Canada police say they can't recover bodies of murdered Indigenous women

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Canada police say they can’t recover bodies of murdered Indigenous women

Family ‘heartbroken’ and angry by decision not to search landfill after four women were believed to have been killed by serial killer

Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Wed 7 Dec 2022 16.58 GMT
Last modified on Wed 7 Dec 2022 17.13 GMT

Police in Canada have said they don’t have the resources to search a landfill to recover the bodies of two Indigenous women murdered by an alleged serial killer – a decision that has left the daughters of one victim “heartbroken” and angry.

Last week, police in Winnipeg announced that four Indigenous women – Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris, Rebecca Contois and a fourth woman who they had not identified – were believed to have been killed by an alleged serial killer. Winnipeg police have charged Jeremy Skibicki in their deaths.

But the prospect that the remains of the victims won’t be recovered has prompted disbelief and frustration from families.

“They say they can’t search because it’s unfeasible. Is human life not feasible?” Cambria Harris said at a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday. Earlier this week her family was devastated to learn through a PowerPoint presentation that despite believing the remains of her mother Morgan were located at a nearby landfill, police would not conduct a search.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/07/canada-police-indigenous-women-murdered-serial-killer

______________________________________________________________________

Related:
• Canada: Alleged serial killer accused of murdering four indigenous women (BBC)
• Canadian police believe the remains of 2 indigenous women who were victims of a serial killer are likely in a landfill, but will not search the site (CNN)

[Faux pas]

1. Kickin' with disgust!

and

[TigressDem]

3. I don't suggest they give up entirely, just until Spring and go in with a plan.

It's almost winter and Canada gets it earlier and worse than US.

See post below.

I think family and all of US should lobby for it to be done in the Spring, but it is not something that can be done right now.

Maybe they could scan with LIDAR to pinpoint the remains and have that area not used until they have been recovered.

I don't think it should be given up at all, but some common sense has to prevail.

[TigressDem]

2. In this case, I don't think it's mean spirited. Horrible situation, but a huge undertaking.

The first two bodies were found in MAY at a different landfill and they were able to track the truck and pinpoint where it dropped them.

BUT.... the other two victims are much more deeply buried and it's almost winter.

These issues can likely be addressed, but it may need to be done in Spring using robots or something so the asbestos doesn't hurt searchers.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/07/us/canada-indigenous-women-killed-landfill-winnipeg/index.html

Since the time the remains were likely put in the Prairie Green landfill, the site has been covered with about 9,000 tons of wet construction mud that stretches about 40 feet deep, MacKid said. The clay has also become tightly compacted by heavy machinery, he explained.

Additionally, about 1,500 tons of animal remains and 250 tons of asbestos were strewn throughout the site, which would make it difficult for investigators to identify human remains and pose a health risk to workers, MacKid said.

Based on these conditions, he said, police “made the very difficult decision as a service that this wasn’t operationally feasible to conduct a search of this site.”