In mid-March 2022, a young Indigenous woman stood outside Winnipeg91裸聊视频檚 Salvation Army and spoke with a man who invited her back to his home.
Wearing a reversible Baby Phat branded jacket and a cloth face mask, she would later board a bus with the man and head to his apartment in the North Kildonan neighbourhood.
The woman was the first victim of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki.
In the two years since her slaying, police have been unable to identify her or find her remains.
To Indigenous community members, police and the court system, she has become known as Mashkode Bizhiki91裸聊视频檌kwe, or Buffalo Woman, a name that was gifted to her by a group of Indigenous grandmothers.
91裸聊视频淥ur community has adopted her. We wanted her to have a name and we wanted her to belong to a community,91裸聊视频 said Thelma Morrisseau, who was part of the naming ceremony.
91裸聊视频淪he needs to be honoured and respected.91裸聊视频
Police released a few updates on their endeavours to identify Buffalo Woman. However, details of their exhaustive efforts were revealed this month during Skibicki91裸聊视频檚 trial, which is set to continue in June.
Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder for the slayings of Buffalo Woman and three others 91裸聊视频 Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; and Rebecca Contois, 24.
His lawyers have said he killed the four Indigenous women but should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.
Crown prosecutors say the killings were racially motivated and Skibicki preyed on the vulnerable women at homeless shelters.
The court heard he assaulted the women, strangled or drowned them and disposed of their bodies in garbage bins. Myran and Contois were dismembered.
91裸聊视频(Skibicki) forcibly confined Buffalo Woman because he thought she was taking some of his things,91裸聊视频 prosecutor Renee Lagimodiere said on the first day of the trial.
91裸聊视频(He) choked her, filled his bathtub with water. He then drowned her.91裸聊视频
When police announced in December 2022 that Skibicki had been charged with killing the unknown woman, they were unable to provide many details about her.
Police said they believed she was Indigenous and in her mid-20s. They said she was likely killed on or around March 15 of that year.
The only other clue about the woman released to the public came in photos of a Baby Phat jacket. Police said she may have been wearing something similar to the black and white bomber-style jacket.
The trial heard more about the jacket. Police seized the unwashed coat in the summer of 2022, after Skibicki told investigators he had sold it online through Facebook Marketplace. He said he threw out the rest of Buffalo Woman91裸聊视频檚 belongings.
The jacket was analyzed along with evidence from Skibicki91裸聊视频檚 suite to try and determine Buffalo Woman91裸聊视频檚 identity.
DNA found on a cuff on the jacket is the only evidence police have pointing to her identity.
91裸聊视频淲e continue to try and pull at any (tips) we receive from the public with regards to the identity of Buffalo Woman,91裸聊视频 Sgt. Dave Barber testified.
Conversations in the community have included speculation about whether the woman was from Manitoba or even Canada, added Morrisseau, who has attended the trial.
91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 got family somewhere 91裸聊视频 but no one has stepped forward. They haven91裸聊视频檛 been able to link her to anyone, and I just find that very disturbing,91裸聊视频 she said.
Police became aware of Buffalo Woman91裸聊视频檚 death as Skibicki was being interrogated for the slaying of Contois in May 2022. He surprisingly told officers he had killed Contois and three others.
Partial remains of Contois were found in a garbage bin in Skibicki91裸聊视频檚 neighbourhood that month. More of her remains were later found at a landfill.
The remains of Myran and Harris are believed to be at another landfill. DNA testing from Skibicki91裸聊视频檚 apartment identified them as other victims.
Skibicki initially gave police a name for Buffalo Woman, but it was the name of someone still alive.
He told police he met the victim outside the Salvation Army just north of the downtown when there was still snow on the ground and the province had just lifted COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The restrictions were lifted on March 15, 2022.
In a police interrogation video played at the trial, Skibicki described the unknown woman as five feet four inches tall with a dark skin complexion and short hair.
Skibicki told police he was coming down from a psilocybin or magic mushroom high and was upset with Buffalo Woman after she tried to steal from him. He said he choked her before drowning her.
The last thing she did was swear at him, he told the police. 91裸聊视频淚 understand why.91裸聊视频
He later disposed of her remains in a garbage bin.
Sandra DeLaronde, a longtime advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, has also been sitting in court during the trial. She said Buffalo Woman91裸聊视频檚 case speaks to the ongoing breakdown in systems that are supposed to protect vulnerable Indigenous women.
91裸聊视频淭here are a lot of lessons to learn from Buffalo Woman, in particular being able to support people that are unsheltered or homeless,91裸聊视频 she said.
DeLaronde said she appreciates the Crown91裸聊视频檚 effort to seek justice for Buffalo Woman.
A ceremonial buffalo headdress has sat on the Crown91裸聊视频檚 table during the trial 91裸聊视频 a symbol of the unidentified woman who has not been forgotten and families still seeking answers in other cases.
91裸聊视频淪he is representing justice for all of those families 91裸聊视频 who have never received justice,91裸聊视频 said DeLaronde.
READ ALSO:
READ ALSO:
The federal government has a support line for those affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls: 1-844-413-6649. The Hope for Wellness Helpline, with support in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut, is also available to all Indigenous people in Canada: 1-855-242-3310.
-Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press