Juanita Migwans Missing - Ontario Woman Not Seen Since October 4th, 2024

Missing Person: Juanita Migwans

Nickname or Alias: Winnie

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Juanita Migwans was last seen on October 4th, 2024, on Riverside Drive in the First Nation of M'Chigeeng, Ontario. She did not have her cell phone or bank card. Some sources have said she "lost" them, which would imply accidental misplacing. The last banking activity was on September 25th, 2024. Her family and friends are concerned for her well-being as she hasn't been heard from.

Last contact: October 4th, 2024 (Friday)

Last location: M'Chigeeng First Nation, Ontario, on Manitoulin Island

Age when Juanita Migwans disappeared: 30

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 66

Weight in pounds (lbs): 110 lbs, described as thin or slender, and looks petite in her photos. She would be underweight by BMI standards.

Ethnicity: Indigenous. Pale to slightly swarthy appearance in photos.

Hair color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Tattoos (1) Left Foot, A bird carrying a ribbon with text "THIS TOO SHALL PASS" (2) Left Ankle, A heart.

Link to Government Source: 2024054239 (right click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Juanita Migwans (right click to open)

Clothing: Dark-colored pants, light-colored jacket.

MP's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089106086509 and https://www.facebook.com/jjjhgdxc

DOB: December 18th, 1993

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: January 31st, 2025, updates in March 2025

Please note, this is a case with evolving details. As for information accuracy, the only guarantee is that I will try my best, source, and revisit with updates from time-to-time.

Has Juanita Migwans been found?

Juanita Migwans went missing on October 4th, 2024. As of March 24th, 2025, she remains missing.

In recent news at the time of writing, there was a significant reward related to her case. According to a recent CTV News article, "The Ontario Government is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the disappearance of Juanita Migwans as United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin Police Service Commission (UCCM Police) Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) continue their search efforts."

The way the above quotation reads, it sounds as though foul play is suspected. In a more official statement, the police said foul play was not ruled out.

Juanita Migwans went missing from an Indian reserve on Manitoulin Island. This island stands out as the largest island in the world that is in a lake (Lake Huron).

She was last seen on Riverside Drive on the reserve. This is a short segment of roadway. It's not clear what time of day she was last seen or which direction she was heading by the news coverage.

What stands out in this case, is she did not have a phone, bank card, or ID with her when she disappeared. This has some implications. For instance, it would imply that she was not planning on leaving Manitoulin Island. She has not done any banking transactions since September 25th, 2024, which was nine days before her last sighting.

Furthermore, according to news in late March 2025, this individual has uncollected money. This latter point would be ominous based on several other cases involving uncollected money.

There was a previous sighting of her that has been reported in some sources. Some early sources back in November state that she was last seen on October 2nd, 2024 at 10:30am at the intersection of Highway 551 and Oakhill Drive. The latter citing, of October 4th, has been described as a phone call in some sources. I 

There is a social media source that states that she was involved in a court case.

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Juanita Migwans Case Update: March 19th, 2025 Developments

As of March 19th, 2025, Juanita "Winnie" Migwans remains missing, but her case has gained significant traction. An update from The Manitoulin Expositor (Jacqueline St.Pierre), reveals that a community-driven billboard campaign was launched to keep her disappearance in the spotlight.

The first billboard went up on Highway 17 on March 14th, 2025, costing $3,500, with a $100,000 reward now offered. This doubled the $50,000 noted earlier. This escalation underscores rising urgency six months after she vanished from M’Chigeeng First Nation on October 4th, 2024.

The March 19th update also ties Juanita’s case to the broader Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis. "Missing and murdered aboriginal women" is a tag I use on my blog (which you are looking at right now). You can click the tag if you are interested in other cases involving missing Aboriginal women in Canada.

Credit to St.Pierre and The Manitoulin Expositor for illuminating the billboard effort.

Juanita Migwans Case Update: March 24th, 2025 Developments

As of today, March 24th, 2025, Juanita "Winnie" Migwans remains missing nearly six months after her disappearance on October 4th, 2024. A recent article by Kenneth Armstrong at SooToday.com provides new details on the ongoing efforts to find her. Here’s what’s happening:

• Her family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for three additional billboards—planned for Hwy. 17 between Espanola and Sault Ste. Marie, between Espanola and Sudbury, and Hwy. 69 north of Parry Sound—building on an existing billboard on Manitoulin Island. As of late March 24th, this campaign had raised $5822. Please consider supporting it, noting that even small donations from a lot of people can help them achieve their goals.
• The article from Kenneth Amstrong says that funds from a Robinson-Huron Treaty settlement remain untouched. I will comment on this shortly.
• Despite exhaustive searches by Tribal Police and the OPP, no leads have surfaced, prompting volunteer Peggy Simon to speculate about foul play or sex trafficking.
• Migwans’ case continues to rally her community, who hope the expanded billboard campaign will yield answers.

Credit to Kenneth Armstrong at SooToday.com for this detailed reporting.

Uncollected Money: Often Considered a Major Flag

I have been writing about missing person mysteries for a decade now with research on numerous cases. Uncollected money is often a major flag. In some cases in the past, I know police have considered substantial amounts of uncollected money to strongly suggest that a missing person is deceased.

Migwans' case was serious from the start but that she did not collect her treaty money, as reported in the Armstrong article, is very convincing to me that this is not a voluntary disappearance. I don't think many people are looking at this mystery feeling like she was missing voluntarily but her failure to collect the treaty money should put to bed any notion of a voluntary disappearance.

From what I gathered, the reserve won a settlement and there have been incremental payments made to band members over time. It must be one of these incremental payments that she did not collect.

The "uncollected money" circumstance is one I am trying to build on at my blog. The current posts associated with this theme can be found here.

GoFundMe Campaign Aims to Raise Funds for Awareness

The GoFundMe campaign, titled "Bring Juanita (Winnie) Home - awareness through billboards," organized by Mary-Ann Ashcroft, has raised $5,822 of its $15,000 goal as of the latest update.

This effort underscores the community's determination to keep Juanita's story visible while seeking answers to her disappearance. Furthermore, the diversity of the donors shows that there is a broader concern for her well-being.