Mounties seek man accused in fatal crash

Mounties are asking for the public’s help in finding a Winnipeg man who has been charged in connection with a head-on collision that killed three people near Swan River last Canada Day.

Swan River RCMP has issued an arrest warrant for 37-year-old Matthew Govereau, who now faces 18 charges.

On July 1, 2025, Govereau was allegedly driving on Highway 10 near Road 224 North when his vehicle veered over the centre line on the highway and crashed into a parked vehicle on the opposite shoulder, RCMP said in a news release on Wednesday.

A 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman from Winnipeg who were in the parked vehicle were transported to the hospital, where they later died, police said.

A 29-year-old man who was a passenger in Govereau’s vehicle also died after he was taken to the hospital.

Govereau was transported to hospital with injuries and later released, police said.

Eighteen charges were sworn against Govereau on Jan. 20, following approval from the Manitoba Prosecution Service. The charges are in relation to the collision along with weapons and drugs that were recovered from the vehicle, police said.

Govereau has been charged with three counts each of impaired driving causing death, dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death and possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.

He was also charged with two counts each of possessing a weapon contrary to an order and single counts of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing property obtained by crime and possessing a controlled substance.

Police said Govereau’s last known address is in Birch River — a community roughly 40 kilometres from Swan River — but he is known to travel throughout the province regularly, including Winnipeg.

Mounties cautioned that if anyone sees Govereau, they should not approach him. He is described as 5-foot-11 and weighing around 280 pounds.

Police have been unable to locate Govereau since Crown prosecutors approved charges on Jan. 20.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre said it took months to secure an arrest because the investigation was ongoing.

“When someone dies, you don’t want to have a case thrown out on a technicality. I’ve seen stuff like that happen and it’s brutal. It looks bad on everybody,” he said.

Speaking generally, Manaigre said officers conducting fatal crash investigations often obtain search warrants for the vehicles and production orders related to cellphone records. Meanwhile, forensic traffic investigators must complete a collision report and blood samples are processed in a lab.

“You’re looking at months just for that kind of stuff, and then once you put it all together, then you submit it to the Crown for review, and honestly, it could be anywhere from a couple months to a year or more before they get back to you,” he said.

He could not confirm when police last had contact with Govereau.

Manaigre acknowledged police may have been able to arrest Govereau earlier because of the items seized from the vehicle, but said investigators chose to prioritize charges related to the fatal collision.

“You want to give the Crown the best chance they have,” he said.

Govereau’s criminal record in Manitoba dates back to 2017, and includes convictions for drug possession, trafficking, possessing weapons and breaching court orders. He was also convicted of breaching the provincial Public Health Act amid COVID-19-related restrictions.

He pleaded guilty in October 2022 to a robbery committed in Swan River in September 2020. He was given time served and period of probation, which included an order he go for an assessment at a drug treatment centre.

Court heard his offending was tied to drug abuse.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact Swan River RCMP at 204-734-4686 or 204-734-3454, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

» The Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Free Press