Elle Harris remembers the first time she was told no.
“That was one of the most heartbreaking moments for me,” Elle said.
The news was that her mom Morgan Harris’s body was likely in the Prairie Green landfill and Winnipeg police said they wouldn’t search it.
Losing her mom to a serial killer was heartbreaking enough, but to know she wouldn’t get a proper goodbye, she said, was even harder.
“Feeling like my mother wasn’t going to come home at that moment. The feeling of it was horrible,” Elle said.
Elle, her family and community members fought tirelessly for a search of the Prairie Green landfill after being told ‘no’ by police and the previous PC government.
The NDP government promised a search, and after a feasibility study, excavation began last December.
The search was launched to find Harris and fellow victim Marcades Myran. Some remains were found in February, and by March, it was confirmed remains of both women had been found.
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“I hope that this brings some closure to the families. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, though,” Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs grand chief Kyra Wilson said.
Wilson fiercely supported the families in their efforts to get the landfill searched in order to bring these women home.
As of July 9, the search concluded. It’s a decision families feel conflicted about.
“We didn’t find all of her and we made that a point that we wanted to find all of her. So yes I’m happy some of her is coming home, but we wanted all of her,” Elle said.
Morgan’s cousin, Melissa Robinson adds she feels content, but her heart aches for Elle and Morgan’s other children.
“We are going to be able to lay her to rest and her spirit will be at rest,” Robinson said.
On Wednesday, the province said equipment and crews will soon move over to the Brady Road landfill to search for Ashley Shingoose, who was also a victim of the same serial killer. Advocates also want the search to include Tanya Nepinak.
The 31-year-old mother of two is believed to have been murdered and her remains taken to Brady Road landfill.
The government refused to answer additional questions on why this decision was made to end the search at the Prairie Green landfill, saying, “at this time there is nothing further to say.” Follow-up questions regarding the cost of the Prairie Green landfill search and cost of the Brady Road landfill search were ignored.
As for the Harris family, while their mom, cousin, sister and aunt is finally coming home, the nightmare feels far from over.
“It kind of hurts knowing I’m only going to be burying part of my mom, because now that the search is over, we are not starting the funeral process,” Elle said.
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