Saskatoon police find Mackenzie Trottier's body in landfill, lead suspect died in 2023

The body of 22-year-old Mackenzie Trottier, who had been missing since December 2020, was found at the Saskatoon landfill, police confirmed on Tuesday.

The body was identified as Trottier’s through dental examination, bringing an end to a search that lasted nearly four years.

"Today we have our answers. Mackenzie is home," her father, Paul Trottier, said.

After a Saskatoon police news conference, he personally thanked the police team who conducted the search — who sat in on the press conference.

"Thank you for your service," he said, holding back tears.

Saskatoon Police Chief Cam McBride said Trottier's cause of death is "currently undetermined," based on an autopsy conducted Aug. 1.

The Saskatchewan Coroner's Service is investigating.

Who is the key suspect?

The cellphone of a key suspect in the case is what led police to the city’s landfill.

"Some of the common searches [on the phone] around that time when Mackenzie went missing was, 'When's the next garbage pick up?' Staff Sgt. Corey Lenius said.

"We were also able to be 100 per cent sure that he didn't leave his residence at all during that crucial time."

Police believe the suspect put Trottier’s body in a bin on the 1300 block of Avenue B North — an address she visited often, according to police.

Using garbage truck GPS, police were able to pinpoint where that bin would have been unloaded at the landfill.

Police say the key suspect died from a drug overdose in December 2023, so no charges can be laid.

Lenius refused to release the suspect's name, age or how he knew Trottier.

"I'm not going to get into their relationship, but they were known to each other," Lenius said.

"We can't lay charges on someone who is deceased. So therefore, I don't think we would ever disclose the name."

Police did confirm however that the deceased suspect is not the same man they were searching for in surveillance footage in February 2021.

Police set precedent for landfill searches

The landfill search took 93 days. It began on May 1 and was originally set aside for 33 days.

Officers sifted through layers of garbage — battling elements of snow, rain and extreme heat over the past three months.

Any item of interest was flagged to forensic anthropologist Ernie Walker, for further examination.

"It was meticulous. Thousands and thousands of bone fragments," Walker said.

Walker also said it's rare to recover a body from a landfill.

"This doesn't happen very often. There are searches of landfills, but they don't produce anything. The Saskatoon Police Service now has more experience in this kind of operation than any other unit I can think of in the country and maybe even in North America," Walker said.

The original cost estimate of the search was $200,000. McBride now projects the cost is closer to $1.5 million.

"We have reached out to our provincial and federal government partners to seek assistance in meeting that financial need. But at every step of the way, we came to the conclusion that it was the right thing to do," McBride said.

Excavators, 44 officers and special cadaver dogs from Calgary were involved in the search.

-- With files from The Canadian Press.