All four have been tentatively identified as members of a family who may have been victims of a human-smuggling operation, the authorities said. Their bodies were discovered about 30 to 40 feet from the U.S. border, in a remote area six miles east of Emerson, Manitoba, the authorities said. “It is an absolute and heartbreaking tragedy,” Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said at a news conference on Thursday, adding that it appeared that all four had died of exposure to the cold. She emphasized that investigators consider the four to be victims. “These victims faced not only the cold weather, but also endless fields, large snowdrifts and complete darkness.”

Source: thestar January 21, 2022 14:35 UTC