The human remains found at the Brady Road landfill by Winnipeg police last week have been identified as those of Rebecca Contois, police said on Tuesday afternoon. The family of the 24-year-old woman has been informed, the Winnipeg police department said in a press release. Contois, who had a daughter, was a member of the Crane River First Nation and grew up in Winnipeg. Last month, about 100 people, including members of the Contois family, gathered for a vigil in the back lane of the North Kildonan where her remains were found in a rubbish bin on May 16th. Police believed some of her remains may have been dumped during a landfill and conducted a search earlier this month. The search involved an area the size of three or four football pitches and was carried out by officers equipped with respirators, methane detection equipment and protective equipment. Jeremy Anthony Micheal Skibicki, 35, was charged with first-degree murder in Contois’s death. After Skibicki was arrested and charged in May, police said they believed there could be more casualties, but no one has been identified since last week. Support is available to anyone affected by the details of this case. If you need support, you can contact Ka Ni Kanichihk’s Medicine Bear Counseling, Support and Elder Services at 204-594-6500, ext. 102 or 104, (within Winnipeg) or 1-888-953-5264 (excluding Winnipeg). Support is also available through Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Association at 1-800-442-0488 or 204-677-1648.
