Murder victim mourned at multi-site vigil

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This article was published 08/09/2022 (977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grief-stricken family and friends of Mackaylah Gerard-Roussin gathered Friday around the driveway of the Steinbach home where six days earlier police began a homicide investigation that led to the discovery of the 20-year-old’s body on a trail south of Woodridge.

The hour-long vigil on Creekside Drive was one of four organized to remember Gerard-Roussin, a bank employee and youth worker who loved ones said was always willing to lend a helping hand to people in need.

The day began with a vigil outside a family member’s home in Winnipeg’s North End. The group, numbering nearly 100 people, then travelled to Steinbach, where Gerard-Roussin last contacted her family.

RCMP then escorted the group to Woodridge for a private ceremony on the trail where Gerard-Roussin’s body was found. The day concluded with an evening candlelight vigil outside the Manitoba legislature.

In Steinbach, mourners arrived in vehicles adorned with red ribbons, a symbol used to draw awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Many attendees wore T-shirts or hoodies printed with photos of Gerard-Roussin as they hugged and comforted one another. Others held framed photographs, flowers, candles, or placards.

Drumming and smudging were followed by remarks by Darryl Contois, who spoke about the importance of grieving, forgiveness, and healing.

“Let those tears fall, don’t hold them back,” Contois said. “Whatever you’re carrying in your hearts, the hatred, the anger, let it go. Don’t carry it with you, because it takes you down.”

Contois said he met Gerard-Roussin at Rossbrook House, the drop-in centre where she worked after finishing high school last year. Contois said he and Gerard-Roussin also joined searches for missing people. He never imagined she herself would one day disappear.

The vigil concluded with a unison cry of, “We love you, Mackaylah!” Attendees then filed past the driveway to lay flowers and sprinkle tobacco before returning to their vehicles for the emotional journey to Woodridge.

Kevin T. Hart, Gerard-Roussin’s uncle and the family’s spokesperson, could not be reached for comment. Contois said Hart did not attend the Steinbach vigil.

During his speech at the vigil, Contois urged Gerard-Roussin’s loved ones to pray for those who wronged them.

“That’s the way of the Creator.”

RCMP have charged 20-year-old Josh Benoit of Winnipeg with first-degree murder and indignity to a dead body.

Benoit was arrested Aug. 26 along Highway 52 in the RM of La Broquerie after a two-hour search by multiple police agencies. RCMP said his car caught fire during the arrest. Officers later obtained information that led them to the trail near Woodridge.