By Canadian Press

Timeline of investigation into slayings of four women in Winnipeg

Dec 13, 2022 | 2:20 PM

Winnipeg police have charged Jeremy Skibicki, 35, with first-degree murder in the deaths of four women. Investigators believe the killings of Rebecca Contois, 24; Morgan Beatrice Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; and a fourth unidentified woman whom Indigenous leaders have named Buffalo Woman, or Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, happened over two months.

Here is a timeline of the case so far: 

March 15 – Police believe Buffalo Woman was killed on or around this date.

May 1 – Police say Harris, a member of Long Plain First Nation, was last seen in the area of Main Street and Henry Avenue. They believe she was killed on or around this date. 

May 4 – Police say they believe Myran, also of Long Plain First Nation, was killed on or around this date.

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May 14 or 15 – Police say they believe Contois of O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation, also known as Crane River, was killed on or around these dates.

May 16 – Const. Rob Carver tells a news conference that officers found a “horrifically grisly scene” in a garbage bin near an apartment building. Police secure the Brady Road Resource Management Facility, a landfill south of the city, where it’s believed there could be more remains. Police later say they believe the remains of Harris and Myran were also transported to the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg on this day.

May 18 – Skibicki is arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Contois. Officers execute a search warrant at his home.

May 19 – Winnipeg police say the remains found in the garbage bin at the apartment belonged to Contois.

June 2 – Police begin searching the Brady landfill for remains.

June 15 – Police announce they have recovered remains at the Brady landfill.

June 20 – Investigators determine additional victims’ remains are believed to be at the Prairie Green landfill. 

June 21 – Police confirm the remains found at the Brady landfill are those of Contois.

September – Family members of Myran make pleas on social media to contact police if she is found, saying she has not been heard from for months.

Dec. 1 – Police charge Skibicki with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Harris, Myran and an unidentified woman whom Indigenous leaders later call Buffalo Woman.

Dec. 2 – Skibicki appears in court and his lawyer, Leonard Tailleur, says Skibicki maintains his innocence. Police Chief Danny Smyth says the remains of Harris and Myran are believed to be at the Prairie Green landfill, but no search is planned because too much time has passed. 

Dec. 6 –Police defend their decision not to search the Prairie Green landfill. Family members of Harris share their disappointment and anger on Parliament Hill and say they are prepared to search on their own.

Dec. 8 – Operations at the Prairie Green landfill are halted as the province and city decide what to do. First Nations leaders call for Smyth’s resignation over the decision not to search the landfill. Smyth meets with the Winnipeg Police Board and Mayor Scott Gillingham

Dec. 9 – Smyth says he has no intention to resign and supports exploring options to recover the remains at the Prairie Green landfill.

Dec. 13 — Long Plain First Nation Chief Kyra Wilson says Indigenous leaders plan to form a committee of experts to put together a search and budget plan that they would present to provincial and federal governments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2022. 

The Canadian Press