A man originally from the southeast was murdered in Abbotsford, B.C. and now his children are trying to bring his body home to say goodbye.

The oldest daughter of Ryan Lajeunesse, Jordan Morin says, “I don’t think anybody deserves to go that way. If that makes sense, like nobody deserves to be murdered, especially someone who we heard was trying to clean himself up.”

According to the RCMP, on January 8th, Abbotsford Police responded to a report of a stabbing and found Lajeunesse seriously injured. He was taken to hospital where despite life-saving measures, he succumbed to his injuries.”

Morin says, "our father was murdered; he was trying to get his life back and it was taken from him."

Lajeunesse grew up in the Steinbach and La Broquerie area and though Morin may not have been close with her father, she says she’s already heard from many in the southeast who had good things to say about him. “He was always willing to help. He was really good with kids. He’d give you the shirt off his back, very caring and selfless. In general, he was a very good person.” 

Morin describes her father’s adult life on the GoFundMe page, “Ryan struggled with many things throughout his life which led him to leave Manitoba and move to Abbotsford BC leaving those he truly loved behind. Ryan made many mistakes in his life, but just like so many of us do. Even after Ryan moved, he would talk about his family and friends and when he would talk to his children, he wanted them to know he loved them. He wanted to fix his life. Ryan wanted to be in his children's lives but mental health and life choices can really take a person away from their hopes and dreams. No one plans this life, it's something that happens and they do the best they can with what they know and have.” 

Morin thanks the Abbotsford Emergency Services in their efforts to help Lajeunesse get the emergency care he needed. As well as the IHIT (Integrated Homicide Investigation Team) as they continue to put together the pieces of his final moments. 

According to the RCMP release from the IHIT and AbbyPD, Sgt David Lee says, 

Abbotsford: On January 8, 2022, at around 2:00 a.m., the Abbotsford Police Department responded to the 2400-block of Clearbrook Road for a stabbing. First responders arrived and found a 41-year-old male seriously injured. The man was taken to hospital where despite life-saving measures, he succumbed to his injuries.

The victim has been identified as 41-year-old Ryan Lajeunesse from Abbotsford. Mr. Lajeunesse is known to police. Initial belief is that this was not a random incident.

IHIT has processed the scene and is working in partnership with AbbyPD, the AbbyPD Forensic Identification Section (FIS), and the BC Coroners Service.

This was a targeted stabbing and not random, said Sergeant David Lee of IHIT, we are piecing together what Mr. Lajeunesse was doing at the time of the incident and who he was with.Homicide investigators are looking to speak with anyone who knew of Mr. Lajeunesse’s activities. Dash-cam or CCTV footage from midnight to 3:00 a.m. on January 8, in the area of 2400-block of Clearbrook Road is being requested.

While the family waits for answers Morin says, “Obviously it’s not cheap in general for funerals in Manitoba. Much less his body is in B.C. and I’ve heard that things are quite a bit more expensive there. So, we’ve set up a GoFundMe page, so that we could have that opportunity to say our goodbyes and get a little bit of closure. Not just for myself and my siblings, but it’ll be good for his parents and other close family members as well. It would be nice to have that peace of mind, that he’s back home.”