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1964-?? Update

Archive - 1964

Homicide #??

Date - 1964-01-11

Victim - Passage, Mary Cecelia (73)
Accused - UNSOLVED
Charge -

Shortly after 12-noon, on Saturday, January 11th, 1964, the body of 73-year old Mary Cecelia Passage (aka: “AuntMary” ), was found in her home at 1-560 Ellice Avenue. She had been beaten and stabbed to death.

Her body was found lying on the floor in the doorway between the front hallway and dining room of her suite.

She had been stabbed in the throat, cutting her jugular vein and had also been stabbed in the chest,  the wound penetrating her heart. She had also been hit several times in the face and five of her ribs were broken.

When Mrs. Passage was found, the front door to her suite was unlocked and the security chain was undone. There was no sign of forced entry and no indication that the suite had been ransacked. The only light on in the suite was in her bedroom and based on her manner of dress it is suspected that she had been laying down or sleeping when someone came to her door.

While the motive for the crime is unknown, Mrs. Passage was known for selling liquor after hours from her home and, until 1960, operated “Aunt Mary's Tea Room” on Ellice Avenue which was also known for its small scale bootlegging. As such she may have been attacked by a customer, or person posing as a customer, intent on stealing liquor or money.

Mrs. Passage last talked with a friend on the phone around 4:00 pm on Friday, January 10th, 1964.  However, between 10:45 and 11:15 pm that evening, her sister-in-law tried to call her on two separate occasions without success. As such it is believed that Mrs. Passage was killed sometime between 4:00 pm and 10:45 pm on January 10th, but possibly later in the evening due to her manner of dress.

Although there were four other suites in the house, no one heard a sound from Mrs. Passage's apartment. To date this crime remains unsolved, however there is a substantial amount of evidence available should a suspect be identified.

 

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.