WARNING: This story contains disturbing details.
The province says it’s made significant progress toward the search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women murdered by a serial killer.
Excavators have begun moving material away from an area of the landfill where the remains of Morgan Harris, 39, and Marcedes Myran, 26, are believed to be, said Amna Mackin, the provincial assistant deputy minister leading the operation.
An environmental assessment was completed earlier this year to determine the amount of waste that will need to be removed for the search to begin, Mackin said.
Work has also started on the building where the landfill materials will be searched through, and a hydro transmission line and access road to the site have been set up.
Next week, trailers for staff involved in the search are expected to arrive, Mackin said.
The women’s remains are believed to have been taken to the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg after Jeremy Skibicki killed them.
Skibicki was convicted of first-degree murder on July 11 in the killing of three First Nations women — Harris, 39, Myran, 26, and Rebecca Contois, 24 — as well as an unidentified woman who has been given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, by community leaders.
The search, which could continue into early 2026, will involve sifting through garbage removed from a total area of about 100 by 200 metres — or about four football fields — to a maximum depth of about 10 metres, the province previously said.
The provincial and federal governments each committed $20 million earlier this year to help fund the landfill search.