Canadian police identify remains of murdered Indigenous woman at landfill

Canadian police have identified the remains of a murdered Indigenous woman at a landfill and found more remains from another person, after a months long search demanded by the families of victims targeted by a serial killer.

Police said in a statement they had confirmed that human remains found in the Prairie Green Landfill, north of Winnipeg, had been identified as those of Morgan Harris, who was 39.

“Her family has been notified and the Manitoba government continues to ask that the family’s privacy be respected,” the statement said.

Harris was one of four women killed in 2022 by Jeremy Skibicki, who was given a life sentence in July 2024 after he was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Skibicki, 37, had admitted to killing Harris, Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Myran and an unidentified woman, who was named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe (Buffalo Woman) by Indigenous leaders.

Police said Harris’ remains were “one of two sets recovered in the search” but did not provide an identification for the second person.

The murders were first uncovered in 2022 when the remains of Contois were found in a dumpster near Skibicki’s home. Both Harris and Myran were believed to have been buried in the privately owned Prairie Green landfill, while few details have been released about Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe.

Police initially said that they did not have the resources to search the refuse at the facility, much of which was buried under tonnes of clay.

After the victims’ families and Indigenous groups in Winnipeg led marches and road blockades to pressure officials to approve a search, authorities pledged C$20m ($14.7m) for a search.

Harris’ daughter, Cambria, has been a champion of her mother and of the need for a search.

Related: The daughter fighting to recover her mother’s remains from a landfill

After police confirmed her mother’s remains had been identified, she wrote on Facebook that it was “a very bittersweet moment”.

“Please keep our families in your hearts tonight and every day going forward as we trust this process,” the post said. “I believe both our families will bring both of our loved ones home.”

At least 4,000 Indigenous women and girls have been murdered or gone missing in recent decades, in what a landmark 2019 report described as a “genocide”. In a backdrop of systemic inequity and injustice, vulnerable Indigenous women continue to be victims of neglectful policies and state indifference.