Sask. landfill search sets example in quest to find victims of accused Manitoba serial killer
It's been one week since investigators began their search at the Saskatoon landfill, looking for answers in the MacKenzie Trottier case.
While police have nothing to report from the search, they say the snow and rain has not held the investigation back.
"Our officers will be working rain or snow — that won't slow them down," Saskatoon police Staff Sgt. Corey Lenius told journalists on Wednesday, when the search started.
"The biggest challenge will be for the equipment. The road up to our location is pretty muddy and can get pretty greasy."
Trottier has been missing for more than three years. She was 22-years-old when she was last seen leaving her family home.
With help from garbage truck GPS, police are focused on searching an area in the landfill approximately 10 metres wide and one meter deep.
Forensic anthropologist Emily Holland researched the feasibility of searching a Manitoba landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.
The women were killed by alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki.
Skibicki has admitted to killing four Indigenous women — including Myran and Harris — but argues he is not criminally responsible because of a mental illness.
Holland said landfill searches are "complicated."
In the report, asbestos and other toxic chemicals were outlined as risks and hazards for investigators.
Holland said the volume of garbage to sift through can be a challenge, but because it's tightly packed, it breaks down slower.
"Landfills create an anaerobic environment, or an environment that lacks oxygen, and this actually prevents decomposition,” Holland told CTV News.
"If you have any kind of organic material, yes, it's going to break down. Yes, it will decompose, but at a much slower rate than it would in other environments."
Saskatoon police are dedicating 33 days to the search, which includes weekends.
Manitoba officials said they're closely watching what happens in Saskatoon, as their search has yet to begin.
In February, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he's confident the landfill search for Myran and Harris will happen this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Princess of Wales to miss major military display next month amid cancer treatment
Catherine, Princess of Wales, will not be returning to royal duties with an appearance at the Colonel’s Review, a military parade in London in early June, as she continues her treatment for cancer.
Police arrest 19-year-old suspect after Montreal triple homicide
Police have made an arrest following a deadly street fight that ended with three people killed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough last week.