed to be family from India
4 hours ago
Duration 2:07
Four people found frozen in a Manitoba field near the Canada-U.S. border last week have been officially identified as a family from India. 2:07
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.
Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.
The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.
