A Historic and Heartbreaking Search Comes to a Close
The search site at Prairie Green Landfill, located outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, has officially been decommissioned — marking the end of a painstaking and emotionally charged operation that captured the attention of Canadians from coast to coast.
The site became the focus of a landmark search after it was identified as the location where the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — two First Nations women who were victims of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki — were believed to have been disposed of. That search ultimately led to the recovery of their remains, a development that brought some measure of closure to their families and Indigenous communities who had fought tirelessly for answers.
Who Were Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran?
Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were First Nations women whose deaths became part of a larger national reckoning with the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada — a crisis the National Inquiry into MMIWG characterized as a genocide in its landmark 2019 report.
Both women were killed by Skibicki, who was convicted in connection with the murders of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg. Their cases drew widespread public outcry and renewed calls for action on MMIWG, including from Indigenous leaders, activists, and families who demanded that authorities conduct a search of the landfill — a request that was initially met with resistance due to the scale and cost of such an undertaking.
The Fight to Search the Landfill
The campaign to search Prairie Green was a long and difficult one. Families and advocates pushed for months before authorities committed to the effort. The eventual decision to proceed was seen as a victory — not just for Harris and Myran's loved ones, but for Indigenous communities across Canada who have long argued that their missing and murdered relatives do not receive the same level of attention and resources as non-Indigenous victims.
The search operation itself was extensive, involving specialized equipment and teams working through difficult conditions. The recovery of remains was met with grief, relief, and renewed resolve among those who had never stopped calling for justice.
What Decommissioning Means
The official decommissioning of the search site signals that the physical search operation has concluded. While this closes one chapter, advocates and family members have made clear that the broader fight for justice — and for systemic change to protect Indigenous women and girls — is far from over.
Canada's MMIWG crisis remains an urgent national issue, with Indigenous women disproportionately represented among homicide victims and missing persons cases across the country. Calls for the implementation of the National Inquiry's 231 Calls for Justice continue to echo from Indigenous communities, human rights organizations, and parliamentary committees.
The decommissioning of Prairie Green is a moment of closure wrapped in grief — a reminder of lives lost, of families who never gave up, and of the long road still ahead.
Source: CBC News Manitoba
