April Woodhouse, 50, was found lying outside on the steps of a house in Pinaymootang First Nation—about 240 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg—not far from where she lived.

In the hospital, she said they were told April had signs of internal bleeding. When Stagg went into the hospital room, she noticed something else.

“I was holding her hand, and I noticed her hands were badly beaten,” she said, adding there were marks on her sister’s body.

When Stagg called RCMP, she was told her sister’s death was not being considered a homicide.

When CTV News first reached out to Manitoba RCMP on Tuesday, a spokesperson said April’s death was a “medical incident.”

However, one day later, RCMP responded to CTV News again. This time the police said an investigation is underway.