A 73-year-old woman found dead in her home in a suspected homicide is being remembered as a friendly neighbour and committed educator by her Garden City community.
Lexie Diane Smart was found dead in her home on Primrose Crescent June 8. Police were visiting the home to investigate a missing persons report.
On Tuesday, police announced her death was being investigated as a homicide.
MORGAN MODJESKI / FREE PRESS
A police car parked outside of a home on Primrose Crescent on June 9, 2026.
Nancy Zanella lives across from Smart’s home, and described her as a teacher who was still working, and a “really good person” who took the time to bring her meals and check in on her family when they were going through difficult times.
The last time she saw Smart, just days before her death, they waved to each other but didn’t speak. Zanella said she regrets that now.
“I’m angry, really angry, because she was good towards me,” she said Tuesday morning. “She didn’t deserve that s—t.”
The Free Press spoke with Smart’s son, who did not want to be identified. He described her as “a great mother” who was loved by everyone, but declined to comment further.
Smart and her next-door neighbour shared a love of gardening. He’d cut her grass and she gave him flowers purchased in support of a breast cancer charity; they’re in pots outside his front door.
“It’s a sad story, said the neighbour, who didn’t wish to be identified. “She was so happy because she finally got a permanent teaching job; she was so happy.”
Several neighbours told the Free Press they did not believe the homicide was random and described the street as quiet.
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The Winnipeg Police Service refused to confirm any details Tuesday.
Just a few doors away from Smart’s home, Mohammed Rahman said she had frequently come by with candies for his children and checked in on holidays.
“It is a big surprise that this is what happened,” he said. “But, to be honest, no, we didn’t believe that she (had) died in a normal death.”
The WPS homicide unit has taken over the case and is still investigating. No arrests have been announced.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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