Canadian police have identified the bodies of Indigenous women killed in landfills and found more artefacts from others after demanding months of search by the victims’ families targeted by serial killers.
Police said in a statement that the body of a human found at the Prairie Green reclaimed north of Winnipeg has been identified as the body of 39-year-old Morgan Harris.
“Her family has been notified and the Manitoba government continues to ask for respect for family privacy,” the statement said.
Harris was one of four women killed by Jeremy Skivicki in 2022. He was given life sentence in July 2024 after being convicted of first-degree murder.
Skibicki, 37, admitted to killing Harris, Rebecca Kontoi, Marcedes Milan, an unidentified woman named Mashkode Bizikikwe (a woman from Buffalo) by indigenous leaders.
Police said Harris’ body was “one of two sets recovered during the search,” but he did not provide his second ID.
When the murder was first discovered in 2022, the ruins of the comet were found in a trash can near Skibicki’s house. Both Harris and Mylan were believed to have been buried in a Prairie Green landfill, but few details have been released regarding Mashkod Bizikikwe.
Police initially said they don’t have the resources to search for trash at the facility, but many of them are buried under a large amount of clay.
After families and Indigenous groups of Winnipeg victims led the march and road blockade, pressured officials to approve approval for the search, authorities pledged $20 million ($14.7 million) for the search.
Harris’ daughter, Cumbria, was the champion of the mother and search needs.
After police confirmed that her mother’s body had been identified, she wrote on Facebook that it was a “very bittersweet moment.”
“Please keep our family in mind tonight. We trust this process, so move forward every day,” Post said. “We believe both our families will bring both our loved ones home.”
At least 4,000 Indigenous women and girls have been murdered or missing in recent decades. Against the backdrop of systemic inequality and injustice, vulnerable Indigenous women continue to be victims of negligent policies and national indifference.
