'Not an easy task': Police begin 'meticulous' search at Saskatoon landfill in Mackenzie Trottier case
Police officers and cadaver dogs have begun searching the Saskatoon landfill for answers in the Mackenzie Lee Trottier case.
Trottier has been missing for more than three years. She was 22-years-old when she was last seen on Dec. 21, 2020, leaving her family home.
Trottier's father, Paul Trottier, said the landfill is "the last place anybody wants to be" when searching for a loved one.
"This is a long, trying and tiring journey that is not yet finished," the woman's father said.
The landfill search marks the first new lead in the case in over a year.
Each day for next 33 days, 14 officers and two dogs — with specialized training on tracking human remains — will sift through garbage from a dedicated area.
"It's not an easy task. It will be meticulous and it will be draining on the officers, absolutely," Saskatoon police Staff Sgt. Corey Lenius told journalists in front of a tent set up at the landfill.
"It's hard to say what condition anything that we're searching for could be in at this point, based on the time that's passed."
Police are focused on an area approximately 10 metres wide and one meter deep. Excavators spent the past couple weeks removing the layers of garbage in that spot.
Any items of interest will be brought to the tent and further examined by forensic anthropologist Ernie Walker.
(Chad Hills / CTV News)
Police are relying on garbage trucks' GPS to assist their search.
Lenius said officers were led to the landfill "based off evidence we have collected from electronic devices seized throughout the investigation."
"At this time, I am unable to disclose specific details regarding the nature of the investigation to preserve its integrity," Lenius said.
On February 10, 2021, Saskatoon Police released video surveillance footage of a man believed to have information about Trottier's disappearance.
On June 8, 2021, Saskatoon Crime Stoppers released a sketch of the man in the surveillance video.
Trottier's family launched an interprovincial poster campaign and offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to her return.
Trottier's father said there was nothing unusual about the last day he saw his daughter.
"There was no animosity, no anger. She was fairly normal on her way out the door. And that was last day we saw her. It was pretty difficult when she didn't come home — especially for Christmas. That was tough," Paul said.
Trottier was looking at pursuing a career in veterinary medicine before she went missing.
Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) Vice President Michelle LeClair offered "sincere thoughts and prayers" to the Trottier family.
"While a search of the landfill is deeply disturbing, MN–S is encouraged that the case has not been forgotten, as is often the situation with our missing and murdered Indigenous peoples," LeClair said.
Because the landfill has the potential to be a crime scene, police are asking people to avoid the area and have banned drone use in the airspace above the search.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.