Community bands together to try to identify victim of alleged Winnipeg serial killer

Family members of Morgan Harris, one of four women believed to have been killed by the same Winnipeg man, have started a grassroots initiative to help identify another of his alleged victims.

One of Morgan's daughters, Cambria Harris, is hoping to raise awareness and generate leads to identify the woman, who was dubbed Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe (Buffalo Woman) after police were unable to identify her.

"The Indigenous community is taking it upon ourselves to help identify stolen sisters because it only feels right and we feel obligated to do so," Harris said.

A Facebook group called Justice for Buffalo Woman was created to share updates and information about missing women who could be the unidentified homicide victim.

The group has almost 130 members.

Winnipeg police believe the woman was in her mid-20s, Indigenous, and had an average build.

A 35-year-old man, Jeremy Skibicki, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to her death. 

He is also facing three other first-degree murder charges for the deaths of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and Rebecca Contois.

Harris, Myran and Contois used shelter services on and around Main Street, and it's possible Buffalo Woman did, too.

When three of the homicide charges were laid Dec. 1, police released pictures of a Baby Phat brand jacket believed to have been worn by Buffalo Woman.

Darryl Contois, one of the volunteers working with the grassroots organization trying to identify the woman, says more than one woman was seen with the jacket.

He has spoken about Buffalo Woman to people who are members of the homeless community, asking if anyone recognized the jacket.

"Lots of them have seen that kind of jacket, but they're not too sure who had it last," Contois said.

The jacket might have been lost or forgotten somewhere at some point, too, he said.

"[And] we don't know how many of those jackets are made, and who all had jackets like that."

Contois has helped dozens of families search for missing loved ones over the years.

Part of the motivation to take on this initiative is because some people might not be comfortable connecting with police, Cambria Harris explained.

"Maybe they had bad experiences … it's better to get, you know, real people, out in the streets talking to these vulnerable people," she said.

Const. Claude Chancy, a public information officer with Winnipeg police, told CBC News in an email that the investigation into Buffalo Woman's identity is ongoing.

"The investigation into the homicide and identification of Buffalo Woman (Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe) remains active and ongoing. It has been a priority for our homicide unit," the email says. 

Police did not have any additional information to share about the investigation.

Contois and other volunteers will be visiting encampments on Sunday to hand out posters with photos of the jacket.

"We're asking anybody that wants to come out on Sunday to volunteer their time to hand posters out and ask questions, we would appreciate it," he said.