WARNING | This article contains information about violence towards Indigenous women.
Authorities in Winnipeg are set to give an update on the investigation into the murder of an unidentified Indigenous woman by a serial killer three years ago.
The victim, known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman, remains unidentified as her remains have never been located.
Jeremy Skibicki was responsible for the murders of four Indigenous women in 2022, including Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, and Rebecca Contois.
The police news conference scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday will primarily focus on the investigation into the unidentified woman’s homicide, with Premier Wab Kinew also expected to be present.
Interested individuals can watch the live stream of the conference at cbc.ca/manitoba.
This update follows the confirmation that the remains found at Prairie Green landfill, north of Winnipeg, belong to Harris and Myran, who were originally from Long Plain First Nation.
Authorities have refrained from disclosing whether they have information regarding the whereabouts of Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe’s remains, or if they could be located at Prairie Green or the city-operated Brady Road landfill in Winnipeg, where some of Contois’s remains were discovered.
When questioned recently, Premier Wab Kinew did not provide details on whether a search would continue at Prairie Green landfill in the pursuit of locating Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe’s remains.
Decisions regarding the future of the landfill search, which commenced excavations in December, will involve consultations with the families of Harris and Myran, as stated by Kinew.
Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs expressed the organization’s commitment to continuing the search for Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe.
What do we know about Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe?
Limited information has been publicly revealed about Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe.
Court proceedings during Skibicki’s trial last summer disclosed that DNA tests on a jacket believed to be worn by the woman were inconclusive in identifying her, leading to Skibicki’s conviction on four counts of first-degree murder.
Skibicki admitted during a police interview in May 2022 that he was responsible for the deaths of the four women, with the unidentified woman being the first victim in mid-March 2022. The subsequent murders occurred between May 1 and May 15, according to court documents.
Skibicki mentioned encountering the woman outside the Salvation Army shelter in Winnipeg when the ground was still covered in snow and COVID-19 restrictions had just been lifted in Manitoba.
He described the woman as Indigenous, in her early 20s, with dark patches on her skin, an average build, and short hair that did not extend past her neck.