Discovery of possible human remains at Manitoba landfill brings mix of emotions for MMIWG families, advocates

A woman whose sister disappeared more than 20 years ago, and is believed to have been the victim of a serial killer, says news of the discovery of possible human remains at a landfill north of Winnipeg is personal and deeply emotional for her.

"I cried, because I just did papers with the RCMP for my own sister," said Myrna Abraham.

Her sister Sharon Abraham, 39, from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, was a mother of five who was reported missing in January 2004 from New Westminster, B.C.

RCMP said forensic evidence linked her DNA to serial killer Robert Pickton's farm. Although police believe Pickton was responsible for Abraham's death, her body was never found, and no charges were laid.

"She's gone," said Myrna Abraham. "The DNA they found was not enough DNA to say that she has passed, but RCMP kept telling me she has. And because there's no body … the government considers her still missing." 

Abraham has participated in rallies, walks, and marches in support of a search of the Prairie Green landfill, just outside Winnipeg, where excavation began in December as part of the search for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — both originally from Long Plain First Nation and two of the four women murdered by a serial killer in Winnipeg in 2022. It's believed their bodies were left in a dumpster and taken to the landfill.

On Wednesday, the province said searchers had discovered what are believed to be human remains at the landfill. It's not yet known whose remains they are.

"My heart, mind and prayers are with them," said Abraham. "I will continue fighting for any family member that is looking for their family."

She hopes the news gives some kind of closure to the families.

"I hope they're able to bring their loved one home, even if it is just remains. I know when we had a memorial for my sister, there was no body, nothing. We couldn't even bring dirt home to have some kind of acknowledgement of her murder."

The news also hits home for Tanya Dawn McDougall, who has been offering support for the family of Ashlee Shingoose, a 31-year-old woman from St. Theresa Point First Nation who was last seen in downtown Winnipeg in March 2022.

McDougall and other community members have been helping her father, Albert Shingoose, look for her. 

She also took part in a "silent statement" when then Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson visited St. Theresa Point during the 2023 election campaign. She stood with Albert Shingoose as he told Stefanson to search the landfill. Stefanson and her Progressive Conservative Party campaigned against a search.

"I did want to send a message to her that … this is what we want as a people," said McDougall. "We want the landfill searched."

McDougall, who also works as a mental health advocate at the school in St. Theresa Point, says Wednesday's news is hard because it opens up wounds of grief for many, like Albert Shingoose. 

"The hurt without having closure is a totally different kind of hurt."

A sense of closure

McDougall says the call to search the landfill was not just about providing closure for the families, but also about respecting the dignity of human lives.

"A landfill is not the end for any person, and I think being able to possibly take your loved one home, I think that's what they've been wanting and praying for," she said. "Nobody deserves to have that as their final resting place."

Sandra DeLaronde, who was one of a number of Indigenous leaders and advocates who wrote a letter to the federal government in December 2022 urging funding for a landfill search, says she feels for the families impacted — especially for the family of Rebecca Contois, who "re-experiences loss each time there's movement," she said.

Contois, 24, and a still-unidentified woman who has been given the name Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, by community leaders were the other two women killed by Jeremy Skibicki, who was convicted in July 2024 of four counts of first-degree murder.

DeLaronde said she's angry the search at the landfill wasn't started sooner.

"This two-and-a-half year delay in searching the landfill was rather unnecessary," she said.

The news of the discovery this week is "certainly a renewal of grief, and a grief delayed that has been impacted by the ongoing trauma caused by the system, but there is hope that finally, there's an opportunity to bring their loved ones home and let them rest in their community," she said.

Heidi Spence, director of  Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak's missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls unit, says she also received the news with mixed emotions. 

"It's a relief for the families that are impacted. It brings them hope and some comfort, but at the same time, it's … re-triggering," she said.

MKO, which represents 26 First Nations in northern Manitoba, continues to support and stand with the families, she said.

"That's a priority for us, is to be able to connect with as many people that are reaching out to us and ensure that we're able to help them and meet their needs to the best of our abilities," said Spence.