A recent search for a landfill of the Winnipeg area for the remains of two women of the first nations killed by a serial killer in 2022 was completed for approximately $ 18 million, says the Prime Minister of Manitoba, a fraction of estimates originally presented as the upper end of the possible costs to carry out the project.
The search for the Green Prairie landfill, north of Winnipeg, located, remains belonging to Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran in February, and ended last month after starting in December.
An initial viability study suggested in 2023 that the search could, in the worst case, take up to three years and Cost between $ 84 million and $ 184 million. A subsequent report put the cost Closer to $ 90 millionIf the search could be done within a year.
The search for the landfill included “the highest level of health and safety for workers with mental health supports informed by trauma,” said a Thursday state statement attributed to Premier Wab Kinew, where he confirmed the final cost of the project.
The then Progressive Conservative Government of Manitoba published advertisements in 2023 promoting the decision of the party not to seek in the landfill of the Prairie of women’s remains, citing security concerns for search engines who face toxic material.
The Kinew NDP government launched the search after winning the elections of that year. Obby Khan, who became leader of the Opposition PC at the beginning of this year, apologized for those ads and promised a new tone of his party.
Harris, 39, Myran, 26, both from Long Plain First Nation, were among the four women killed in 2022 by Jeremy Skibicki, along with Rebecca Contois, 24, a member of the first O-Chi-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi nation.
While it took years when the remains belonging to Harris and Myran were recovered, the partial remains of Contois were found in a garbage container near Skibicki’s apartment in the Winnipeg North Kyrdonan area in May 2022.
Skibicki unexpectedly confessed to kill Myran, Harris, Contois and a fourth woman who was not identified at that time During a police interview in May 2022After the partial remains of Contois.
He was convicted of first degree murder last year and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of probation for 25 years, after a one -week trial that he heard that attacked vulnerable women of the first nations before killing them and getting rid of their remains.
The fourth victim of Skibicki, who was initially identified, was only known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, a name given by the members of the indigenous community.
Police announced in March that they had determined that the woman was Ashlee Shingoose, 30, of the Anisininew nation of St. Theresa Point.
With the search for the Prairie Green, the team and the specialized personnel are transferred to the Brady Road landfill, where a search for the remains of Shingoose will be launched, which is believed to be taken there.
A Kinew spokesman said that another $ 2 million is expected to dismantle and clean the Prairie Green site and move the search team to the Brady Road site. Plans are still being developed to search for that site, said the spokesman.
Kinew announced earlier this month that the province also plans to search the Brady Road landfill For the remains of Tanya Napinakthat they believed they took there after it disappeared at 31 more than a decade ago.
A search for the remains of Napinak was launched in October 2012, but it was canceled after six days No evidence located. The crown remained a murder position in relation to his death against Shawn’s lamb, for lack of evidence.
Lamb was accused in June 2012 of three second -degree murder positions in relation to the death of Carolyn Sinclair, 25, Lorna Blacksmith, 18, and Napinak. He declared himself guilty of homicide in the cases of Sinclair and Blacksmith, but denied having killed Napinak.
