Miles Morrisseau
ICT
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Following years of advocacy by families, supporters and Indigenous leaders, a new search is underway for two missing Indigenous women whose remains are believed to be in the Brady Landfill near Winnipeg.
The search, launched Dec. 1, will target specific areas of the landfill for remains of Ashlee Shingoose, initially known only as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, and Tanya Nepinak.
Shingoose, of St. Theresa Point Anishinew Nation, went missing in March 2022 and is believed to be the first victim of confessed serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, who targeted Indigenous women in the Winnipeg area.
Nepinak, Pine Creek First Nation, who disappeared in 2011, has been linked to a different killer, Shawn Lamb, who pleaded guilty in the deaths of two other Indigenous women.
The search began with a pipe ceremony at the Brady Landfill with family members to mark the important next step in finding their loved ones.
Credit: Miles Morrisseau/ICT
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has been leading the advocacy to get the latest search conducted at the landfill.
“We honor Ashlee and Tanya,” AMC Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said in a statement.
“Today we begin the search they said was impossible,” Wilson said. “For too long, our women have been dismissed, ignored, and treated as if their lives did not matter. That ends here. This search is about dignity. It is about truth. It is about bringing them home.”
Skibicki was convicted in 2024 on four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Shingoose and three other women who went missing in Spring 2022. The remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, both from Long Plain First Nation, were found in the Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg. Partial remains of Rebecca Contois, O-Chi Chak Ko Sipi First Nation, were found at the Brady Landfill.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who has also designated himself as the minister responsible for Indigenous reconciliation, said the search was done in coordination with the City of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Police Service.
“One year ago, we were starting the search at Prairie Green for Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, which was ultimately successful,” Kinew said at a press conference after searchers had begun their work Dec. 1.
“More than anything,” he said, “it shows that we’re a province that does what we say and when somebody goes missing, we go looking.”
Missing and murdered
Shingoose was given the honorary name of Buffalo Woman after Skibicki confessed to killing four women. Her remains have not been found, but authorities were able to eventually identify her through DNA found on clothing linked to Skibicki.
The Manitoba government has been in regular contact with the Shingoose family throughout the process, the premier noted.
“I told her parents, I hope you feel that this is the value and the respect and dignity that we hold for your daughter,” Kinew told reporters. “I hope we are able to bring her home and bring her home soon.”
All four women went missing in Spring 2022 are believed to have been dumped in garbage bins, some of which were near Skibicki’s apartment.
Authorities said suspected serial killer Lamb operated in a similar manner.
Lamb confessed to the 2012 killings of two women, 18-year-old Lorna Blacksmith from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and 25-year-old Carolyn Sinclair from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation.
Sinclair’s body was found in March 2012 near a dumpster in Winnipeg. Blacksmith’s body was found three months later about six blocks away in the backyard of a home, the CBC reported.
Lamb was also charged in the killing of Nepinak, but the charges were stayed due to lack of evidence, officials have said.
Lamb eventually worked out a plea deal and pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the deaths of Sinclair and Blacksmith. He was sentenced in 2013 to 20 years in prison, but was granted “statutory release” on Nov. 13 after serving just 13 years. The early release was allowed under a provision in Canada law.
His release brought out more than 100 family, friends and other advocates to a Rally for Justice in Union Station in Winnipeg to protest his early release.
‘Heartbreak every single day’
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has been advocating for the new search, ensuring that the voices of families remain at the center of every decision. For three years, the Assembly has pushed governments, law enforcement and partners to act, refusing to allow loved ones to be forgotten.
Grand Chief Wilson said the new search marked a turning point.
“Our families have carried heartbreak every single day,” Wilson said. “Now they can carry hope. We will walk beside them until their loved ones are brought home, and we will continue to demand safety, justice, and accountability for every First Nation person in this province.”
The AMC thanked the Province of Manitoba, the search teams, technical experts, and community members who have worked to make the operation possible and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Shingoose and Nepinak families throughout the search process.
During this phase of the search plan, a targeted zone at Brady Landfill will be excavated and searched, a move that followed months of preparatory work at the site including security regulatory approvals, developing safety guidelines, constructing the search facility building, and excavating materials above the targeted zone.