Marcedes Myran, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman from Long Plain First Nation, was a mother of two who was deeply loved by her family. Her grandmother, Donna Bartlett, described her as a happy, smiley, and trusting person. Family was immensely important to Marcedes, and she was determined to overcome her personal struggles with addiction to regain custody of her children. She was living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the time of her death, and her family worried about her vulnerability.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said she was deeply cherished by her children, family, and community, who remember her as a sweet and kind woman.
In the spring of 2022, Marcedes’s family lost contact with her. She was last in touch with them on March 15, 2022, and was last seen in Winnipeg's North End. As months passed with no word, her family grew increasingly concerned, putting up posters and eventually reporting her missing in the fall. Their worst fears were realized on December 1, 2022, when Winnipeg Police announced that Marcedes was one of four women believed to have been murdered by the same man between March and May of that year. Police believed Marcedes was killed on or around May 4, 2022.
The man responsible was Jeremy Anthony Micheal Skibicki, a serial killer who targeted vulnerable Indigenous women at homeless shelters in Winnipeg. The investigation into the murders began after the partial remains of another victim, Rebecca Contois, were found in a garbage bin in May 2022. This discovery led police to Skibicki, who was arrested on May 18 and initially charged with first-degree murder for Contois's death. A continued investigation linked him to the deaths of Marcedes, Morgan Harris, and a fourth, unidentified woman whom community members named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman. Skibicki was subsequently charged with three additional counts of first-degree murder.
During his trial, prosecutors argued the killings were racially motivated acts of violence. Skibicki admitted to the killings but pleaded not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder. The court was shown surveillance video of Skibicki with Marcedes in his neighborhood shortly before her death. Evidence also revealed that he had dismembered some of his victims and disposed of their bodies in garbage bins. The judge rejected the defense's argument, finding Skibicki guilty on four counts of first-degree murder on July 11, 2024. He was later sentenced to four concurrent life sentences with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
For Marcedes’s family, the legal proceedings were only one part of their fight for justice. Investigators believed Skibicki had disposed of the bodies of Marcedes and Morgan Harris at the privately run Prairie Green Landfill. Initially, authorities deemed a search of the massive landfill unfeasible, a decision that caused immense pain and outrage for the families and Indigenous communities. The families, including Marcedes's grandmother Donna Bartlett and mother Pamela Myran, became powerful advocates, establishing "Camp Marcedes" near the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to demand a search and bring their loved one home for a proper burial. Their relentless efforts, supported by Indigenous leaders and the public, made the landfill search a key issue in the 2023 provincial election.
Following a change in government, the provincial and federal governments committed a combined $40 million to fund a humanitarian search of the landfill. The complex and hazardous operation began in late 2023. In February 2025, searchers recovered human remains, which were confirmed to be those of Morgan Harris and, shortly after, Marcedes Myran. The discovery brought a profound, though bittersweet, sense of relief. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced, "Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris are coming home." Her family asked for privacy to grieve and begin the healing process. Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs stated, “I have witnessed the strength, determination, and relentless love of Marcedes' family as they fought to bring her home. Their courage is a reflection of the love they carry for her.”
