Community rallies to support search for missing woman
M’CHIGEENG—In the quiet heart of Manitoulin Island, a mother, daughter and beloved friend has vanished, leaving behind only questions, aching hearts and a community unwilling to let her story fade.
Juanita “Winnie” Migwans, 31, was last seen on October 4, 2024, walking along Riverside Drive in M’Chigeeng. She had no phone, no identification, and no belongings with her. Since then, the silence surrounding her disappearance has grown heavier by the day.
But in that silence, voices have risen. From kitchen tables to council chambers, from online fundraisers to a roadside where a billboard now stand tall, the people of M’Chigeeng and beyond have rallied behind her name. Two separate fundraising efforts—one rooted in M’Chigeeng First Nation and another driven by a GoFundMe campaign—are working together to keep Winnie’s face, her story, and the urgency of her disappearance visible.
The local campaign, led by Peggy Simon, raised over $3,000 for billboards on the Island itself. These signs will soon greet travellers at the entrance to M’Chigeeng, in NEMI, and along the road to the airport. Meanwhile, the GoFundMe campaign organized by Winnie’s aunt on her paternal side, MaryDale Ashcroft seeks $15,000 to place billboards on key trafficking corridors: Highway 17, Highway 69, and between Espanola and Sudbury. Already, more than $5,700 has been raised.
“The biggest thing is to keep Winnie’s face out there,” said Ms. Ashcroft. “Someone knows something, and until they speak up, we have no direction. The community needs to come together, not only to support the search but to share any information that could bring her home.”
Support has poured in since the campaign began last week. Beacon Images offered a 50 percent discount on printing fees. UCCM Castle Building donated lumber. A local contractor stepped up to build the frames. And one anonymous donor—“an angel named Robert,” as Simon puts it—gave generously to help the effort move forward.
“It’s incredible to see how many people care,” Ms. Simon shared. “We’ve had donations from local businesses, individuals who just want to help, and even people who didn’t know Winnie personally but understand the urgency of this situation.”
Yet for all the kindness, a grim shadow hangs over the case: the growing presence of gang-affiliated drug dealers moving through Northern Ontario, exploiting vulnerable communities. Winnie’s past struggles with addiction may have placed her in harm’s way, but her disappearance doesn’t align with the tragic pattern the community has come to know.
“They (gang-affiliated drug dealers) continue to be involved in the lives of people, ending their lives—either in a literal form, by them dying, being murdered, or by losing their lives to a new world of drugs that is very difficult to get out of,” Ms. Ashcroft said. “What’s so suspicious about Winnie’s disappearance is that oftentimes, if drug dealers want to send a message or get rid of someone, they will give them a hot shot and leave them to be found. That gives me hope that she is still alive—but that she may be being trafficked somewhere else.”
There are no leads. No new sightings. No final phone call. Just the hollow ache of absence. And the $100,000 reward that has been topped off by police—a rare figure, reserved for cases where not even the smallest breadcrumb has been found.
“If she has been taken into human trafficking, she could be anywhere. We need to expand our reach. These billboards are more than signs—they’re beacons of hope,” said Ms. Ashcroft.
“We have to think bigger,” echoed Ms. Simon. “If Winnie was taken off the Island, people in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and even the GTA need to see her face. Somebody knows something, and they need to come forward.”
To that end, M’Chigeeng First Nation has officially endorsed the campaign and posted it on their website. Donations can be made at mchigeeng.ca or directly via GoFundMe by searching ‘Bring Juanita (Winnie) Home.’
Winnie is not a headline or a statistic. She is a valedictorian, a mother, a fierce and funny friend who once dreamed big and loved deeply. Her community remembers her laughter, her resilience, and her spirit. And they will not stop looking.
