A man killed an Indigenous woman in 2022. Her remains were found at a Canadian landfill.
The human remains of an Indigenous woman killed three years ago at the hands of a Canadian convicted murderer were recovered last week, authorities said.
The province of Manitoba revealed that the remains of Morgan Beatrice Harris were found in Prairie Green Landfill outside the capital, Winnipeg, according to a March 7 press release. Harris' remains were discovered as a result of humanitarian search and recovery efforts for her and another woman, Marcedes Myran.
"Her family has been notified, and the Manitoba government continues to ask that the family’s privacy be respected," officials said. "Morgan’s remains are one of two sets recovered in the search. As facts are confirmed, relevant authorities will provide further information."
Harris, 39, and Myran, 26, as well as two other Indigenous women, were discarded in two garbage dumps by Jeremy Skibicki in 2022, BBC and CBS News reported. The victim's families requested the search mission at the landfill, which reportedly began in December, the province said.
The two were a part of the Long Plain First Nation, according to the reports.
'Victory for the families'
In July 2024, Skibicki was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and later given four life sentences without the possibility of parole for 25 years, CBC and CTV reported. Rebecca Contois, 24, of O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation, and another woman − who has yet to be identified and referred to as Buffalo Woman − were also targeted by the killer.
His crimes came to light in May 2022 when a man called the police after spotting human remains in a bin outside his apartment, several outlets reported. Skibicki met his victims at homeless shelters and lured them to his home, where the abuse took place.
According to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, citing 2023 data, violence against Indigenous women and girls is an epidemic, with the group being six times more likely to be murdered than their counterparts in Canada. During an interview with the CBC, advocate Sheila North acknowledged the resilience of the victim's families, who didn't give up on recovering the remains.
"They took us on a journey that we all needed as a country — not just as a city, but as a nation — to show us that the fight is worth it and that the fight is hard, but you know, this is what happens when we don't give up," North told the outlet. "This is a victory for the families, for the allies, for the friends that worked hard, but also for other people that have kept the fight up all these years as well."
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for Paste BN. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.