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This article was published 11/6/2015 (1928 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tina Fontaine spent some of her final days at a Winnipeg home that justice officials allege was used for human trafficking.

As the Free Press reported Thursday, police arrested three people last week for allegedly holding a 17-year-old girl captive and forcing her to have sex with as many as 50 men.

One of those accused, Jeanenne Fontaine, appeared in court Wednesday to apply for bail.

During that hearing, shocking allegations emerged for the first time.

A justice source confirmed Fontaine is a first cousin to Tina, the 15-year-old ward of Child and Family Services whose body was found in the Red River Aug. 17, 2014.

There has been no arrest in her slaying, which made national headlines and put Manitoba’s child welfare system under intense scrutiny.

In the recent case, police allege the 17-year-old female was kept captive from May 20 to June 1 inside Fontaine’s suite in a Furby Street apartment block. The suite is listed under the name of her mother, who is Tina’s aunt.

It’s the same suite where Tina spent a weekend in August 2014 prior to going missing and being killed.

Tina was found unconscious on a downtown street, and may have been sexually assaulted. She was returned to social workers, who put her up in a hotel. She ran away and her whereabouts were unknown until her body was pulled from the river Aug. 17.

Her case is one of many involving violent attacks against CFS wards that have raised questions about the care high-risk youth receive.

The revelation Tina spent time in an environment that has been linked to a human-trafficking case months later is raising more questions about what might have happened to her, especially since Tina’s family members previously told the Free Press they believe she was being sexually exploited weeks before her death.

Police were investigating activities around the Furby Street complex as part of the Tina Fontaine investigation and the recent human-trafficking probe.

A justice source said at this point, there doesn’t appear to be a direct evidentiary link between the two cases.

Police refused to release information, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Free Press obtained its information through court documents and Wednesday’s court hearing.

During the hearing, the judge was told part of the police probe involves trying to track down the men who had contact with the teen, along with obtaining surveillance video from cabs the men used to get to the apartment.

A justice source told the Free Press Thursday police will likely have questions for some of the men about Tina.

Jeanenne Fontaine, Jesse Thomas and Eric Wirffel, who were arrested last week, are charged with trafficking of a person under the age of 18.

A fourth accused, Clinton Wirffel, is being sought on a warrant. He and Eric Wirffel are twins.

A conviction carries a mandatory minimum penalty of six years in prison and a maximum of life behind bars.

Fontaine, 27, was granted bail by provincial court Judge Ryan Rolston, despite objections from the Crown. She is under strict conditions, including a nightly curfew and a ban on Internet access. She was distraught during her bail hearing, which was interrupted when she became ill. She later told the judge she is pregnant. Her lawyer said she "vehemently denies" any wrongdoing and plans to fight the case at trial.

The Crown alleges the three male accused took the 17-year-old girl to Fontaine’s residence on May 20. Fontaine did not know the girl.

The Crown said during the next few days, the four accused purchased "provocative clothing" for the teen and took photos of her that were posted on a Winnipeg website that caters to people wanting to buy sex.

They also repeatedly threatened to harm the girl and her family members if she didn’t comply, court was told.

Men began responding to the ad. Many would go to the Furby Street home and pay for sexual acts with the teen.

The girl was driven to several city homes to be a "paid escort," court was told.

All of the money allegedly went to the four accused, and the teen was not a willing participant at any time, the Crown alleges.

Court was told as many as 50 men paid to have sex with the girl from May 20 to June 1.

The abuse ended after the girl convinced her captors to give her enough freedom that she managed to flee the property and call for help.

www.mikeoncrime.com