WINNIPEG — The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced that remains discovered at a landfill north of Winnipeg have been confirmed as belonging to Morgan Harris, one of two slain First Nations women. Search teams have been looking for these remains since December 2022, following a tragic series of events linked to a serial killer in Winnipeg. This case has garnered significant attention, shining a light on the issue of violence against Indigenous women.
The timeline of this tragic case began on March 15, 2022, when police reported the death of an unidentified woman. On May 1, 2022, Morgan Harris, aged 39 and a member of the Long Plain First Nation, was last seen near Main Street and Henry Avenue in Winnipeg, with police believing she was killed around that date. This was followed by the murder of Marcedes Myran, aged 26, also from Long Plain First Nation, on May 4, 2022. A week later, police indicated that they believed Rebecca Contois, aged 24 from O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation, was killed on or about May 14 or 15, 2022.
On May 16, 2022, investigators discovered the partial remains of Contois in a garbage bin near an apartment. They subsequently secured the Brady Road Resource Management Facility, a city-operated landfill, where they suspected additional remains might be found. On May 18, Jeremy Skibicki was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in relation to Contois’s death. By May 19, authorities confirmed that the remains found belonged to Contois.
As the investigation continued, on June 2, 2022, police commenced searches at the Brady landfill. By June 20, they believed that additional remains of other victims were transported to the privately operated Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg. On December 1, 2022, Skibicki faced three counts of first-degree murder concerning the deaths of Harris, Myran, and an unidentified woman, later called Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman.
Despite the families’ pleas, police initially decided against searching the Prairie Green landfill due to the time elapsed since the victims' disappearances. This decision prompted community outrage and led to protests, as Indigenous leaders called for action and transparency. On May 12, 2023, a study suggested that a search would be feasible but could take up to three years and cost approximately $184 million, prompting further calls for a search from families and Indigenous leaders.
The Manitoba government initially deemed searching the landfill too risky, yet public pressure continued to mount. Protests intensified throughout the summer of 2023, leading to a commitment from the province's NDP following their election win in October 2023 to pursue a search for the missing remains. By January 26, 2024, further assessments indicated that a search could occur within a year, although there were significant health risks due to asbestos reported in the area.
On March 22, 2024, both the federal and Manitoba governments pledged $20 million each for the operation. By June 11, 2024, the Manitoba government granted environmental approval necessary for the search, enabling excavation efforts to commence. On July 11, 2024, Justice Glen Joyal convicted Skibicki of four counts of first-degree murder.
Excavation and recovery operations officially began on December 2, 2024. By February 26, 2025, potential human remains were reported to have been discovered at the Prairie Green landfill. Subsequently, on March 7, 2025, the RCMP confirmed the identification of these remains as belonging to Morgan Harris, with additional remains also recovered in the operation.
