Police in Thunder Bay, Ont., say they are searching a landfill in an ongoing investigation into the death of an Indigenous woman last year.
Police say the search at the Thunder Bay Solid Waste and Recycling Facility is being done with help from Ontario Provincial Police and the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.
It is part of the homicide investigation in the case of 42-year-old Deborah Anishinabie, who was reported missing in early December 2024 and confirmed to be dead later that month.
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Police say their work will include a search for partial human remains.
They say the landfill search follows previous searches of areas in the city’s south side, conducted earlier this year.
A 24-year-old suspect was arrested in the case and charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a human body.
Anishinabie’s family said in a statement Monday that she will always be remembered for “her radiant, bubbly spirit and the warmth she carried wherever she went.”
“She had a way of lighting up every room, making people feel seen, heard, and loved. She was eagerly pursuing a career in health care and her determination, strength, and kindness inspired not only her classmates but also everyone fortunate enough to cross her path,” the family said.
Anishinabie was “devoted” to her family and always checking in with her friends and loved ones, the statement said.
“She always had so much love to give. In her work, she poured every ounce of that same compassion into the people she cared for.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
