Police continue investigating cold murder file in Halifax

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

It has been 16 years since the murder of Tanya Jean Brooks.

The 36-year-old from Millbrook First Nation was found dead in the window well of St. Patrick’s-Alexandra School in Downtown Halifax on May 11, 2009. Police said they believe Tanya knew her assailants and are asking people to come forward with information.

The province’s Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program indicated that Tanya was known to frequent the Gottingen Street area. There is a $150,000 reward for those who can help police identify suspect(s).

The mother of five left the Halifax Regional Police Headquarters at about 8:20 p.m. on May 10, 2009, and police are able to track her movements until around 9 p.m. that night.

There is a gap investigators have from 9 p.m. May 10 to 2:20 p.m. May 11 when her body was found. Police said at the time they canvassed the area, but turned up no clues as to what happened to her.

Related:

• Additional funding announced to support gender-based violence initiatives
• ‘Her life was stolen’ : Police and family continue to search for answers 10 years after Tanya Brooks’ murder

“It is never too late to come forward and the smallest piece of information may be just what is needed to progress the investigation,” officials said in a press release.

Each year, Tanya’s sister, Vanessa Brooks, holds a memorial to remember her by.

“She was kind, loving, an amazing mom, a talented artist. She was vivacious and full of life,” Vanessa said at the 10-year anniversary of Tanya’s death. “She just had a very beautiful soul.”

Red Dress Day

The memorial of Tanya each year comes after a coast-to-coast day to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

Red Dress Day is an annual, national day of remembrance and activism that began in 2010. Since then, it’s message has been backed by statistics and, unfortunately, continued violence towards Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people.

According to Amnesty International Canada, Indigenous women and girls in Canada are 12 times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women and girls, and make up approximately 25 per cent of all homicide victims despite representing just 5 per cent of the population.

With files from CityNews’ Josh Piercey

A photo of Tanya Jean Brooks. (HRP)