Mother pleads with son accused of kidnapping 20-year-old woman to turn himself in

A mother urged her 39-year-old son to surrender amid a police manhunt after he allegedly abducted his 20-year-old current or former partner at knifepoint in a northern Manitoba community Thursday morning.

RCMP issued a dangerous-person alert for Joshua Paupanekis, which triggered notifications on mobile phones across the province, while searching for him and Raeanne Thomas, who investigators believe is in immediate danger, in and around Pimicikamak Cree Nation.

“Please my son Josh, turn yourself in,” Paupanekis’s mother, Kimberlee Johnson, wrote in a text message that she sent to a friend to share with the Free Press.

“If you really love Raeanne, let her go. Don’t hurt her. She’s a sweet young girl. Her family is waiting for her, and I’m waiting for you, too. I don’t want her hurt, please.”

The friend said Johnson confirmed that Paupanekis and Thomas were in a relationship.

Johnson is hoping both are found safe as soon as possible, the friend said: “She’s all worried and anxious.”

RCMP said Paupanekis is considered armed and dangerous. People were urged not to approach him if they see him. He is also known as Joshua McKay.

It is possible Paupanekis fled the community, RCMP said.

Anyone with information about his and/or Thomas’ whereabouts is asked to call the Cross Lake RCMP detachment at 204-676-2600.

Spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre said it was a case of intimate partner violence, but he was unable to confirm whether the suspect and victim were still in a relationship.

Officers were called to a Pimicikamak home at about 5:40 a.m. after a man, alleged to be Paupanekis, forced his way inside and attacked a 24-year-old man with a hammer, RCMP said. Thomas was abducted at knifepoint.

Police said Paupanekis was last seen fleeing on foot with Thomas. Officers went door-to-door during a large-scale search of the community, located in a heavily-forested area about 520 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Residents reported seeing at least one police dog and a drone. The RCMP activated its emergency operations centre to help co-ordinate the search and investigation.

Police were stationed at some intersections, including Highway 6 and Provincial Road 373, residents said. Additional officers arrived from Winnipeg in the afternoon. The RCMP’s major crime services joined the investigation.

Pimicikamak Chief David Monias urged people to remain in their homes or in secure locations, unless they had to leave for essential reasons.

“This is a community-wide call for solidarity and vigilance,” he said in a statement.

Paupanekis is currently before the court on charges of assault and assault by choking, suffocating or strangling, both allegedly committed Nov. 22.

From 2013 to 2019, he was convicted of four assaults — at least two of which were against a girlfriend — and one count each of uttering threats, obstructing a peace officer, mischief to property and seven court order breaches, court records show.

He was sentenced to about 120 days in jail, less time served, plus 18 months of supervised probation, in September 2019 for two of those assaults, as well as the obstruction charge and a breach of probation.

Paupanekis was also barred from possessing weapons for five years.

On Jan. 21, 2019, Paupanekis showed up to an estranged girlfriend’s home before 7 a.m., and she let him in on the condition he would “be calm,” Crown prosecutor Brigitte Dupuis told court. He was already barred from contacting her by probation order for an earlier assault.

“She went into her bedroom, where her baby daughter was, then Joshua grabbed her in a headlock, choking her so she could not breathe,” said Dupuis.

Another resident of the home woke up and kicked out Paupanekis, court was told.

On April 1 that year, Paupanekis drunkenly assaulted an acquaintance who was walking from a beer vendor through the bush to a store, court heard. He then ran away from an RCMP officer who was trying to arrest him on April 5.

His lawyer told court in 2019 that Paupanekis grew up in Pimicikamak and had three children.

Some Pimicikamak residents said Paupanekis and Thomas were seen together in the hours or days before Thursday’s attack.

Charlene Ross said she saw a man and a woman near a NorthMart store, which was closed, at about 11 p.m. Wednesday.

“I saw them walking together. It was them,” Ross said. “He pushed her by the hand. I couldn’t tell how she was. I almost stopped but I was scared of that guy. What if he comes after me?”

A spokeswoman said RCMP had not confirmed the sighting because the investigation into the events prior to the abduction was ongoing.

Ross said Pimicikamak residents were praying for Thomas to be found safe.

The dangerous-person alert triggered piercing alarms on cellphones shortly after 11 a.m. The notification was repeated at about 4:15 p.m. The alert was also broadcast on radio and television.

“Police fear for her life,” said the alert, referring to Thomas.

The notifications were issued via the national Alert Ready emergency system, commonly used for Amber Alerts or tornado warnings. The system sent alerts during last year’s wildfires.

Manaigre said dangerous-person alerts are rare in Manitoba.

Eight, including Thursday’s, were issued in Manitoba since 2020, according to Karen Kheder, a spokeswoman for Pelmorex Corp., which operates the Alert Ready system.

Several factors led to Thursday’s alert. First, Manaigre said, it was a very rare type of incident (an aggravated assault, followed by an armed kidnapping).

“It was also not known if the suspect had fled the community, so the situation was not contained,” he wrote in an email. “Police were also very concerned that the event posed a significant threat to cause death or grievous bodily harm to the public — in this instance, to the kidnapped victim.

“Finally, given the entirety of the situation and that the location of the suspect and victim was unknown, it was essential to use every communication tool available to warn the public. The victim’s safety was paramount.”

Manitoba had the second highest rate of police-reported intimate partner violence among Canadian provinces in 2024 (607 victims per 100,000 people), a Statistics Canada study found. Saskatchewan had the highest rate (714).

Pimicikamak is home to about 7,000 people. Thousands left in late December and early January, after a prolonged power outage caused pipes to freeze, resulting in damage to public infrastructure and homes.

— with files from Erik Pindera

» Winnipeg Free Press