WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is expected to discuss the next steps in an effort to search a landfill north of Winnipeg for the remains of two Indigenous women.
The group is holding a news conference at 10 a.m. Friday following the federal government’s commitment of $500,000 for a feasibility study on the proposed search.
Police believe the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were sent to the Prairie Green landfill last spring.
The two women are among four alleged victims of Jeremy Skibicki, who has been charged with first-degree murder.
Police initially rejected the idea of a search, citing the passage of time, the lack of a precise location within the landfill and the tonnes of material that have been deposited in the area.
After public pressure, an Indigenous-led committee was put together to examine the possibility of a search in conjunction with forensics experts.
Skibicki is also accused of killing Rebecca Contois, whose partial remains were found in a different landfill, and an unidentified woman whose remains have not been found and whom Indigenous leaders have named Buffalo Woman.
Skibicki did not enter a plea during a court appearance in December, but his lawyer, Leonard Tailleur, said he maintains his innocence. Tailleur said the trial is scheduled to begin in April 2024.
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