Teenage mother goes missing in Winnipeg ahead of sons medical appointment

The mother of a 17-year-old from Poplar River First Nation in northern Manitoba is pleading to the public to help find her daughter after she went missing from a hotel lobby in Winnipeg on Oct. 6 at around 9 p.m. “She went downstairs and just never came back to the hotel room,” Deborah Bittern said of her daughter Mackenzie Sinclair while holding back tears in an interview with APTN News. Bittern, along with her daughter Sinclair and Sinclair’s 15-month-old son, travelled from Poplar River for Sinclair’s son’s eye surgery at Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital at the Health Sciences Centre. The surgery was scheduled for Oct. 7. Bittern said her daughter’s disappearance is out of character for her and when they were having supper that Monday night, Sinclair talked about how relieved she was that her son was going to get the help that he needed. “We were excited that night. We were talking about how we were going to get ready in the morning, get ready for her son’s surgery, Mackenzie was talking about being scared and I reminded her, that no matter what we go through, we should always pray,” said Bittern. “I thought she wandered off and met up with some friends but she went off social media. She is always on social media and always reacts on there and as a mother this hurts so much, she’s not communicating. I can’t sleep, her son is crying for her mom. I just want my daughter home.” Bittern said Manitoba Health assisted with transportation from their fly-in only community located 450 km due north of Winnipeg and provided hotel accommodations at the Norwood Hotel in the central St. Boniface and Norwood East neighborhood. Bittern said it was their first time staying at the Norwood and they felt unsafe, even with the room door locked. “People were in and out of the hallways, people were knocking on my door in the middle of the night and you can hear women screaming until 3 a.m. It felt unsafe,” said Bittern. “I feel like we were not given a choice because the choices that we have are all hotels that we had bad experiences at. We thought that we would have a good experience at the Norwood Hotel but this happened.” Bittern said she tried to stay in Winnipeg for as long as she could to look for Sinclair, however, Manitoba Health told her it couldn’t keep providing hotel accommodations. Bittern said she had to make the heartbreaking decision to fly back to Poplar River with her grandson and without her daughter on Oct. 9. “I couldn’t stay, but we were under medical and they weren’t going to cover our flight back, so I had to bring my grandson home. I tried to reach out to my chief and council with funds to go and look for her, but I’ve been ignored,” Bittern said. “I feel like my child means nothing, I mean nothing.” Bittern said after APTN National News reported on Sinclair’s disappearance, her chief and council have now reached out and want to assist her in getting back to Winnipeg. Bittern said when Sinclair left her hotel room, she had her phone with her and that she was wearing a black and white checkered sweater and black sweatpants. Sinclair took her last picture of herself in a mirror in the Norwood Hotel elevator on Oct. 6. Bittern didn’t file a missing person’s report until Oct. 10. “I waited a few days thinking she would just pop up and come back, but then this feeling of worry started to feel heavier and heavier, and I knew something was wrong,” Bittern said. “People were telling me she did this before, I said no this feeling is different. It’s overwhelming, it’s getting cold, I hope she’s warm, she’s fed and she’s safe.” In an email to APTN, Winnipeg police Const. Claude Chancy said the Missing Persons Unit has now assumed the investigation regarding Mackenzie Sinclair and she has been added to the national Canadian Police Information Centre database. Police have not released a statement on Sinclair’s disappearance as of the posting of this story. APTN also asked police for surveillance video or pictures of Sinclair from the Norwood Hotel, but has yet to receive a response. According to the manager of the hotel, no one has contacted them about Sinclair being missing. “At this time, we are not aware of any incident involving a missing person or any active police investigation at our site,” said Japnjot Singh. “The safety and security of our guests, visitors, and team members are our top priority. The hotel has 24-hour security staff, active camera surveillance, and established procedure to support law enforcement whenever requested. “Should the police any assistance or information, we will fully cooperate to assist with their investigation.” APTN also contacted Manitoba Health to ask about what Bittern called, unsafe conditions at the hotel. The province did not respond to our questions by the time this article was published. If a statement is provided, it will be added to the story. Bittern said she hoped to receive help from her First Nation and has plans to create a GoFundMe page to keep looking for her daughter in Winnipeg in the coming weeks. “I want to acknowledge all the people who are helping. Thank you to the Bear Clan and Winnipeg Police Service. I just pray that you find her and do what you can to bring my daughter home,” said Bittern. Sinclair is described as 5’5”, 180lbs., with a medium build, black hair and brown eyes. If anyone knows where Mackenzie Sinclair is, you are asked to contact the Winnipeg Police Service at 1-204-986-6250 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or Bear Clan Patrol Winnipeg on Facebook. Continue Reading