Man Arrested After Bodies of His Children Found in Burning Car, Partner and Relative Also Killed

Canadian national police arrested Ryan Howard Manoakeesick and charged him with five counts of murder, per authorities

• The five victims were found dead in three separate locations, per police
• Police arrested Ryan Howard Manoakeesick and charged him with five counts of first-degree murder
• Police initially believed Manoakeesick, 29, was trying to rescue the three children from a burning car

A man in Canada has been arrested on charges of first-degree murder after the bodies of his three children were found in a burning car and the bodies of two other women — including his longtime partner — were found in separate locations, according to authorities.

The Canadian National Police Service arrested Ryan Howard Manoakeesick, 29, and charged him with five counts of murder in connection with the deaths of his partner, their three children and a member of their extended family, authorities said in a statement on Monday.

The victims have been identified as his common-law partner Amanda Clearwater, 30; their three children Bethany Manoakeesick, 6, Jayven Manoakeesick, 4, and 2-month-old Isabella Manoakeesick; and 17-year-old Myah Gratton, CBC reported.

The bodies of the victims were found in separate locations in the Canadian province of Manitoba, authorities said in a previous statement.

On Sunday, police found the body of Clearwater while responding to a hit-and-run on a highway, authorities said in the statement.

About two hours later, police were notified about a burning vehicle, per the statement. When they responded to the scene, they found Manoakeesick, who was initially considered a “witness,” seemingly trying to pull three children from the burning vehicle, the statement says.

The children were all declared dead on the scene and police took Manoakeesick into custody, the statement said.

The investigation led authorities to a residence where they discovered the body of Gratton, per the statement.

Nancy Clearwater, Amanda’s mother, told CBC that Gratton was her niece.

She said Amanda “loved those kids more than anything in the world,” the outlet reported.

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Manoakeesick has a prior conviction for smashing an electronic display at a coffee shop, CBC reported, citing court records.

In 2019, after he pleaded guilty to the charge related to the incident, a judge said in court that he needed to address his alleged addiction and mental health issues, the outlet reported.

"If you don't do something, eventually it's going to cost you your family," the judge said, per the outlet.

It wasn't immediately clear if Manoakeesick has entered a plea to the murder charges. An investigation is ongoing.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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