Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is calling on Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth to reopen the investigation into the death of 22-year-old Jaeda Vanderwal.

Her body was found on January 5, unclothed, in a rail yard in the city. Her family says police have closed the investigation and do not believe her death is suspicious.

In a release, AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas says, “This is a tragic case that is reminiscent of the death of Tina Fontaine in 2014. It is absolutely reprehensible how First Nations women and girls continue to be mistreated and dismissed."

Dumas says he feels this situation shows that the recommended changes for policing given by the AMC through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry are not being followed.

"If our recommendations would have been followed, the approach to Jaeda’s investigation would have been different."

Dumas says that Vanderwal's family "was dismissed by the police department and they were directed to talk to the Province of Manitoba’s Victim Services. Why was this handled in this manner? The family and AMC First Nations Advocate Office tried to provide the police (with) additional information but were also told to go to the Province of Manitoba’s Victim Services. If she was not First Nation, would Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth support his staff to direct them away from investigating?”

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Const. Jay Murray says that the WPS was satisfied given the evidence that the young woman's death was not suspicious.

"At this point, the investigation has determined that Jaeda had attended to the area at which time she placed some of her personal possessions at the entrance of the rail line and climbed or jumped over a locked gate." Murray says police believe she walked alone around a trail and vacant buildings in the yard. When she returned to the line Murray says she was struck by a train, "causing a serious injury."

Murray says that police believe Vanderwal took her own clothes off after being struck by the train. It's part of phenomena linked with hypothermia called paradoxical undressing. He says after she removed her clothing she crawled around the area when she was struck by a second train, which caused "catastrophic injuries." 

Murray says that surveillance video and tracks in the snow led police to their conclusion that she was alone at the time of the incident.

Vanderwal's aunt, Elyssa McIvor, says the family was not given adequate information about what happened.

"Jaeda deserved better treatment from the Winnipeg police. Instead from the beginning she was like many of our men and women who are thought of just as another Indigenous person who had substance abuse problems that led to their untimely deaths," she says. "But we are more than that, we are human beings."

Murray says that the family reached out to the WPS after being referred to victim services, and the WPS offered to meet with the family. He says that the family did not attend the meeting.

However, Murray says that Chief Danny Smyth will be meeting with the family on Friday.