Hillary Angel Wilson

Hillary Angel Wilson was an 18-year-old Indigenous woman from Winnipeg, Manitoba, remembered by her mother as a beautiful, loving, caring, generous, and forgiving person. Her mother, Gwen Wilson, said she "always made people feel good inside, and had a way to brighten up the room." Hillary’s life was cut short in August 2009, leaving her family with unanswered questions and a void that has never been filled.

On the evening of Wednesday, August 19, 2009, Hillary was last seen at the corner of Selkirk Avenue and McKenzie Street in Winnipeg's North End. It was around 7:00 p.m., and police believe she made a call from a payphone at that location. It was the last time anyone reported seeing her alive. The following day, shortly before 3:00 p.m. on August 20, her body was discovered in a sparsely populated, rural area near the intersection of Highway 59 and the North Perimeter Highway (101) in the Rural Municipality of East St. Paul, just outside Winnipeg.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Serious Crime Unit immediately took over the case and determined that Hillary Angel Wilson was the victim of a homicide. However, details about how she died have not been publicly released by investigators. Her death, along with the killing of another Indigenous teenager, 17-year-old Cherisse Houle, whose body was found in a creek a week earlier, prompted Manitoba law enforcement to announce a task force to investigate cases of missing and murdered women in the province. At the time, authorities did not state whether the two deaths were connected.

Over the years, the investigation into Hillary's murder has remained active, but no arrests have ever been made. Her mother, Gwen, has remained in regular contact with police but has stated there has been no new information. She believes someone has the information that could solve the case and has pleaded for them to come forward. "I'm waiting for somebody to tell the truth of what happened... who murdered her, why it happened. I have a lot of questions," Gwen said at a vigil a decade after her daughter's death. "I feel lost, I feel sad, I feel broken. I feel a big void in my life."

Gwen Wilson has been a tireless advocate for her daughter, organizing numerous events to keep her memory alive and to push for justice. In the years following Hillary's death, the family held annual memorial walks, candlelight vigils, and gatherings. In 2013, on the fourth anniversary, a "Justice for Hillary Memorial Walk" proceeded to the Manitoba Legislature, where mourners left memorial items on the steps. Though her mother noted it was a cultural tradition to stop after four memorials, she vowed she would never stop seeking justice for her daughter. In August 2019, on the 10th anniversary of Hillary's death, more than 30 people gathered at Selkirk Avenue and McKenzie Street, holding signs with her photo before walking through the neighborhood where she was last seen.

As of December 2023, the RCMP continues to investigate Hillary Wilson's death as an unsolved homicide. Her family waits for the day they will finally have answers and justice. "I'm really trying to find answers and hope for Hillary," her mother has said. "And I know whatever is said won't bring her back, but we need to know what happened."

Anyone with information regarding the death of Hillary Angel Wilson is asked to contact the RCMP or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).