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Four First Nations women disappeared in 2022. The evidence pointed to a serial killer, and to the city's landfills.
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00:03This program is rated 14 plus and contains scenes of violence and mature subject matter.
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00:15We usually like coming here because it's like it reminds us of my sister Rebecca because
00:19we like to think of her as a butterfly because they're beautiful and they're free.
00:27We miss her so much, like there's not a day that doesn't go by where we don't think about her.
00:32Rebecca Contois' family and friends gathered Thursday to remember a young life lost too soon.
00:41We ended up over at the vigil for Rebecca Contois and I remember kind of that feeling,
00:49that sick feeling I had in my stomach as we were standing there.
00:53I think it's sad that time and time again that we have to keep coming here to gather for sad
00:58circumstances.
00:59Pamela is trying to process. Her daughter is never coming home.
01:04I'm kind of lost and hurt. I'm never going to see her again.
01:12I had a lot of things in my head. Like how she died. It's the last word she said.
01:22I wanted to know everything.
01:24I remember being angry but also shocked and I said, well, where's my mom's body?
01:29And that's when they said they don't have a body.
01:32The message you are sending, that if somebody wants to target and hurt our women,
01:39that they can dump them in the landfill and no one will look for them.
01:43That's my girl that's out there. Just because she's First Nation, you go dig for her.
01:49You don't leave them out there.
01:55Welcome to Crime Beat. I'm Anthony Robards.
01:57Tonight, a case that shook the country.
02:00A serial killer in Winnipeg targeting and preying on indigenous women.
02:05Crimes that have left families carrying a lifetime of grief.
02:09And have cast a national spotlight on the ongoing crisis of murdered and missing indigenous women,
02:16girls and two-spirit individuals.
02:18At the heart of this case is a fundamental question.
02:22What does justice look like?
02:26Here now is Marnie Blunt and bringing them home.
02:34It's a quiet, unassuming residential neighborhood tucked along the east shores of the murky and muddy Red River
02:41on the northern edge of Winnipeg.
02:43But down on Edison Avenue in the city's North Kildonan community was the scene of something sinister.
02:51911, what's the location of the emergency?
02:53On May 16, 2022, 911 operators received a frantic call.
03:00I was walking down the back lane at 253 Edison, the apartment building, in the garbage bins.
03:06I found a woman's head in a green, two, in two green bags.
03:11The bin is in the back of the apartment building.
03:14I didn't touch the head at all.
03:16You don't be sure it's real?
03:18Yes, it is.
03:19It's human?
03:20It's a human, human female.
03:22Police quickly rushed to the scene of a deeply disturbing discovery.
03:27From the beginning, it was quite obvious that it was a grisly scene.
03:33There was, you know, forensic identification police working in the back alley behind the apartment
03:41and evidence markers on garbage bins throughout the alley,
03:46which is an indication that police think there was evidence inside of those garbage bins.
03:51A man looking for scrap found her head in a garbage bin,
03:56and that was just an awful, horrifying event.
04:00It wasn't long before the victim was identified.
04:05In May of 2022, Rebecca Contois' head was found by an individual
04:11who was looking in a garbage bin in a back lane in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
04:18Her limbs were found in nearby garbage bins,
04:21and she was identified through police investigation,
04:25and the police started to try to figure out what had happened to Ms. Contois.
04:30Rebecca Contois, a 24-year-old woman and a member of Crane River First Nation.
04:36Do you recall the last time that you had contact with Rebecca?
04:40The last time she physically contacted us was the month of May.
04:47That was on my little sister's birthday, Maxine.
04:52She said she would be back later on for the party, and then she never came back.
04:58A few days went by, and concern was growing.
05:02Just two days after we had my sister's birthday, we were wondering where she was and stuff.
05:07Like, did anybody hear from her?
05:09Did she stop by?
05:10We're like, no.
05:13We didn't hear from her.
05:19And, um, it was kind of weird because I had a weird feeling that something happened.
05:26Because she always comes to her house.
05:28I think it was May 16th.
05:31Me and my family were just at home because we have, like, a big house that we all, like, we
05:36shared together at the time.
05:38It was two detectives that came to the house.
05:41That's when they told me that they found her deceased by a bin, a garbage bin.
05:48And then, at that point, I just went running upstairs.
05:52I wasn't shot.
05:53I didn't believe the fact that she was by a bin, you know?
05:56Like, it could mean anything.
05:57It could mean, like, what if she overdosed by a bin?
05:59Like, did she do drugs?
06:03Or somebody beat her up or something?
06:05Like, they didn't tell me, like, all the details on that day.
06:07Rebecca Contois!
06:09Her name is being chanted, loud and clear, making sure she's not forgotten.
06:15Rebecca Contois' family and friends gathered Thursday to remember a young life lost too soon.
06:21We did have that vigil for her in the yard that me and my family were relieved about they found
06:28her
06:28because there was still some of her missing, and that was, like, pretty awful.
06:39They said that it was a homeless lie too.
06:41I still didn't know all the details.
06:43I was looking online there, and that's when I found out about the separation of my sister.
06:49The details surrounding her death are traumatic and gruesome.
06:52Earlier this week, the victim was found dismembered,
06:55with parts of her remains tossed into a dumpster on Edison Avenue.
06:59It is a horrific leakers leasing.
07:00Winnipeg police are still searching for the rest of her remains.
07:04Went through everybody's garbages all the way down Mackay,
07:07pretty much just removing bags and putting them onto tarps.
07:10This is a tragedy for the entire community and for the city.
07:13Once police had discovered Contois' personal remains,
07:17they determined pretty quickly that they would have to search Brady Landfill.
07:23Almost immediately after the discovery,
07:26essentially cordoned off a general search area
07:29and had garbage trucks stop dumping there.
07:35It's been an exhaustive and extensive search for Winnipeg police,
07:39but after searching the Brady Road landfill for two weeks,
07:43officers say human remains have been found.
07:46Pending an autopsy of the remains,
07:49that will be the source of evidence
07:51and the only way to confirm the identity of the victim.
07:56So we just had to wait on the confirmation about her.
08:03A week later, in June 2022,
08:06police confirmed the remains found at the Brady Road landfill
08:09belonged to Rebecca.
08:11Again, you know, we broke down and we just cried together.
08:15We were relieved that they found her, you know?
08:19Family and friends tell Global News
08:20Rebecca Contois was a bright and beautiful woman.
08:25It's my mom again here, Maureen and Rebecca.
08:35So we had, um, there would have been seven of us, but now there's six.
08:42Rebecca was very adventurous.
08:45She was down-to-earth.
08:49She always had her hair, like, really long.
08:52It was, like, long and dark.
08:54She was very outgoing, always wanting to dance with some of my family members.
08:59I have a sister who has a disability,
09:02and I would see them playing that game, just dance in the room,
09:06just slapping and having a good time.
09:08That is my dad who passed away in 2016,
09:11and that is my little sister Rebecca right there beside them.
09:14Like, they were super close.
09:16I kind of think, like, it was my, um, the loss of my dad back in, um,
09:21that was January of 2016.
09:23That's when I started seeing, like, a change in Rebecca.
09:27Like, at that time, she was kind of hanging around with, like,
09:31I don't know, I guess they were not the right kind of people to be hanging out with.
09:35But at that point, we didn't really judge her on it, on her, um, lifestyle.
09:39And she was working on, um, getting some of her, uh, stuff together at the time.
09:44Like, she was telling me she wanted to go back to school.
09:47She wanted to, like, do something with her life.
09:50She just loved to travel the city and go for bus rides.
09:55And I guess she met the wrong person.
10:13Welcome back.
10:14The dismembered remains of a woman have been discovered in a garbage bin in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
10:19She has been identified as Rebecca Contois.
10:23Investigators are now working to determine who is responsible for this horrendous crime
10:28and whether there may be more victims.
10:33We now return to Marnie Blunt and Bringing Them Home.
10:41In the spring of 2022, other families in Winnipeg were also looking for their missing loved ones,
10:47including the family of Morgan Harris, a 39-year-old mother from Long Plain First Nation.
10:53Last seen on May 1st, 2022, near Main Street and Henry Avenue, an area in the core of Winnipeg.
11:03So, yeah, I remember just getting a call one night from my Aunt Crystal,
11:08and she was kind of just freaking out, telling me that my mom was missing.
11:12And sure enough, I open up Facebook, and I see my mom's plastered all over Facebook.
11:16I remember it like yesterday.
11:18I was sitting there in my living room, going through my phone,
11:23and boom, you know, her picture showed up on my phone and stating that she was missing.
11:30And it wasn't until, I think, the following night, we ended up over at the vigil for Rebecca Contois.
11:40And I remember kind of that feeling, that sick feeling I had in my stomach as we were standing there
11:46and knowing that my cousin was missing.
11:48It was scary, I guess.
11:50It was really, really scary because we didn't, or we kind of always knew we were going to be hit
11:55with that reality
11:55or we always had that gut feeling in the back of our head
11:58that something bad was going to happen to her and we just didn't necessarily know what.
12:04Morgan was unsheltered and living on the streets.
12:07Her family says she's struggled with mental health and addiction,
12:11stemming from her experiences with the child welfare system.
12:15I remember that scary feeling because of the work that I was doing in the community.
12:19I knew how extremely vulnerable she was.
12:23That was a really tough time for me, I guess, because sitting at home with my pretty much baby girl,
12:31watching her do all the first things that my mom should be doing,
12:38and doing those things that I kind of always wished that I had for my mom, right?
12:41And I was breaking that cycle, but that cycle wasn't necessarily broken for my mom.
12:46And my mom was still out there struggling.
12:49It was around the same time another young Indigenous woman from Long Plain,
12:5426-year-old Mercedes Myron, a mother of two, also went missing in Winnipeg.
12:59Her family last had contact with her in March 2022.
13:03I just thought maybe she traveled.
13:06She said she was going to go far.
13:08She's going to be famous.
13:12It's okay.
13:13It'll be awesome.
13:15But when I didn't hear from her for months,
13:19Mom kept saying, you know, do a missing person, so I couldn't do it.
13:22I was in denial.
13:23I phoned the police and reported her missing.
13:27Gave them a description, gave them a picture of her.
13:30And we were looking for her.
13:32People used to ask on the street.
13:34They used to remember.
13:35They'd say, yeah, I know her.
13:36She's a nice girl.
13:37She's really happy, always happy and willing to help.
13:40You know, that's how she was.
13:42She was very friendly and very happy.
13:46Sometimes I think too trustworthy.
13:51Months ruled into months.
13:53Summer of 2022 came and went.
13:56And still, no sign of Mercedes or Morgan.
14:00We spent all those months.
14:02Every tip that came into our cell phone, my husband and I jumped on.
14:08There was many nights where, you know, we'd get calls.
14:11Oh, we just spotted her.
14:12She was in the north end on such corner.
14:15We'd go there, and, you know, there'd be a female there
14:18that looked strikingly alike to her.
14:21You know, same frame, tiny.
14:25You know, but it wasn't her.
14:26Any time a tip came in, there were people out there searching.
14:30We were phoning police 24-7,
14:32Crimestoppers dropping off those tips too,
14:34looking for my mom.
14:36And she was always on the go, go, go.
14:38She was quick, but you could always locate her.
14:42And that's when we found out the shelter hadn't seen her in two months.
14:48Casting a shadow of darkness over their searches
14:51was something they'd learned back in May of 2022.
14:54Two days after Rebecca Controis' partial remains
14:58had been discovered in the dumpster off Edison Avenue.
15:01The Winnipeg Police Service had made an alarming announcement.
15:05Police have a man in custody.
15:0835-year-old Jeremy Skibicki, who was arrested
15:10just blocks away from the dumpster Controis was found in.
15:14We didn't even know of that person that she met that did that to her.
15:18She never mentioned him before.
15:20Not even a name, she didn't, we didn't even know.
15:23Rebecca Controis had filled out paperwork
15:27with employment insurance
15:28to have Mr. Skibicki's address noted as her new address.
15:35And there was some information that was obtained through that
15:37that led the police to arresting Jeremy Skibicki.
15:41This led very quickly to identifying Jeremy Skibicki
15:45as somebody who knew Rebecca Controis.
15:48Like, they probably didn't know each other for a long time,
15:50but she was trying to, like, set up a place with him and all that.
15:57Like, share, like, be on the lease and stuff.
16:00Because that's just the kind of person she was.
16:02She was really trusting in people
16:04because she didn't see the bad or, like, the badness of people.
16:12Rebecca's remains were found behind an apartment on Edison Avenue,
16:16about a block away from Skibicki's apartment on McKay Avenue.
16:26On May 17th, 2022,
16:29police brought Jeremy Skibicki in for questioning.
16:32Yeah, perfect.
16:34Okay, Jeremy, so, like I mentioned to you,
16:37this, we're in room 89.
16:39This room is video and audio recorded.
16:41We went over your rights and the reason for your arrest when we were in the party.
16:45He was interviewed for the murder of Ms. Controis.
16:49They entered into that interview with Mr. Skibicki.
16:53It was a very lengthy and difficult statement.
16:58The 22-hour-long interview went into the following day.
17:03So did you kill Rebecca Controis?
17:07My lawyer...
17:08No, I'm just asking.
17:10Did you kill her?
17:11Yes or no?
17:18I mean, if you want a direct answer,
17:21all I can say is my lawyer instructed me to not say anything.
17:26And do you know this person's name?
17:28I do.
17:29Okay, and what is this person's name?
17:31Her name is Rebecca Controis.
17:33Okay, we move forward with the investigation
17:36and we obviously make this recent discovery.
17:43That is Rebecca's head in a dollar store bag.
17:51Whoa.
17:53Yeah.
18:14Time went by.
18:16The season started to change.
18:18And in fall of 2022 came a call from the Winnipeg Police Service
18:23to the Harris and Myron families.
18:25I got a call back from the same detective again,
18:28from missing persons,
18:30now asking me if I could bring in one of her kids
18:36to produce a DNA sample.
18:39The police phoned me one day,
18:40wanted to get a hold of Pam,
18:41so I told them how to get a hold of her.
18:45And they had to get her DNA.
18:48You know, why would they be asking for that?
18:50They must know something.
18:52You know, and I remember, like, pushing.
18:54I was constantly pushing him, like,
18:56if you know something, please just tell me.
18:58You know, like, don't leave us in the dark.
19:01And he said, you know, we'll be in contact soon, Melissa.
19:05The Harris and Myron families still holding out hope
19:09that their loved ones would turn up,
19:11but faced with a haunting feeling
19:13that police knew something more.
19:30Welcome back.
19:31The family of Rebecca Contois is devastated
19:34after receiving the news she was murdered.
19:37But they aren't the only ones suffering.
19:39The families of Morgan Harris and Mercedes Myron
19:42have spent months tirelessly searching
19:45for their missing loved ones.
19:46With a man named Jeremy Skibitzky charged
19:49in Contois' case,
19:50police believe he has more to say
19:53than he is letting on.
19:56Here's Marty Blunt and bringing them home.
20:11For hours, detectives pressed Skibitzky
20:14about Rebecca Contois
20:16and why his foot impressions were in the back lane
20:19where her remains were found,
20:21why video surveillance appeared to show him
20:24in the area around that time,
20:25and why detectives found blood on the shoes
20:28he wore to the interview.
20:31There's no doubt about it
20:33that that's you in your shoes.
20:34We have no doubt.
20:35He has no doubt.
20:36I have no doubt that that's you in your shoes.
20:39We all know.
20:39We all know.
20:40And you know that too.
20:43But we're trying to figure out
20:44what were you doing in the lane.
20:52Jeremy, what were you doing in the lane?
20:53The wheels aren't turning anymore for you, Jeremy.
20:57Yeah.
20:57There's a reason why.
20:58We're looking for the truth.
20:59We're just looking for the truth, man.
21:01What's going on?
21:02What are you doing in the lane?
21:03He appears calm
21:05and repeatedly asks the detectives
21:07if he can speak to an Orthodox priest.
21:11I have a lot more information.
21:15I just want to get a priest
21:18to confess my sins.
21:22One thing that I would note
21:23about the statement
21:25that Jeremy Skibicki gives to the police
21:27is that it's hard to put in words
21:30how he presents until you watch it
21:34and you listen and you see his mannerisms.
21:36It's a very difficult statement to watch.
21:39You could tell he just,
21:40it seemed like he was very comfortable
21:42and quiet and calm in the interview.
21:47And then it was quite abrupt
21:48when he just told them.
21:50Seemingly out of the blue,
21:51a startling confession.
21:53The criminal justice system is a joke.
21:58The world that we're living in is sick.
22:01I was driven to do stuff like this.
22:03But exactly what he confessed to officers
22:06wouldn't be made public for months.
22:08We were hearing from, you know,
22:12justice sources from the beginning
22:13that it was almost certainly more victims.
22:17There are things that are leading investigators
22:19to look at that as a potential possibility for sure.
22:22It was in May of 2022
22:24that Jeremy Skibicki was arrested
22:27and charged with taking the life of Rebecca Cantois.
22:30But months after officers had hinted
22:33there may be other victims,
22:35still there was silence
22:37until December 1st, 2022.
22:40Getting the call from the police the night before
22:46and saying,
22:47is it possible for you to gather your family?
22:50You know, we have an update on your cousin.
22:53And I remember when I got off the phone,
22:55I just cried.
22:56And I thought,
22:57I thought, man,
23:01like this is becoming real now.
23:04December 1st, 2022,
23:05the homicide unit had called my family and I
23:08and we had rushed down to meet
23:10with the homicide detectives.
23:13Yeah, that's when the police
23:14and detectives had made that announcement
23:16that my mother's DNA was found in an apartment
23:21and the only information that they could give me really
23:23at that time was that
23:26she had followed victim to the same guy
23:28who had murdered Rebecca Cantois previously.
23:30Good evening and thanks for joining us.
23:32We begin with an expanding murder investigation in Winnipeg.
23:35A suspect already in custody
23:37and charged with one murder
23:39is now charged with three additional counts
23:41of first-degree murder.
23:43All of the victims are indigenous women
23:45and the details of the cases are deeply disturbing.
23:48On Thursday,
23:49police announced new first-degree murder charges
23:51against the 35-year-old
23:53in connection with the deaths of three more women.
23:56Morgan Beatrice Harris,
23:58Mercedes Myron,
23:59and a third woman who police have yet to identify.
24:03That was the worst day ever.
24:06They came and told us
24:10that, um,
24:14Mercedes was murdered.
24:20I kind of went blank
24:22even after they told us,
24:25told me anyways.
24:26I still kept looking for her.
24:28I wanted her to be alive.
24:31I didn't want her gone.
24:35I'm always looking for her.
24:38Pamela is trying to process.
24:40Her daughter is never coming home.
24:43I'm kind of lost and hurt.
24:46I'm never going to see her again.
24:50I had a lot of things in my head.
24:54I think how she died.
24:56It's the last word she said.
25:00I wanted to know everything.
25:03The family's worst nightmares
25:05had become reality
25:06as they were given word
25:08that their loved ones had been murdered.
25:10The new charges,
25:12triggered by a confession,
25:14volunteered by the killer months prior.
25:16What comes out in that statement
25:18and what becomes really integral
25:20in the Crown's case
25:22is that this is an individual
25:23who is racist,
25:25who is misogynist,
25:27and who committed crimes
25:30that are sort of unspeakable
25:33in our society.
25:34The world that we're living in
25:36is sick.
25:37I was driven to do stuff like this
25:39because I was so spent emotionally.
25:46I killed four people.
25:48Okay.
25:49Thank you for your honesty.
25:51Do you know their names?
25:55Yeah.
25:59Morgan Harris.
26:02The other one,
26:03she just showed up
26:05and the missing person.
26:07He confessed to murdering
26:09three other Indigenous women
26:11during that statement.
26:13Obviously, you're going to face
26:16criminal charges on these things.
26:17If we can substantiate
26:18that these women have been murdered,
26:20is that fair?
26:21Yeah.
26:22Do you understand that?
26:23Well, no, because I...
26:28I did this because I believe
26:30that there should be
26:31capital punishment.
26:33Okay.
26:33And that this is racially motivated.
26:38I don't believe that
26:42races are meant
26:44to be forced
26:46to live together.
26:47Jeremy Skibicki, in his statement,
26:50presented as a white supremacist
26:52who was interested
26:54in eradicating Indigenous people,
26:57and particularly Indigenous women.
27:00And he provided very vulgar,
27:05discriminatory, hateful language.
27:07In his statement to police,
27:09he describes what he did
27:11to each of these women.
27:12And all four women died
27:14in very similar situations.
27:16They were strangled.
27:18They were drowned.
27:19Their bodies were then defiled
27:23in a sexual manner
27:24by Jeremy Skibicki.
27:26Two of them were then
27:27disposed of whole,
27:29and two of them were dismembered
27:31before they were disposed of.
27:33Winnipeg police started working
27:35to verify what Jeremy Skibicki
27:37had told them.
27:39Investigators combed
27:40through Skibicki's apartment,
27:42taking DNA samples
27:43from numerous items,
27:44and watching hours upon hours
27:47of security footage
27:48from locations Skibicki frequented
27:50that could possibly connect him to
27:52and help identify his victims.
27:55The investigation that then happens
27:57between May and December of 2022,
28:00when the charges are ultimately laid,
28:02is to really understand
28:04and establish what evidence we have
28:07to prove who these individuals are.
28:10Police say none of the latest victims' bodies
28:13have been found,
28:14but there was enough evidence
28:16to lay charges against Skibicki,
28:18and that DNA played a major role
28:20in the case.
28:21But they didn't have her body.
28:25But they found her DNA.
28:29I remember being angry,
28:31but also shocked,
28:31and I said, well,
28:33where's her mom's body?
28:35That doesn't make sense.
28:36You're telling me she's murdered,
28:37but where?
28:39And that's when they said
28:40they don't have a body.
28:42I lost it.
28:43Absolutely lost it.
28:44I was screaming at the homicide detectives.
28:45I said, this is an ongoing issue,
28:47missing and murdered Indigenous women.
28:57With the news of the additional murder charges,
29:00two more families were joining
29:01the Controis family in grieving,
29:04remembering Mercedes Myron,
29:06a young mother, sister, daughter,
29:08and granddaughter,
29:10known to be kind
29:11and a practical joker.
29:13She always had a smile.
29:15Even if she was sad or mad,
29:18she would be smiling.
29:19Caring, helpful, playful,
29:21Pamela Myron
29:22is remembering her daughter,
29:24Mercedes.
29:25She was happy.
29:27She was excited,
29:29make jokes.
29:30Whenever she'd get in trouble,
29:32she'd either ground herself
29:34or say,
29:35hey, mom,
29:35I'm going to do dishes for a week
29:37because I've been bad girl.
29:39So, okay.
29:41I didn't have to ground her.
29:43She'd ground herself.
29:45I thought that was cute.
29:47I know.
29:47I always remember her playing jokes.
29:49Jokes.
29:51Like,
29:52when I go visit them
29:53at her mom's,
29:55she loved to hide my purse
29:57or my shoes
29:58so I couldn't leave.
29:59So when it was time for me to go,
30:01they were gone,
30:02missing.
30:03And they'd just be laughing
30:04and she wouldn't tell us.
30:05We'd have to look for them.
30:07It's her child over.
30:09It was just a joke with her.
30:12It was something she had to do.
30:13I mean,
30:14grandma stay longer.
30:15I'll never forget her smile.
30:17Now her girl is the same way.
30:20She has the same smile.
30:28Remembering Marcedie's smile
30:30while trying to support
30:31her two young children.
30:33And that month was a blur.
30:36Of course,
30:36it was December.
30:37It was Christmas time.
30:38We wanted to be good for them
30:39because
30:41they just had,
30:42they just lost their mom.
30:43So we wanted to make sure
30:44they had a good Christmas.
30:46First hearing about it
30:47just
30:49changed us forever.
30:51It changed all of us.
30:53I know that.
30:54The whole family.
31:00We're not like we used to be.
31:02And that pain will never go away.
31:06And remembering Morgan Harris,
31:08also a mother
31:09known for her fierce personality.
31:12I want people to remember her
31:13as someone who had
31:15a really feisty attitude
31:17and a feisty heart.
31:20And
31:21that's something that my family
31:22always remembers
31:23about my mother Morgan
31:24is the spider being five foot,
31:26100 pounds soaking wet.
31:27She was strong
31:28and she didn't take anything
31:29from nobody.
31:30I remember her growing up.
31:32I remember her being feisty,
31:35exactly like one of our other
31:36cousins said.
31:37You know,
31:38she had the heart and soul
31:39of a UFC fighter.
31:41And while I want people
31:42to remember my mom's
31:43right and loving soul,
31:44I want them to also remember
31:45the struggles that she
31:46had gone through through her life
31:48and how she ended up
31:49where she was.
31:50So she was pushed
31:51throughout the child welfare system,
31:53which was really tough on her.
31:54My mom struggled
31:56with not only addictions
31:58but mental health.
31:59And that was all a result
32:01of the child welfare system.
32:04Through months
32:05of police investigation,
32:06officers were able
32:07to determine
32:08he had killed Morgan Harris
32:09on or around May 1st, 2022.
32:13And about three days later,
32:15he killed Mercedes Myron.
32:16In relation to Morgan Harris,
32:19there's video surveillance
32:20of her at 190 Disraeli
32:22having interactions
32:23with Jeremy Skibicki
32:24in May of 2022,
32:26right around the time
32:27that he described
32:29in his statement.
32:30There is video surveillance
32:32of her wearing clothes
32:34that become important
32:36because the police find clothes
32:38that match what they can see
32:40in the video surveillance
32:41in the areas that were searched
32:43in his house
32:43and around his house.
32:47The night that she is killed
32:49by Jeremy Skibicki,
32:51there's video surveillance
32:52of her being escorted
32:53out of 190 Disraeli Avenue.
32:56And so, again,
32:57very important video surveillance
32:59because it, again,
33:00shows what she's wearing
33:01and confirms a lot of the details
33:04that he provided.
33:10The police were able
33:11to obtain DNA
33:12from members
33:13of Morgan Harris's family,
33:15which was then used
33:16to compare to DNA samples
33:18that were found
33:18on some of those items
33:19that they seized
33:21from his suite
33:22and from the garbage receptacles
33:23and were able to compare it.
33:29In terms of Mercedes Myron,
33:31very similar investigation occurs.
33:34Her name, of course,
33:35was not mentioned
33:36by Mr. Skibicki
33:38when he provided his statement.
33:40And so the police
33:41are really trying to determine
33:42who is this individual,
33:45what video surveillance
33:46might they have
33:47that helps to identify her
33:48and what other evidence
33:50can confirm that.
33:52And so they do
33:52similar types of looking.
33:54And video surveillance
33:55with respect to Mercedes Myron
33:57is found of her
33:59and Jeremy Skibicki
34:00outside 190 Disraeli.
34:03They're then seen
34:03walking through a parking lot
34:05closer to Jeremy Skibicki's house.
34:10Ms. Myron's DNA
34:12was located on a number
34:13of exhibits that were found
34:14in Jeremy Skibicki's home.
34:16He described using a knife.
34:17He described what it looked like.
34:19There was a Facebook posting
34:20with him holding a knife.
34:22And the police were able
34:23to seize a black combat-style knife.
34:25And Ms. Myron's DNA
34:27was found on that knife.
34:31One of the details
34:33that Jeremy Skibicki
34:33provided in his statement
34:35was that he had disposed
34:36of Buffalo Woman
34:37and Morgan Harris whole,
34:39but that he had cut
34:41the other two women,
34:42Mercedes Myron
34:43and Rebecca Contois,
34:44into pieces
34:45before he disposed of them.
34:47With no idea
34:48who the fourth victim was,
34:50Indigenous elders
34:51gifted the woman
34:52the name of
34:53or Buffalo Woman.
34:57Skibicki claimed
34:58Buffalo Woman
34:59was his first victim
35:00who he had killed
35:01in mid-March of 2022,
35:03her identity eluding police.
35:06At the time that Mr. Skibicki
35:08provided his statement
35:10to police,
35:11he did not know
35:12the name of that individual.
35:14We knew that she had been
35:15wearing a baby fat jacket,
35:16which became very
35:17a critical piece of evidence.
35:20Police seized that baby fat jacket,
35:22which the killer had sold
35:24on Facebook Marketplace.
35:26DNA was found on it,
35:27but investigators
35:28were unable to match it
35:30to anyone,
35:31meaning there was
35:32one family out there
35:34still searching for answers
35:35and not knowing
35:37what happened
35:37to their loved one.
35:39We'll take any information
35:40in regards to it.
35:42Ultimately,
35:42in a perfect world,
35:43we have someone come
35:44and tell us
35:45that they knew exactly
35:46who was wearing
35:47a jacket like this.
35:49On Thursday night,
35:51a crowd of mourners
35:52honoured the life
35:53of 39-year-old Morgan Harris
35:55by a sea of candles
35:56burning to the sound
35:58of traditional
35:58Indigenous songs.
36:01I think it's sad
36:02that time and time again
36:03that we have to keep
36:04coming here to gather
36:05for sad circumstances.
36:07So that same night,
36:09we went to the serial killer's house
36:10where they made the announcement.
36:12They had given the address
36:13of where it had happened.
36:15And we went down there
36:16and we held a vigil
36:17that same night.
36:18There was probably
36:19200 people there
36:19gathered there drumming,
36:21singing,
36:21some gathering just because
36:22they heard of a serial killing
36:23and some gathering
36:24to genuinely support.
36:27And I remember just crying
36:28out to the news
36:29and I said,
36:30the police told me
36:31they don't have my mom's body.
36:33That's wrong.
36:34I said,
36:34we need to search.
36:46Welcome back.
36:48Even though Winnipeg police
36:49have laid charges
36:50against a suspect,
36:52the bodies of the women
36:53he is believed to have killed
36:55have still not been recovered.
36:57Police have also been unable
36:58to identify the first victim.
37:01And despite the outrage
37:02of the victim's families,
37:04there are currently no plans
37:05to search for the remains.
37:06So if the remains are never found,
37:10is justice at risk?
37:14Here once again
37:15is Marnie Blunt
37:16and bringing them home.
37:22Prairie Green,
37:23a privately owned landfill
37:24just a few minutes north
37:26of Winnipeg.
37:27On the opposite side
37:28of the city
37:29from the city-run
37:30Brady Road landfill
37:31where Rebecca Contois'
37:33partial remains were found.
37:35Winnipeg Police Chief
37:36Danny Smythe
37:37confirming Tuesday
37:38they believe the remains
37:39of two of the victims,
37:40Marcedes Myron
37:41and Morgan Harris
37:42are actually at
37:43Prairie Green landfill
37:44in the Stony Mountain area
37:46and not Brady landfill.
37:48The location of the remains
37:50of Buffalo Woman
37:51still unknown.
37:53Winnipeg Police
37:54are defending their decision
37:55not to search a landfill
37:56for the remains
37:57of three murdered
37:58Indigenous women.
37:59Investigators suspect
38:00their bodies may be there
38:02but say searching it
38:03is not feasible
38:04for a number of reasons.
38:05The families of the victims
38:07don't accept that.
38:08Across a four-acre site
38:10that was 40 feet in depth
38:12heavily compacted
38:14with 9,000 tons
38:15of wet heavy construction clay
38:17and distributed throughout
38:19the site was 250 tons
38:21of asbestos.
38:22In addition to that
38:24we had 1,500 tons
38:26of animal remains
38:28strewn throughout the site
38:29which would make it
38:30very difficult
38:31to discern
38:33human remains.
38:35As police push back
38:37against doing a search
38:38the families
38:39head to Ottawa.
38:40We were flying
38:41to go speak
38:42at Parliament Hill
38:43and the Winnipeg Police
38:44stopped us.
38:45They came on the other side
38:46of security
38:47to stop us
38:49to explain to us
38:51before we got on the plane
38:52to go to Ottawa
38:52as to why
38:54the search
38:55couldn't be done
38:55for Morgan.
38:58And I was like
38:59you guys are wasting
39:00your time here
39:01like
39:02you're going to show us
39:02all the reasons
39:03why you can't search
39:05why not share with us
39:06the reasons
39:06why you should search.
39:08So imagine you just
39:09found out your mom
39:09got murdered
39:10within days
39:11the Winnipeg Police Service
39:13are now coming to you
39:13regarding more information
39:14that you begged for
39:15presenting a PowerPoint
39:16presentation
39:17of the Prairie Green Landfill
39:18versus the Brady Landfill
39:19of gruesome I guess
39:22just scenes of the landfill
39:23right?
39:24Because you're imagining
39:24that that's where
39:25your mother is
39:25your mother's
39:26on their piles of trash.
39:27We got pretty upset
39:28and we got on our plane
39:30and we said
39:30you know what
39:31we'll see you
39:31when we get back.
39:32It was a fight
39:33from that day on.
39:35I should not have
39:36to stand here today
39:37and I should not
39:37have to come here
39:38and be so mad
39:39and beg
39:40and beg
39:41so that you will find
39:42and bring our loved ones home.
39:45My mother didn't
39:46pass away with a home
39:47so let's pay her
39:48the respect
39:49that she deserves
39:50by finally giving her one
39:52that's not a resting place
39:54at the Prairie Green Landfill
39:56and for these other women
39:57as well.
39:58I think it's disgusting.
40:00The police are trying
40:01to cover themselves
40:03because they know
40:04that they fail our women
40:06time and time again
40:07and it needs to stop.
40:08How can you even fathom
40:09the idea to leave them there?
40:11These women are deserving
40:13of a proper resting place
40:14not to be left alone
40:15in a landfill
40:16in the dead of winter.
40:17If you want to respect
40:19and honour them
40:19stop making excuses
40:21as to why you can't find them.
40:22You can't.
40:23You are just refusing to.
40:24My mentor
40:26or I should say friend
40:28leader
40:30told me
40:31well
40:32you have to lead the narrative
40:34you have to
40:35take your power back
40:37because right now
40:38the Winnipeg police
40:39are leading that narrative
40:40so you need to take
40:42your power back
40:42and you need to
40:45to just move forward
40:46with this.
40:49On this Thursday night
40:50Winnipeg's police chief
40:51pressured to step down.
40:53the backlash
40:54to the decision
40:55not to search a landfill
40:56for murdered
40:57Indigenous women.
40:58The message
40:59you are sending
41:00to the greater community
41:02to the non-Indigenous
41:04community
41:04is that
41:06Indigenous
41:08women
41:09don't matter.
41:11That if somebody
41:12wants to target
41:13and hurt our women
41:14that they can dump
41:16them in the landfill
41:17and no one
41:18will look for them.
41:19Nobody should have
41:20to go through this pain
41:21and through the
41:22re-traumatizing process
41:23to uncover the truth
41:24and get to justice.
41:27Nobody should have
41:28to search
41:28for their mother
41:29in the trash
41:29and no human
41:31should be treated
41:32like trash.
41:32But the million dollar
41:33question is
41:34would police
41:35at least try
41:35to find these women
41:36if they weren't
41:37Indigenous
41:38and then
41:39do they have
41:39a responsibility
41:40if they believe
41:41they're in the landfill
41:42to recover them
41:43and to return them
41:43to their families?
41:46The Winnipeg Police Service
41:48declined to be interviewed
41:49for this episode
41:51but at the time
41:52despite criticism
41:53the then chief of police
41:55stood by the decision.
41:57You did face
41:58some criticism
41:59for that.
41:59Just want to explain
42:00your reasoning
42:00and is that today
42:02something you stand by?
42:03So I've always
42:05distinguished
42:06the criminal investigation
42:07from what's being
42:09talked about now
42:11which is a recovery mission.
42:12The decision
42:13not to go
42:14I think
42:15was the right one
42:16to make at the time.
42:17If it was your daughter
42:19or your granddaughter
42:19or your son
42:21whatever
42:21if it was your child
42:22your sister
42:23your aunt
42:24your mom
42:25you would want them
42:26to go look.
42:28If you were white
42:31you would go look.
42:34Sorry but
42:35it come down to racism.
42:37We were Aboriginal
42:38and people
42:38First Nations
42:39they don't give a crap.
42:41They never did.
42:43That made me very angry.
42:46Very angry.
42:48That's my girl
42:49that's out there
42:49just because
42:50she's First Nation
42:51you go dig for her.
42:53You don't leave them
42:55out there.
42:58Their alleged murderer
42:59had been arrested
43:00and charged
43:01but three of four victims
43:03had not been found.
43:05Meaning prosecutors
43:06would have the hurdle
43:07of proving
43:08first degree murder
43:09without bodies
43:10of three victims
43:11and without
43:12the identity
43:13of one.
43:14That makes
43:16this case
43:16sort of different
43:17than many homicide
43:18cases that are
43:19put before court
43:20because there's
43:21often a body
43:22that is found
43:23and then
43:23an autopsy
43:25that's done
43:25and a pathologist
43:26who's able
43:27to testify about this.
43:28The lack
43:28of evidence
43:29in terms of their bodies
43:31was something
43:31that sort of
43:33the gaps
43:33had to be filled
43:34in the other evidence.
43:36Coming up
43:37in part two
43:38of bringing them home
43:39what else
43:40would turn up
43:41in a search
43:42and what else
43:43would be revealed
43:45about this serial killer's
43:46heinous crimes?
43:48There's a lot
43:49of evidence
43:49that came from
43:50surveillance,
43:50security,
43:51video,
43:52following his victims,
43:54going to shelters,
43:55disposing of their remains
43:57in garbage bins.
43:58He told police
43:59he got the idea
43:59from Sean Lamb.
44:01Save their names!
44:03Save their names!
44:04Save their names!
44:05Save their names!
44:07Save their names!
44:07To me,
44:07this is about
44:08sending a message
44:09to everyone
44:09in Manitoba
44:10that you matter.
44:11When somebody
44:11goes missing,
44:12we go looking.
44:14I always knew.
44:16I always believed
44:17we would bring her home.
44:19I just made it real.
44:21She's gone.
44:22You will never
44:23come in that door again.
44:25For three years,
44:26she's been a faceless silhouette
44:28alongside Rebecca Contois,
44:30Morgan Harris,
44:31and Mercedes Myron.
44:32Today,
44:33we know her name.
44:38The focus right now
44:39is Ashley Shingoos
44:41because we have
44:42the information
44:43that we believe
44:44where she's located.
44:45But we are making plans
44:47to search for Tanya Nipinac
44:49as well.
44:49Save her name!
44:51Save her name!
44:52Tanya Nipinac!
44:53That's coming up
44:55in part two
44:55of Bringing Them Home.
44:58Thank you for joining us
45:00tonight on Crime Beat.
45:01I'm Antony Robart.
45:04Want more episodes
45:05of Crime Beat?
45:06Listen to the Crime Beat podcast
45:08now for free
45:09on Apple Podcasts,
45:11Spotify,
45:11or wherever you find
45:13your favourite podcast.
45:14And for past episodes
45:16of Crime Beat,
45:16go to the Global TV app,
45:19visit globaltv.com,
45:20or check out
45:22our Crime Beat
45:22YouTube page.
45:24Thank you for joining us.
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