Thirty-six-year-old Tanya Jean Brooks, a Mi’kmaq woman from Millbrook First Nation, lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was known as a tenacious, headstrong, and artistic individual. Despite facing personal challenges, including struggles with addiction and homelessness, she was a loving mother striving to regain custody of her five children.
On the evening of May 10th, 2009, Tanya was last seen leaving the Halifax Regional Police headquarters on Gottingen Street around eight twenty p.m. The following afternoon, her body was found in a window well at the abandoned St. Patrick’s-Alexandra School on Maitland Street in Halifax. Investigators believe she knew her assailant(s).
Prior to her death, Tanya had been the victim of a violent assault in March 2008, where she was beaten with a metal pipe by Patrick Segerts. She testified against him, leading to his sentencing in February 2009. Reports suggest that Tanya received threats before her death, possibly related to her testimony.
Each year, Tanya’s family, led by her sister Vanessa, organizes a memorial walk to honor her memory and keep public attention on the case. In Mi’kmaq culture, it is essential for a person’s body to be whole for their spirit to rest. For eight years, Tanya’s brain was retained by authorities for investigative purposes. In 2017, it was returned to her family, allowing them to perform a smudging ceremony and begin the healing process. Vanessa Brooks emphasized the importance of this event, stating that Tanya was finally “whole again,” fulfilling their mother’s last wish before her passing in 2015.
The Halifax Regional Police continue to investigate Tanya’s murder. Her case is part of the Nova Scotia Department of Justice Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program, which offers up to $150,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Crime Immemorial 