Outside the front doors of the courthouse in Winnipeg, friends and family of Marcedes Myran offer a sacred song and prayer to the creator for a safe journey over the coming weeks.
On Monday, the trial for Jeremy Skibicki, the man accused of killing Marcedes, Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris and a fourth woman commonly called Buffalo Woman, opened.
“It’s been very heavy on our hearts. Very anxious. A lot of anxiety. This next month is going to be very hard on us,” said Jorden Myran, Marcedes’s sister.
Police believe Myran’s remains are at a private landfill outside of Winnipeg with Morgan and Buffalo Woman. The partial remains of Contois were found at the city owned landfill in 2022.
Marcede’s grandmother, Donna Bartlett, told the people gathered the struggles the family has had to get authorities to search the landfill.
“Until we get her home we will be fighting.to bring her home,” she said. “Like I said, even a piece of her would be good, we will have a piece of her at home at least.”
It wasn’t until recently that both the federal and provincial governments committed $20 million each for the search.
Cathy Merrick, grand chief of the ASssembly of First Nations said this shouldn’t be a one time commitment because self care is essential for victims and families going through trials.
“It’s needed in all our communities, all our nations, that to be able to be provided that mental support, that spiritual support and that cultural support to be able to go into ceremony,” she said.
Support, the family said, has been crucial to helping keep the Marcedes family strong over the past year.
“A lot of organizations have been helping us, also just the community that have been coming out and supporting us have been very big,” said Jordan Marcedes.
The Skibicki trial is schedule to last six weeks.
