Manitoba to begin new landfill search for two missing First Nations women

Manitoba will launch a new search at Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill on Monday, beginning a renewed effort to recover the remains of two First Nations women whose deaths have been linked to separate serial killers. Teams assigned to the operation completed specialized training this week, preparing them for what is expected to be a complex and sensitive search.

The first phase will focus on finding the remains of Ashlee Shingoose, one of four women murdered in 2022 by Jeremy Skibicki, who is serving life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Shingoose was not identified during Skibicki’s trial and was referred to as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe—Buffalo Woman—a name chosen by Indigenous community members. Investigators later confirmed her identity through interviews with Skibicki after the verdict and through DNA testing, concluding that her remains were likely taken to the Brady Road facility.

Once that work is finished, the province plans to begin a second search at the same site for Tanya Nepinak, who vanished in September 2011. Nepinak left her home on Sept. 13 telling her mother she was going out to get pizza and never returned. Police later told her family they believe she was killed by Shawn Lamb, who was convicted in separate homicide cases. Investigators have long suspected that Nepinak’s remains could be buried somewhere within the landfill.

To guide the upcoming operation, the province carried out a test phase in August, excavating a small area and using ground-penetrating radar to assess conditions underground. That work helped narrow the likely search zone and determine what equipment and methods would be required.

This new effort follows the completed search at the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg, where the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, also victims of Skibicki, were successfully recovered earlier this year. Their deaths, along with that of Rebecca Contois, whose partial remains were found at Brady Road in 2022, formed the core of the case against Skibicki. Evidence presented in court showed he targeted women living in vulnerable circumstances and disposed of the bodies in garbage bins later hauled to landfill sites.

The provincial government declined to comment ahead of Monday’s start, but has previously pledged to pursue every reasonable step to help families locate their loved ones. For the relatives of Shingoose and Nepinak, the renewed search brings a difficult mix of hope and sorrow, but also the possibility of long-awaited answers. Officials have not provided a timeline for the operation, though the extensive preparation suggests a thorough and carefully managed search.