Outsiders could help with search of landfill

Winnipeg probe of serial killings, missing women

WINNIPEG • The Winnipeg Police Board is considering bringing in outside help for a potential search of a landfill outside the city where the remains of two Indigenous women are believed to be buried.

Investigators say they think the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran ended up in the Prairie Green landfill in the spring. But police decided not to conduct a search as the chances of finding them are low due to the amount of time that has passed and the fact that 10,000 truckloads of refuse were dumped in the area in the following months.

The police board met with police Chief Danny Smyth and investigators on Thursday night, after calls to search the site intensified.

Conversations focused on consulting waste management experts and forensic anthropologists to determine what outside resources are needed to go ahead with a search, said city Coun. Markus Chambers, who is also chair of the police board.

“(It was about) getting a position on how it can be done in order to provide something for these families that demonstrates that they matter,” Chambers said.

“We don't want to be disingenuous in this. It is about trying to find some closure for these families.”

Chambers is confident a search can take place but stopped short of committing to a timeline. He acknowledged the logistical and safety concerns outlined by police. Trash at the landfill is compacted with mud at a depth of about 12 metres that would require heavy equipment to dig through, Chambers said.

Anything collected would have to be inspected off site and there is also the possibility that any remains found may belong to an animal or a different person, he added.

The councillor said he has had businesses with experience in excavation digs reach out to offer their support.

Indigenous family members of missing or murdered women have expressed concerns that their loved ones may be in landfills.

“I don't want to speculate. I don't want to say for certain, but there's a potential that there could be other bodies there,” Chamber said. “So, DNA testing is going to be a component of it.”

Operations at the landfill have been halted as the city and the province discuss next steps.

Premier Heather Stefanson said she reached out to management Thursday to discuss stopping trash disposal. The operator told her it had already stopped in the area.

Jeremy Skibicki is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Harris, Myran, Rebecca Contois and a fourth unidentified woman.