A new search operation at the Brady Road landfill in Winnipeg to locate the remains of missing First Nations women is set to commence on Monday. The Manitoba government recently provided training to staff in readiness for the search, focusing on recovering the remains of Ashlee Shingoose, one of the victims of convicted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki. Skibicki is currently serving four consecutive life sentences without parole for 25 years after being found guilty of murdering four First Nations women in Winnipeg in 2022.
Following the completion of the search for Shingoose, the province has announced its intent to also search for Tanya Nepinak at the same landfill. Nepinak has been missing since September 13, 2011, when she left her Winnipeg residence to get pizza at a nearby restaurant and never returned. Although Shawn Lamb was initially charged with second-degree murder in Nepinak’s case, the charge was later dropped. Lamb was, however, convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of Carolyn Sinclair and Lorna Blacksmith in 2012.
Despite a six-day search in 2012, Nepinak’s remains were not found at the Brady Road landfill. In August, the province initiated a “test phase” of a new search at the landfill, which involved excavation and ground-penetrating radar tests to pinpoint potential search locations. Another search at the privately operated Prairie Green landfill near Stony Mountain concluded in the summer, leading to the discovery of the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, who were also victims of Skibicki.
Skibicki’s trial revealed that he targeted women at Winnipeg homeless shelters and disposed of their bodies in garbage bins. Additionally, Skibicki was convicted in the death of Rebecca Contois, whose partial remains were found by Winnipeg police in the Brady Road landfill in June 2022. Initially known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman, Shingoose was later identified through DNA evidence and interviews with Skibicki post-trial, with authorities believing her body was taken to the landfill.
The government has not provided comments on the matter.