Manitoba man charged with murdering his wife, their three children and a teenage female relative

Officials said the murders happened within hours of each other

Ryan Howard Manoakeesick is accused of killing his partner, three children and a female relative (david lipnowski)

A Canadian man has been accused of killing his partner, three children and a female relative in southern Manitoba on Sunday, officials said during a news conference this week.

The crimes occurred in the morning around 7.30am and included three different crime scenes across multiple areas of the province, including Winnipeg, Carman and Winker, with the murders happening within hours of each other, officials said.

Ryan Howard Manoakeesick, 29, the father and partner of four of the victims, has been handed five first-degree murder charges.

Officials said he was apprehended on a highway, where his children, six-year-old Bethany, four-year-old Jayven and two-and-a-half-month-old Isabella Manoakeesick, had been in a burning vehicle before he pulled them out.

The body of his partner, 30-year-old Amanda Clearwater, was discovered on another highway in a nearby ditch after officials received an emergency call regarding a hit-and-run.

The female relative, later identified as his partner’s niece, 17-year-old Myah Gratton, was found dead at a one-bedroom residence they all had been sharing within the last year. Officials were led to the home as part of the investigation process after responding to the two highway calls.

All of the individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene. Mr Manoakeesick, who is from Carman, remains in custody.

“This is a dark time in Manitoba,” Wab Kinew, the province’s premier, said. “An entire family has been lost.”

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Tim Arsenault did not provide specifics on the victims’ manners of death but said that autopsies were being performed on Monday and Tuesday.

He also said he is aware of Mr Manoakeesick’s alleged past history of intimate partner violence.

“I want to express my condolences to the families and friends that lost a loved one today,” Mr  Arsenault said during a news conference on Sunday. “As a parent, I simply can’t imagine the enormity of your loss.”

Nancy Clearwater, the mother of Amanda Clearwater, identified the victims to local media this week. “I’m numb,” she told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “I don’t know what to feel. I’m angry.”

Her daughter and Mr Manoakeesick had a common-law partnership, police said. Officials continue to investigate the deaths and are working to put together a timeline of how the events unfolded. A GoFundMe page has been created to raise funds to construct a wading pool memorial for the victims.