Leaf Rapids RCMP are investigating the suspicious death of a 21-year-old man whose body was found in the northern community early on June 17, 2026. Officers were called at about 3:10 a.m. to an open area where an unresponsive male had been reported.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His death is being treated as suspicious and remains under investigation by Leaf Rapids RCMP, along with Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services and RCMP Forensic Identification Services.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be made to the Leaf Rapids RCMP at 204-427-2469, anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.
Leaf Rapids, a community of roughly 350 people about 155 kilometres northwest of Thompson, has faced significant challenges in recent years, including high crime rates and infrastructure struggles following the closure of its main mine.
The death comes less than a month after another 21-year-old Leaf Rapids man was fatally stabbed in Thompson on May 20, 2026. Three suspects have been arrested in that homicide: Eternity Chastelaine, 19, charged with manslaughter; Marshall Merasty, 24, charged with second-degree murder; and a 17-year-old boy, also charged with second-degree murder, who was arrested on June 11.
RCMP have not said whether the two deaths are linked, but the proximity in time and age of both victims has left many in the small community shaken.
