Murder charge laid against Manitoba man

Family waited 21 months for breakthrough

WINNIPEG • Family of Bobbie Lynn Moose say they are relieved an arrest has been made in the death of the mother from northern Manitoba.

Hazel Moose said the past 21 months since her sister’s killing have been emotional.

“Bobbie was our beautiful sister who was a kind, humble and loving person,” she said.

“We posted about Bobbie every day that went by. We haven’t given up on our sister Bobbie in trying to figure out who had done wrong to her.”

Several relatives joined Mounties on Tuesday as officers announced they had charged Jack Clarence Flett, 52, with first-degree murder in the 29-year-old woman’s death.

Supt. Michael Koppang, the officer in charge of major crime services, said Flett and Bobbie Moose were “acquaintances in the city,” but would not elaborate on circumstances surrounding the death.

Moose’s body was found Oct. 17, 2019, in Thompson, about 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

RCMP said she was last seen 16 days earlier, when one of her sisters dropped her off at the Walmart in the city.

Assistant Commissioner Jane Maclatchy, who is the commanding officer for the Manitoba RCMP, said the investigation was difficult and complex because of the significant time gap from when Moose was last seen to when she was found.

“There was very little information about her activities during that period,” Maclatchy said.

Moose, a mother of two, was from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, also known as Nelson House.

Her family previously said she split her time between her home community and Thompson. Police said they believe Moose was transient when she was in Thompson, either staying at a local homeless shelter or with friends.

During the investigation, officers conducted more than 400 interviews, spoke with more than 1,600 people and watched more than 52,000 hours of video surveillance, said Koppang.

Mounties also distributed pamphlets in Cree requesting any information.

“The team did everything that they could to identify witnesses and gather evidence,” added Koppang.

He said investigators recently got a break in the case but would only say it was related to forensic evidence.

He thanked the community for its support throughout the investigation.

Nisichawayasihk Chief Marcel Moody said it was a challenging time for members of the community as they searched for answers.

He said he hopes the arrest will bring a sense of justice for Moose and her family.

“The last thing we wanted was for this case to go cold. You hear so many stories about cases not being solved, especially cases involving Aboriginal women and girls. We’re glad that the investigation took a positive turn,” Moody said.