ASHERN, Man. — Investigators in Manitoba will be canvassing door-to-door this weekend for clues in the death of a toddler whose remains were found in a barn.
RCMP say they'll be in Ashern in Manitoba's Interlake, not far from where police have said Xavia Skye Lynn Butler's remains were located on a property near Grahamdale, about 200 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, on June 3.
Police say in a news release they are working on the timeline around the child's death and they appreciate those that have contacted them with information.
Mounties said earlier this month that the girl would have been between one and two years old at the time of her death, but they did not say when she died.
The last time investigators have been able to physically place her was approximately a year before her remains were found.
There were no missing person reports filed about her in that time and her death is being investigated as a homicide.
Police have said she was from Pinaymootang First Nation, but she lived on the property near Grahamdale at some point.
Xavia was not in the care of child and family services, police have said.
Natalie Anderson, a relative who said she took care of the child for a period after she was born, said earlier this month she last saw Xavia in March 2022 when the girl went to live with other family members. Anderson said she learned the girl had died after police found her remains.
Premier Wab Kinew has called the case "absolutely tragic."
Mounties have said they are looking for any photos of Xavia taken after March 2022 and are asking anyone who saw the girl after that date to contact them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 9, 2024.
The Canadian Press
