Miles Morrisseau
ICT
Human remains found in the Prairie Green landfill near Winnipeg, Canada, have been identified as those of Morgan Beatrice Harris of Long Plain First Nation, one of at least four women linked to a serial killer who targeted Indigenous women, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have confirmed.
A second set of remains was also found, but officials are waiting for identification to see if they are those of Marcedes Myran, also from Long Plain First Nation.
Harris’ daughter, Cambria Harris, shared the news on Instagram.
“Please keep our families in your hearts tonight and every day going forward as we trust this process,” Cambria Harris said. “We found my mother Morgan. It is a very bittersweet moment. I believe both our families will bring both of our loved ones home.”
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Families had been pushing more than two years to convince officials to search the Prairie Green and Brady landfills, after the partial remains of another woman, Rebecca Contois, O-Chi Chak Ko Sipi First Nation, were found at the Brady landfill.
After initially refusing to conduct the searches despite protests from the families, government officials began formal searches in December.
A Winnipeg man, Jeremy Skibicki, confessed to the killings and was convicted in July 2024 of four counts of first-degree murder in the killings of four women – Harris, Myran, Contois and an unidentified woman who was given the name Buffalo Woman or Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe by Indigenous elders. Her body has not been found.
The remains of a fifth woman were found at the Brady landfill in April 2023, but officials have not linked the remains to Skibicki.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced the latest discoveries in a bulletin released Friday, March 7.
“Morgan’s remains were found as part of a humanitarian search and recovery mission, initiated by the Manitoba government at the request of the families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran,” according to the bulletin. “The mission was operated in conjunction with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and with the support of the federal government … As facts are confirmed, relevant authorities will provide further information.”
‘Unimaginable burden’
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs sent out a statement acknowledging the news and sharing condolences with the family.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, loved ones and nation as they face this unimaginable loss,” AMC Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said in the statement. “This search has always been about love — honouring Morgan, Marcedes, Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe (Buffalo Woman), Rebecca Contois, and all families still waiting for their loved ones to be brought home.
“No family should have to search in this way, yet their loved ones stood firm in their truth and refused to be silenced,” Wilson said. “It is through their love and determination that Morgan has been found.”
The Assembly of First Nations noted the strength of the families as they stood up and demanded that their loved ones be treated with dignity.
“Their loved ones were entitled to live — free of violence — and they deserved respect and dignity in death,” National Chief Cindy Woodhouse-Nepinak said in a statement. “For the three long years, these families have carried an unimaginable burden fighting for the recovery of their loved ones. They should never have had to fight this hard.”
The news came during the early morning of International Women’s Day and Woodhouse-Nepinak noted that significance in her remarks.
“As the world marks International Women’s Day today, my family and I will be praying for Morgan, Marcedes, Buffalo Woman, Rebecca, and all of our missing sisters across Turtle Island,” she said. “We join Manitoba Grand Chief Kyra Wilson and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in asking that everyone respect the privacy of Morgan’s family.”
The Canadian government did not immediately comment, although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on X on his last official day on the job. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations made a statement the following day.
“This is both heartbreaking and horrific. This loss of precious life is tragic,” Minister Gary Anandasangaree said. “While nothing can repair the harm that has been done, it is my sincere hope that Morgan Harris’ family and community will find some of the closure they so deserve as they bring her home and honour her.”
Anandasangaree said the federal government remains committed to the partnership with Manitoba as the search continues for Marcedes Myran and Buffalo Woman, and to the efforts to combat the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis in the country.
“We will do what is both right and necessary to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people and end this national crisis,” Anandasangaree said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Fighting for justice
Skibicki admitted killing Harris, Myran, Contois and the still-unidentified woman, but his attorneys argued he was not criminally responsible because of mental illness.
The judge rejected the arguments, noting that Skibicki “clearly expressed racist views,” and he was automatically sentenced to an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.
The four women were killed in Winnipeg during the spring of 2022 from mid-March to mid-May, and their remains were believed to have ended up in city landfills, sparking protests over the government’s refusal to search the landfill for their bodies.
When the City of Winnipeg police announced on Dec. 1, 2022, that charges had been laid against a serial killer accused of targeting Indigenous women, the families of the known victims had expected a search to begin. It was not to be.
It was thought the family of Morgan Harris had to move a mountain to bring her home. Police told the family that the search could not be done, and federal officials washed their hands as being out of their jurisdiction.
On Dec. 18, 2022, a small group of supporters including family members took to the Brady Landfill and set up an encampment called Camp Morgan and periodically blocked entrance to the site.
On July 19, 2023 a second camp was set up on the grounds of the Canadian Human Rights Museum and named Camp Marcedes, in remembrance of Myran.
The tone changed on Oct. 18, 2023, when Wab Kinew was elected as the first First Nations provincial premier ever elected in Canadian history. The reigning Conservative Party had made its refusal to search the landfill as a key message to voters and went as far as posting billboards and other various media with the message, “Stand Firm” – For Health and Safety Reasons, the answer on the Landfill Dig has to be No.”
In January, 2024, Cambria Harris filed a human rights complaint against the Conservative Party of Manitoba over the ads.
“[To] see your mom being used for a political game to score points and votes was distressing,” Harris, told CBC at the time. “It’s distressing to know that someone would be so open and brazen about making those kinds of discriminatory comments to the point where they’re willing to spend funds on those billboards and not put resources towards the vulnerable people their system is actively failing.”
The Conservative Party apologized for their inaction in the Manitoba legislature and to the public before speaking to the families.
Kinew shared the bulletin on his X account with just five words.
“Morgan Harris, we honour you.”
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