3 more victims identified after RCMP allege woman lured vulnerable teens into sex for drugs, money
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Three more victims have come forward after a Manitoba RCMP investigation involving a woman who police say befriended teens and lured them into performing sexual acts on several men in exchange for drugs and money.
The update comes just over a week after police said seven people were arrested and 65 charges were laid after 10 searches were done by the Mounties’ internet child exploitation unit during an investigation in Portage la Prairie, Man.
RCMP said at the time they knew of two 15-year-old victims but believed there might be more. Investigators were also trying to identify another girl believed to have been exploited by the group, who may be 13 or 14 years old.
On Friday, RCMP spokesperson Tara Seel said two of the new victims were 15 at the time of the incidents. The third new victim is the girl police had been looking for, but authorities are still confirming her information, including her age, Seel said in an email.
Mounties have also determined one of the men initially charged in the incident was actually not involved in what happened, a news release said Friday.
Scott Joseph Taylor, 34, was charged with unsafe firearms storage and obtaining sexual services from a person under 18, after police searched his Portage la Prairie home. Mounties said Friday the search of the home, which is when firearms were found, was done based on initial information regarding his involvement.
The charges against Taylor have since been stayed, RCMP said.
The investigation began in early February, after RCMP received a tip about a young girl seen with older men, police said in a news release. When officers found her, they found another 15-year-old girl who they say was being exploited.
Investigators learned that the two teens were befriended by a woman who said they could hang out with her and some of her friends to get drugs and money.
The teens trusted the woman and from June to December 2023, they went with her to various homes in Portage la Prairie, a city of about 13,000 people west of Winnipeg, police said.
At each location, a man who would provide drugs in exchange for sexual acts from the teens, RCMP allege. In many instances, the teens could not escape the homes as they were locked in by the woman, who stayed throughout each interaction, police said.
The teens would receive drugs and sometimes money after performing sexual acts on the man, police allege. The woman also received drugs, including methamphetamine, as a form of payment, they said.
During their investigation, police seized a large amount of methamphetamine, cocaine and 13 firearms, including rifles and shotguns, RCMP said. They also seized a number of devices, including computers, phones and external hard drives, police said.
Chasity Nicole Assiniboine and five men from Portage la Prairie are charged with a number of offences.