EARLY LIFE:
Amanda Bartlett was born in 1979 to Helen Flett Bignell. Part of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation, she spent much of her life with the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, near The Pas, Manitoba.
Described as a creative soul, Amanda dreamed of becoming a published author. She loved to read and write, and her bubbly personality allowed her to befriend everyone she met. However, her family described her as slightly naïve and gullible, which put her at risk of being taken advantage of.
Amanda was one of many siblings, with her younger sister, Janet, being the one she was closest to. The pair spent a lot of time together, but things changed in mid-1996, when Janet and her father moved to New Brunswick, separating the pair. According to Helen, this was around the time that Amanda started acting out and spending time with the wrong crowd.
Shortly after Janet left Manitoba, Amanda moved to Winnipeg to attend high school. This was the last time anyone in her immediate family saw her.
DISAPPEARANCE:
Amanda was last seen by her uncle, Joseph “Smokey” Halcrow, in the north end of Winnipeg. They’d run into each other on Salter Street, near Selkirk Avenue. Amanda had voluntarily put herself in a group home run by Child and Family Services (CFS), in the hopes of accessing resources, but she’d run away. Not wanting his niece to be without shelter, Halcrow had offered to let Amanda stay with him, but she never showed up at his residence.
Weeks after she was seen by her uncle, Helen received a letter from CFS, which said Amanda had left the group home. When she contacted officials, she was told that those who worked at the residence were under no obligation to follow the 17-year-old, and while Helen was told the police would be in touch, she never received a call.
SEARCH:
Despite Amanda going missing in 1996, the Winnipeg Police Service didn’t start working on the case until February 2008. While investigators claim her disappearance wasn’t reported until then, Amanda’s family says they’d tried on numerous occasions to report her missing, only to be turned away by both the authorities in Winnipeg and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in The Pas.
According to Amanda’s family, it was only when they secured the help of Amnesty International that they were able to get her classified as a missing person. A documentary titled Stolen Sister had aired on television and featured the toll-free number for the organization. Janet called in and was connected to Child Find Canada.
In July 2012, the family searched a field on the outskirts of Winnipeg, after receiving a tip from a medium. That November, the case was assigned to Project Devote, a task force dedicated to solving cases of missing and murdered persons in Manitoba.
Janet and Helen went before the MMIWG Inquiry when it made its stop in Thompson, Manitoba, in 2018. They shared how frustrated they were with the investigation into Amanda’s disappearance and spoke out about how long it took for the authorities to take the missing persons report.
DETAILS:
Amanda Sophia Bartlett went missing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in July 1996. She was 17 years old, and what she was last wearing is unknown.
At the time of her disappearance, Amanda had a medium build, standing at 5’4″ and weighing 152 pounds. She had brown/black hair, brown eyes, a teardrop tattoo on the upper portion of her left cheek and pierced ears. She had dimples when she smiled.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Currently, Amanda’s case is classified as Endangered Missing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Winnipeg Police Service at (204) 986-6250. Tips can also be called in via Crime Stoppers at +1 (800) 222-8477.
Image Credit: CBC
Stories of the Unsolved 