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00:03This program is rated 14 plus and contains scenes of violence and mature subject matter.
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00:14We 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.
00:34Rebecca 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 together for sad circumstances.
00:59Pamela is trying to process.
01:02Her daughter is never coming home.
01:04Kind of lost and hurt.
01:08I'm never going to see her again.
01:12I had a lot of things in my head.
01:16Like how she died.
01:18It'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.
01:45Just because she's First Nation, you go dig for her.
01:49You don't leave them out there.
01:54Welcome to Crime Beat.
01:56I'm Antony 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-spirited individuals.
02:18At the heart of this case is a fundamental question.
02:22What does justice look like?
02:26Here now is Marnie Bluntz and Bringing Them Home.
02:34It's a quiet, unassuming residential neighbourhood 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
02:48was the scene of something sinister.
02:519-1-1, what's the location of the emergency?
02:53On May 16, 2022, 9-1-1 operators received a frantic call.
03:00I was walking down the back lane at 253 Edison, the apartment building, in the garbage bin.
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 still be sure it's real?
03:17Yes, it is.
03:19It's human?
03:20Yes, it's a 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.
04:17Her 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.
04:53She 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 were like, no.
05:13We didn't hear from her.
05:18Then, 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, me and my family were just at home because we have, like, a big
05:34house that we all, like, we shared 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, like, wasn't shot.
05:53Like, I 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 date.
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, um, vigil for her in the yard that me and my family were, we were relieved
06:27about.
06:28They found her because there were still some of her missing, and that was, like, pretty awful.
06:39They said that it was a harmless 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, with parts of her remains tossed into a dumpster on Edison Avenue.
06:59It is a horrifically grisly scene.
07:00Winnipeg police are still searching for the rest of her remains.
07:04Went through everybody's garbages all the way down McKay.
07:06Pretty 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, they determined pretty quickly that they would have to search Brady Landfill.
07:23Almost immediately after the discovery, essentially cordoned off a general search area and had garbage trucks stop dumping there.
07:35It's been an exhaustive and extensive search for Winnipeg police, but after searching the Brady Road Landfill for two weeks,
07:43officers say human remains have been found.
07:46Pending an autopsy of the remains, that will be the source of evidence and the only way to confirm the
07:54identity of the victim.
07:56So we just had to wait on the confirmation about her.
08:03A week later, in June 2022, police confirmed the remains found at the Brady Road Landfill belonged to Rebecca.
08:11Again, you know, we broke down and we just cried together.
08:15We were relieved that they found her, you know.
08:18Family and friends tell Global News Rebecca Contois was a bright and beautiful woman.
08:23And it's my mom again here, Maureen and Rebecca.
08:34So we had, um, there would have been seven of us, but now there's six.
08:41Rebecca was very adventurous.
08:45She was down to earth.
08:49She always had her hair, like, really long.
08:52It was, like, 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, and I would see them playing that game, uh, just dance in
09:05the room, just laughing and having a good time.
09:08That is my dad who passed away in 2016, and that is my little sister Rebecca.
09:13Right there beside them, like, they were super close.
09:16I kind of think, like, it was my, um, the loss of my dad back in, um, that was January
09:22of 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, I don't know, I guess they were not
09:32the right kind of people to be hanging around with.
09:35But at that point, we didn't really judge her on it, on her, um, lifestyle, and she was working on,
09:40um, 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, and 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.
10:22Investigators are now working to determine who is responsible for this horrendous crime and whether there may be more victims.
10:33We now return to Marnie Bluntz and Bringing Them Home.
10:40In the spring of 2022, other families in Winnipeg were also looking for their missing loved ones, including the family
10:48of Morgan Harris,
10:50a 39-year-old mother from Long Plain First Nation, last seen on May 1st, 2022, near Main Street and
10:58Henry Avenue, an area in the core of Winnipeg.
11:03So, yeah, I remember just getting a call one night from my Aunt Crystal, or, and she was kind of
11:09just freaking out, telling me that my mom was missing.
11:12And sure enough, I opened up Facebook, and I see my mom was plastered all over Facebook.
11:16I remember it like yesterday.
11:18I was sitting there in my living room, going through my phone, and boom, you know, her picture showed up
11:26on my phone and saying 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.
11:49It 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 would have that gut feeling in the back of our head, that something bad was going to happen
12:00to her,
12:01and we just didn't necessarily know what.
12:04Morgan was unsheltered and living on the streets.
12:07Her family says she struggled with mental health and addiction, stemming 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.
12:22So that was a really tough time for me, I guess, because sitting at home with my pretty much baby
12:30girl,
12:31watching her do all the first things that my mom should be doing,
12:35and 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, 26-year-old Mercedes Myron,
12:56a 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.
13:24I 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.
14:26Anytime a tip came in, there were people out there searching.
14:30And we were phoning police 24-7,
14:32Crimestoppers dropping off those tips too, looking 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.
14:55Two days after Rebecca Contois' 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 Contois was found in.
15:14We didn't even know of that person that she met
15:17that did that to her.
15:18She never mentioned him before.
15:20Not even a name, she didn't.
15:22We didn't even know.
15:23Rebecca Contois 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 Contois.
15:48Like, they probably didn't know each other for a long time,
15:51but 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 17, 2022, police brought Jeremy Skibicki in for questioning.
16:33Okay, Jeremy, so, like I mentioned to you,
16:37this, we're in room 8-9.
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. Contois.
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 Contois?
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 Contois.
17:33Okay.
17:34We move forward with the investigation
17:37and we obviously make this recent discovery.
17:43That is Rebecca's head
17:46in a dollar store bag.
17:51Whoa.
17:54Yeah.
18:03Oh, I can't do my good thoughts.
18:06What's the issue?
18:09Oh, it's just disturbing.
18:14Time went by.
18:16The season started to change.
18:18And in fall of 2022,
18:21came 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
18:40and wanted 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,
19:02we'll be in contact soon, Melissa.
19:05The Harris and Myron families
19:07still 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
19:33is devastated after receiving the news
19:36she was murdered.
19:37But they aren't the only ones suffering.
19:39The families of Morgan Harris
19:41and Mercedes Myron
19:42have spent months tirelessly searching
19:45for their missing loved ones.
19:46With a man named Jeremy Skibitzky
19:48charged in Contois' case,
19:50police believe he has more to say
19:53than he is letting on.
19:56Here's Marty Blunt
19:58and bringing them home.
20:01The questions that we have
20:06is...
20:06What were you doing in the lane?
20:11For hours,
20:13detectives pressed Skibitzky
20:14about Rebecca Contois
20:16and why his foot impressions
20:18were in the back lane
20:19where her remains were found,
20:21why video surveillance
20:22appeared to show him
20:24in the area around that time,
20:25and why detectives found blood
20:27on the shoes he 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
20:37that that's you in your shoes.
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?
20:54The wheels aren't turning anymore for you, Jeremy.
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
21:32until you watch it
21:34and you listen
21:35and 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
21:43and calm
21:45in 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
21:55is a joke
21:58the world that we're living in
21:59as sick
22:01I was driven
22:01to do stuff like this.
22:04But exactly
22:04what he confessed
22:05to officers
22:06wouldn't be made public
22:08for months.
22:09We were hearing from
22:10you know
22:11justice sources
22:12from the beginning
22:13that it was almost certainly
22:16more victims.
22:17There are things
22:17that are leading investigators
22:19to look at that
22:20as a potential possibility
22:21for sure.
22:23It was in May of 2022
22:24that Jeremy Skibicki
22:26was arrested
22:27and charged
22:27with taking the life
22:29of Rebecca Cantois.
22:30But months after
22:32officers had hinted
22:33there may be other victims
22:34still
22:35there was silence
22:37until December 1st
22:392022.
22:40Getting the call
22:41from
22:43the police
22:44the night before
22:46and saying
22:47is it possible
22:48for you to gather
22:49your family?
22:50You know
22:51we have an update
22:51on your cousin
22:52and I remember
22:54when I got off the phone
22:54I just cried
22:56and I thought
22:57I thought
23:00man
23:01like
23:01this is becoming
23:02real now.
23:04December 1st
23:042022
23:05the homicide unit
23:06had called
23:07my family and I
23:08and we had rushed
23:09down to meet
23:10with the homicide
23:12detectives
23:12yeah that's when
23:13the police
23:14and detectives
23:15had made
23:16that announcement
23:16that
23:19my mother's DNA
23:20was found
23:21in an apartment
23:21and the only information
23:22that they could give me
23:23really at that time
23:24was that
23:26she had followed victim
23:27to the same guy
23:28who had murdered
23:29Rebecca Cantois previously.
23:30Good evening
23:31and thanks for joining us.
23:32We begin with
23:33an expanding murder
23:34investigation in Winnipeg.
23:35A suspect
23:36already in custody
23:37and charged
23:38with one murder
23:39is now charged
23:40with three additional
23:41counts of first degree murder.
23:43All of the victims
23:44are indigenous women
23:45and the details of the cases
23:46are deeply disturbing.
23:48On Thursday
23:48police announced
23:49new first degree
23:51murder charges
23:51against the 35 year old
23:53in connection
23:53with the deaths
23:54of three more women
23:56Morgan Beatrice Harris
23:57Mercedes Myron
23:59and a third woman
24:00who police
24:01have yet to identify.
24:03That was the worst day ever.
24:07They came and told us
24:12that Mercedes
24:14Mercedes was murdered.
24:20I kind of went blank
24:22even after they told us
24:24told me anyways
24:26I still kept looking for her.
24:28I wanted her to be alive.
24:32I didn't want her gone.
24:35I was looking for her.
24:38Pamela is trying to process.
24:40Her daughter
24:41is never coming home.
24:42I was kind of lost
24:43and hurt.
24:46I'm never going to see her again.
24:50I had a lot of things
24:52in my head
24:54like 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
25:09had been murdered.
25:10The new charges
25:12triggered by a confession
25:13volunteered by the killer
25:15months prior.
25:16What comes out
25:17in that statement
25:18and what becomes
25:19really integral
25:20in the Crown's case
25:21is that this is an individual
25:23who is racist,
25:26who is misogynist,
25:27and who committed crimes
25:30that are sort of
25:32unspeakable in our society.
25:34The world
25:35that we're living in
25:36is sick.
25:37I was driven
25:38to do stuff like this
25:39because I was so
25:44so spent
25:45emotionally.
25:46I killed four people.
25:48Karen?
25:50Thank you for your honesty.
25:51Do you know their names?
25:55Yeah.
25:59Morgan Harris.
26:02The other one,
26:04she just showed up
26:05and the missing person.
26:07He confessed to murdering
26:09three other Indigenous women
26:10during that statement.
26:13Obviously,
26:14you're going to face
26:16criminal charges
26:17on these things
26:17if we can substantiate
26:18that these women
26:20have been murdered.
26:20Is that fair?
26:21Yeah.
26:22Do you understand that?
26:22Well, no,
26:24because I
26:25I did this
26:29because I believe
26:30that there should be
26:31capital punishment
26:32and that this is
26:36racially motivated.
26:38I don't believe
26:39that
26:42races are meant
26:44to be forced
26:46to live together.
26:47Jeremy Skibicki
26:48in his statement
26:49presented as
26:51a white supremacist.
26:52who was interested
26:54in eradicating
26:55Indigenous people
26:57and particularly
26:58Indigenous women
27:00and he provided
27:01very vulgar,
27:05discriminatory,
27:06hateful language.
27:07In his statement
27:09to police,
27:09he describes
27:10what he did
27:11to each of these women
27:12and all four women
27:14died in very similar
27:15situations.
27:16They were strangled,
27:18they were drowned,
27:19their bodies
27:20were then defiled
27:23in a sexual manner
27:24by Jeremy Skibicki.
27:26Two of them
27:27were then disposed
27:28of whole
27:28and two of them
27:30were dismembered
27:31before they were
27:32disposed of.
27:33Winnipeg police
27:34started working
27:35to verify
27:36what Jeremy Skibicki
27:37had told them.
27:39Investigators combed
27:40through Skibicki's
27:41apartment,
27:42taking DNA samples
27:43from numerous items
27:44and watching hours
27:46upon hours
27:47of security footage
27:48from locations
27:49Skibicki frequented
27:50that could possibly
27:51connect him to
27:52and help identify
27:54his victims.
27:55The investigation
27:56that then happens
27:57between May
27:58and December
27:58of 2022
28:00when the charges
28:00are ultimately laid
28:02is to really
28:03understand
28:04and establish
28:05what evidence
28:06we have
28:07to prove
28:07who these individuals are.
28:10Police say
28:11none of the latest
28:12victims' bodies
28:13have been found
28:14but there was
28:15enough evidence
28:16to lay charges
28:17against Skibicki
28:17and that DNA
28:18played a major role
28:20in the case.
28:21But they didn't
28:22have her body.
28:25But they found
28:26her DNA.
28:29I remember being
28:30angry but also
28:31shocked and I said
28:32well, where's
28:33my mom's body?
28:35That doesn't make sense
28:36you're telling me
28:36she's murdered
28:36but where?
28:39And that's when
28:40they said
28:40they don't have a body.
28:42I lost it.
28:43I absolutely lost it.
28:44I was screaming
28:44at the homicide detectives.
28:45I said this is
28:46an ongoing issue
28:47missing and murdering
28:48Indigenous women.
28:57With the news
28:58of the additional
28:58murder charges
28:59two more families
29:01were joining
29:01the Contro family
29:02in grieving
29:04remembering
29:04Mercedes Myron
29:06a young mother
29:07sister, daughter
29:08and granddaughter
29:09known to be kind
29:11and a practical
29:12joker.
29:13She always had
29:14a smile
29:15even if she was
29:16sad or mad
29:17she would be smiling.
29:19Caring, helpful,
29:20playful
29:21Pamela Myron
29:22is remembering
29:23her daughter
29:23Mercedes.
29:25She was happy
29:26she was excited
29:28make jokes
29:29whenever she'd
29:30get in trouble
29:31she'd either
29:33ground herself
29:34or say
29:35hey mom
29:35I'm gonna do
29:35dishes for a week
29:37cause I've been
29:38bad girl
29:38so okay
29:41I didn't have
29:42to ground her
29:43she'd ground herself
29:45I thought that
29:46was cute.
29:46I know
29:47I always remember
29:48her playing jokes
29:49jokes
29:51like um
29:52and I'd go visit
29:53them at um
29:54her mom's
29:54she loved
29:56to hide my purse
29:57or my shoes
29:58so I couldn't leave
29:59so when it was
30:00time for me to go
30:00they were gone
30:02missing
30:02and I'd just be
30:03laughing
30:04and she wouldn't
30:05tell us
30:05we'd have to look
30:06for them
30:07I'd search all over
30:09it was just a joke
30:11with her
30:11it was something
30:13she had to do
30:13I mean grandma
30:14stay longer
30:15I'll never forget
30:16her smile
30:17now her girl
30:18is the same way
30:20she has the same
30:21smile
30:28remembering
30:28Mercedes' smile
30:30while trying to
30:30support her two
30:31young children
30:33and that month
30:34was a blur
30:35of course
30:36it was December
30:37it was Christmas
30:37time
30:38we wanted to be
30:39good for them
30:39because
30:41they just had
30:41they just lost
30:42their mom
30:43so we wanted
30:43to make sure
30:44they had a
30:44good Christmas
30:46first hearing
30:47about it
30:47just
30:49changed us
30:49forever
30:51it changed
30:52all of us
30:53I know that
30:54the whole family
31:00we're not like
31:01we used to be
31:02and that pain
31:03will never go away
31:06and remembering
31:07Morgan Harris
31:08also a mother
31:09known for her
31:10fierce personality
31:11but I want people
31:12to remember her
31:13as someone
31:14who had
31:15a really feisty
31:16attitude
31:17and a feisty heart
31:19and
31:21that's something
31:22that my family
31:22always remembers
31:23about my mother
31:23Morgan
31:24is the spider
31:25being five foot
31:25100 pounds
31:26soaking wet
31:27she was strong
31:28and she didn't
31:28take anything
31:28from nobody
31:30I remember her
31:31growing up
31:31I remember her
31:33being feisty
31:35exactly like
31:36one of our
31:36other cousins
31:36said
31:37you know
31:38she had the
31:38heart and soul
31:39of a UFC fighter
31:41and while I want
31:42people to remember
31:43my mom's
31:43bright and loving soul
31:44I want them to also
31:45remember the struggles
31:46that she had gone
31:47through through her life
31:48and how she ended up
31:49where she was
31:50so she was pushed
31:51throughout the
31:52child welfare system
31:52which was really
31:54tough on her
31:54my mom
31:55struggled with
31:56not only
31:57addictions
31:58but mental health
31:59and that was all
32:01a result of
32:01the child welfare system
32:04through months
32:05of police investigation
32:06officers were able
32:07to determine
32:08he had killed
32:08Morgan Harris
32:09on or around
32:11May 1st 2022
32:12and about three days
32:14later
32:14he killed
32:15Mercedes Myron
32:16in relation
32:17to Morgan Harris
32:18there's video
32:19surveillance
32:20of her at
32:20190 Disraeli
32:22having interactions
32:23with Jeremy Skibicki
32:24in May of 2022
32:26right around the time
32:27that he
32:28described
32:29in his statement
32:30there is
32:31video surveillance
32:32of her
32:33wearing clothes
32:34that become
32:35important
32:36because the police
32:37find clothes
32:37that match
32:39what they can see
32:40in the video
32:40surveillance
32:41in the areas
32:42that were searched
32:43in his house
32:43and around his house
32:47the night
32:48that she is killed
32:49by Jeremy Skibicki
32:51there's video surveillance
32:52of her
32:52being escorted
32:53out of 190
32:54Disraeli Avenue
32:56and so again
32:57very important
32:58video surveillance
32:59because it again
32:59shows what she's
33:00wearing
33:01and confirms
33:03a lot of the
33:03details that he
33:04provided
33:10the police
33:11the police were able
33:11to obtain DNA
33:12from members
33:13of Morgan Harris's
33:15family
33:15which was then
33:16used to compare
33:17to DNA samples
33:18that were found
33:18on some of those
33:19items
33:19that they seized
33:21from his suite
33:22and from the garbage
33:23receptacles
33:23and were able
33:24to compare it
33:29in terms of
33:30Mercedes Myron
33:31very similar
33:32investigation occurs
33:34her name of course
33:35was not mentioned
33:36by Mr. Skibicki
33:38when he provided
33:39his statement
33:40and so the police
33:41are really trying
33:42to determine
33:42who is this individual
33:44what video surveillance
33:46might they have
33:47that helps to identify
33:48her
33:48and what other evidence
33:50can confirm that
33:51and so they do
33:52similar types
33:53of looking
33:54and video surveillance
33:55with respect
33:56to Mercedes Myron
33:57is found
33:58of her
33:58and Jeremy Skibicki
34:00outside 190 Disraeli
34:03they're then seen
34:03walking through
34:04a parking lot
34:05closer to Jeremy Skibicki's house
34:10Ms. Myron's DNA
34:12was located
34:12on a number of exhibits
34:13that were found
34:14in Jeremy Skibicki's home
34:15he described using a knife
34:17he described
34:18what it looked like
34:18there was a Facebook
34:19posting with him
34:20holding a knife
34:21and the police
34:22were able to see
34:23a black combat
34:24style knife
34:25and Ms. Myron's DNA
34:27was found
34:28on that knife
34:31one of the details
34:32that Jeremy Skibicki
34:33provided in his statement
34:35was that
34:35he had disposed
34:36of Buffalo Woman
34:37and Morgan Harris
34:38whole
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
34:46of them
34:47with no idea
34:48who the fourth victim
34:49was
34:50Indigenous elders
34:51gifted the woman
34:52the name of
34:53Mashkudeh Bishkikwe
34:55or Buffalo Woman
34:56Skibicki claimed
34:58Buffalo Woman
34:59was his first victim
35:00who he had killed
35:01in mid-March of 2022
35:03her identity
35:04eluding police
35:06At the time
35:07that Mr. Skibicki
35:08provided his statement
35:10to police
35:11he did not know
35:12the name
35:12of that individual
35:13we knew
35:14that she had been
35:15wearing a baby fat jacket
35:16which became
35:17a very critical piece
35:18of evidence
35:20police seized that
35:21baby fat jacket
35:22which the killer
35:23had sold
35:24on Facebook Marketplace
35:26DNA was found on it
35:27but investigators
35:28were unable
35:29to match it
35:30to anyone
35:31meaning
35:32there was one family
35:33out there
35:34still searching
35:35for answers
35:35and not knowing
35:37what happened
35:37to their loved one
35:38we'll take
35:39any information
35:40in regards to it
35:41ultimately
35:42in a perfect world
35:43we have someone
35:44come and tell us
35:45that they knew
35:46exactly who was
35:47wearing a jacket
35:47like this
35:49on Thursday night
35:50a crowd of mourners
35:52honored the life
35:53of 39 year old
35:54Morgan 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
36:09serial killer's house
36:11where they made
36:12the announcement
36:12you know
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
36:17there was probably
36:19200 people there
36:19gathered there
36:20drumming, singing
36:21some gathering
36:22just because they heard
36:23of a serial killing
36:23and some gathering
36:24to genuinely support
36:26and I remember
36:27just crying out
36:28to the news
36:29and I said
36:30the police told me
36:31they don't have
36:31my mom's body
36:32and that's wrong
36:34I said
36:34we need to search
36:46welcome back
36:47even though Winnipeg police
36:49have laid charges
36:50against a suspect
36:51the bodies of the women
36:53he is believed
36:54to have killed
36:55have still not been recovered
36:56police have also
36:58been unable to identify
36:59the first victim
37:00and despite the outrage
37:02of the victim's families
37:03there are currently
37:04no plans to search
37:05for the remains
37:06so if the remains
37:08are never found
37:09is 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
37:34were found
37:34Winnipeg police chief
37:36Danny Smythe
37:37confirming Tuesday
37:38they believe the remains
37:39of two of the victims
37:40Mercedes 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
37:54their decision
37:55not to search
37:56a landfill
37:56for the remains
37:57of three murdered
37:58indigenous women
37:59investigators suspect
38:00their bodies
38:01may 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
38:13heavily compacted
38:14with 9,000 tons
38:15of wet heavy construction clay
38:17and distributed
38:19throughout the site
38:19was 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
38:34As 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
39:01you'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
39:20I guess
39:22just scenes of the landfill
39:23right?
39:23because you're imagining
39:24that that's where your mother is
39:25your mother's other piles of trash
39:26We got pretty upset
39:28and we got on our plane
39:30and we said
39:30you know what
39:30we'll see you when we get back
39:32it was a fight
39:33from that day on
39:34I should not have to stand here today
39:37and I should not have 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 pass away
39:46with a home
39:47so let's pay her the 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 as 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
40:05time 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
40:20as 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 indigenous women
40:58the message you are
41:00you are sending
41:00to the greater community
41:02to the non-indigenous community
41:04is that
41:06indigenous
41:08women
41:09don't matter
41:10that if somebody
41:12wants to target
41:13and hurt our women
41:15that they can dump them
41:16in the landfill
41:17and no one
41:18will look for them
41:19nobody should have to
41:20go 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 to
41:28search for 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 at least
41:35try to find these women
41:36if they weren't indigenous
41:38and then
41:39do they have a 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
41:56you did face
41:58some criticism
41:59for that
41:59just want to explain
42:00your reasoning
42:00and is that
42:01today something you stand by
42:03so I've always distinguished
42:06the criminal investigation
42:07from what's being
42:09talked about now
42:11which is a recovery mission
42:12the decision not 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
42:24you would want them
42:26to go look
42:28if you were white
42:31you would go look
42:34sorry but
42:35it comes down to racism
42:37we were Aboriginal
42:38and people of First Nations
42:39they don't give a crap
42:41I never did
42:43that made me very angry
42:46very angry
42:47that's my girl
42:48that's out there
42:49just because she's First Nation
42:51you go dig for her
42:53you don't leave them out there
42:58their alleged murderer
42:59had been arrested
43:00and charged
43:01but three of four victims
43:03had not been found
43:04meaning prosecutors
43:06would have the hurdle
43:07of proving first degree murder
43:09without bodies of three victims
43:11and without the identity of one
43:13that makes this case
43:16sort of different
43:17than many homicide cases
43:19that are put before court
43:20because there's often a body
43:22that is found
43:23and then an autopsy
43:25that's done
43:25and a pathologist
43:26who's able to testify about this
43:28the lack of evidence
43:29in terms of their bodies
43:31was something that
43:32sort of the gaps
43:33had to be filled
43:34in the other evidence
43:36coming up in part two
43:38of bringing them home
43:39what else would 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 of evidence
43:49that came from surveillance
43:50security video
43:51following his victims
43:53going to shelters
43:55disposing of their remains
43:56in garbage bins
43:57he told police
43:59he got the idea
43:59from Sean Lamb
44:06to me this is about
44:08sending a message
44:09to everyone in Manitoba
44:10that you matter
44:10when somebody goes missing
44:12we go looking
44:14I always knew
44:15I always believed
44:17we would bring her home
44:18I just made it real
44:21she's gone
44:22you will never come
44:24in that door again
44:24for three years
44:26she's been a faceless silhouette
44:28alongside Rebecca Contois
44:29Morgan Harris
44:30and Mercedes Myron
44:32today we know her name
44:34the focus right now
44:39is Ashley Shingoose
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 Nipinak
44:49as well
44:49say her name
44:51Tanya Nipinak
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 Anthony Robart
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