THUNDER BAY – A 43-year-old man faces a murder charge following a lengthy investigation of a year-old homicide.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers on Tuesday arrested Neil Howard Neshinapaise, charging him with second-degree murder in the August 2018 death of 31-year-old Amelia Corrie Sainnawap.
Police announced an arrest had been made on Tuesday, but did not release the accused’s name until Wednesday when the charge had been sworn to in court.
Det.-Sgt. Tracy Lewis, citing a court-ordered publication ban covering evidence of the case, did not answer whether there was a specific breakthrough that led to the arrest but said investigators reached out to the public and obtained surveillance video, along with forensic evidence.
“All of those building together is what led us to being able to do the arrest,” Lewis said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
Lewis said both the victim and accused knew each other, describing them as being recent acquaintances.
Sainnawap was found on the ground in a laneway between Cumming and Bethune streets just after midnight on Aug. 22, 2018 after emergency services responded to a 911 call from a passerby about a possibly unconscious person. Sainnawap was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Lewis said the victim’s injuries were consistent with an assault, though she did not elaborate. Lewis also did not answer whether a weapon was involved.
Lewis said investigators remained in contact with Sainnawap’s family throughout the investigation and kept them informed of any developments.
“It’s the persistence of the officers wanting to have the investigation go ahead, be ongoing and being active for the family,” Lewis said.
“I think that’s really important. It’s been a message that our police service has been really doing well at, is making sure the communication with families so they know what’s going on with the investigation and providing as much information as possible. That way it gives the opportunity for family members and next of kin to know that we’re continuing to work on it.”
Neshinapaise appeared in court on Wednesday and remains behind bars, with a next court appearance scheduled for Oct. 8.
Lewis said Neshinapaise is known to police. According to a 2005 Winnipeg Free Press report, Neshinapaise had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after being involved in a violent incident in 2004 that led to a male victim having his face carved up with a broken beer bottle and a woman was repeatedly struck with a billiards ball wrapped in a sock.
