Archive - 1947
Homicide #??
Victim - Tasker, Elsie Frances (42)
Accused - UNSOLVED
Charge -
At 4:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday, October 4, 1947, the body of 42-year old Elsie Frances Tasker was found in the living room of her 522 Young Street home. She had been stabbed several times in the back, chest and throat area. There was no sign of forced entry to the home and it appeared relatively neat. While there was no indication that the home had been ransacked, her purse had been dumped out on the kitchen table. It is unknown if her purse contained any money, however her car keys were missing.
Ms. Tasker was last seen alive during the late afternoon of Friday, October 3, when a neighbour saw her leaving in her car. However, while Ms. Tasker's body was found in her home, her 1941 Buick Coach was subsequently found on Rupert Street, just west of the side entrance to the McLaren Hotel, shortly after her body was discovered. As her keys were still in the ignition, it is most likely that the car was stolen by the suspect as the key ring also contained the keys to her home. Regardless, Ms. Tasker was well known to the police as the owner/proprietor of a very successful after-hours "sporting house" where patrons could drink, gamble or obtain sexual services and it is possible that she was involved in a dispute with a client or someone she knew. While robbery is also a possible motive, it does not appear that the rest of the house was searched and the killer left behind three diamond rings containing a total of 17 stones that Ms. Tasker had been wearing.
While this case is now over 50 years old, if the killer was in his 20's at the time of the incident, it is possible that he is still alive today which is why this file is still considered active by the Police Service.
If you have any information about this case, please contact Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477)
Unsolved Details taken directly from Winnipeg Police Service website.