CANADA Canada - Charlene Ward, 46, Portage la Prairie, 1 November 2007

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Charlene Ward, 46, of Portage la Prairie

Very little official information on Charlene's case is public. I tried to list the details that have come directly from LE below:

• Found dead in her residence on 5th Avenue NE in Portage la Prairie on the morning of Nov. 1, 2007
• Had previously been out with friends on Oct. 31, 2007 at the Cat & Fiddle Nite Club in Portage, before returning home to a house party
• Party is said to have gone well into the morning, ending around 8:00 am
• Charlene was found deceased around 8:45 am
• Her death was then ruled a homicide
• An arrest was made on May 10th, 2017, but the 30-year old woman from MacGregor, Manitoba was released the next day without charges
• "Sgt. Janna Amirault from the RCMP’s major crime services said Ward’s killing remains an open homicide case with the force’s historical case unit" (2 Nov 2022)
• As far as I can tell, no further information has been released by LE, and no further arrests have been made

Manitoba Crime Stoppers:

"The RCMP Historical Case Unit, Portage la Prairie RCMP Detachment and Manitoba Crime Stoppers are seeking the public’s assistance with solving the following Suspicious Death:

On November 1st, 2007 at 8:45 a.m., Charlene Ward was found dead in her residence by her daughter and granddaughter. A party had transpired at the residence the night before and into the early morning hours, ending at approximately 8:00 a.m. Charlene was 46 years old. The investigation into her death continues, and to date no charges have been laid."

Contemporary News Article:

Portage Online - Local News: "Victim Unofficially Identified" - gwo74, PortageOnline.com | Friday, Nov 02 2007, 9:16 AM

Subsequent News Articles:

RCMP make an arrest:

BattlefordsNow: "Victim was a grandmother: Manitoba RCMP make arrest in 10-year-old homicide" - published May 10, 2017 | 3:45 PM -

"RCMP in Manitoba have made an arrest in the homicide of a grandmother nearly 10 years ago...Mounties said the historical case unit took a 30-year-old woman into custody in MacGregor, Man., on Wednesday...Ward had worked in a coffee shop, was divorced and had two grown daughters and five grandchildren...One of her daughters found Ward dead in her Portage home three weeks after she had been told by doctors she had beaten cancer...She had been stabbed three times in the neck."

CTV News Winnipeg: "Arrest made in 2007 murder of Portage la Prairie grandmother" - published May 10, 2017 at 5:31PM EDT

RCMP release arrestee -

CTV News Winnipeg: "RCMP release woman arrested in connection with Charlene Ward homicide" - Cameron MacLean - published May 11, 2017 at 12:38PM EDT

More information about former arrestee that was released:

Global News: "Daughter of Portage la Prairie homicide victim still waiting for answers,15 years after killing" - Shane Gibson - Posted November 2, 2022 7:38 pm =

"Although a 30-year-old woman identified by family as one of Ward’s daughters was arrested in connection with the case in May 2017, she was released without charges the following day...Since then no other suspects have been publicly announced, and no arrests have been made in the case...Police have never said why the woman they arrested in 2017 was released without charges. In an interview this week, Sgt. Janna Amirault from the RCMP’s major crime services said Ward’s killing remains an open homicide case with the force’s historical case unit."

APTN News: "Manitoba family’s hopes for closure dashed as RCMP makes arrest in 2007 cold case then release suspect" - Brittany Hobson - published May 11, 2017 (Archive link - video doesn't work) (Just a note: this article is tagged "Métis", I found no other mention of whether or not Charlene was Métis, but wanted to mention it in this post in the interest of posterity)

Portage Online - Local News: "Charlene Ward Cold Case Investigation Continues" - Michael Blume - published Thursday May 11 2017, 11:55 AM