Tanya Nepinak's family holding hope landfill search for her remains will happen after meeting with premier

The aunt of Tanya Nepinak, a Pine Creek First Nation pistillate who went missing much than a decennary ago, is feeling hopeful aft gathering with Premier Wab Kinew implicit her plea to hunt the Brady Road landfill for her niece's remains.

Sue Caribou led a march connected Friday with astir a twelve supporters who walked toward the Manitoba legislature from Portage and Main, starring up to her speech with Manitoba's premier. 

"This is the archetypal clip I really got done further than conscionable the doors, got to an bureau to beryllium capable to talk to the leaders," Caribou told reporters aft speaking straight with the premier.

"We're getting somewhere, but … we request actions, not conscionable talk," she said. 

In precocious March, Manitoba's authorities committed to hunt the Brady Road landfill for the remains of Ashlee Shingoose, precocious identified arsenic 1 of the 4 First Nations women murdered by serial slayer Jeremy Skibicki successful 2022.

First Nations leaders successful Manitoba person since called for the hunt of the Brady Road landfill to see betterment efforts for Nepinak.

Earlier this week, Kinew said connected Tuesday helium would beryllium unfastened to speaking with her family, but that logistically, the hunt astatine Brady Road landfill would person to instrumentality a antithetic attack than the hunt astatine the Prairie Green landfill, wherever the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were recovered this year. 

Robyn Johnston, an advocator for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, said Kinew told Nepinak's household that the state had already started looking into however they could retrieve her remains. 

"Just similar each the different assurances that he's provided to the different families that they would try, he's assured they volition try," Johnston said. 

Nepinak's household asked for confirmation of the hunt successful writing, to which Kinew answered, "he was the premier," Johnston said.

"So we person to instrumentality his connection for it," she added. 

'Nobody belongs successful the dump': Caribou

It's been much than 13 years since Nepinak went missing aft she near her location connected Winnipeg's Sherbrook Street successful September 2011.

In June 2012, Shawn Lamb was charged with second-degree execution successful transportation with her decease and disappearance. But those charges were aboriginal stayed, though helium was convicted of manslaughter successful the deaths of Carolyn Sinclair and Lorna Blacksmith.

Winnipeg constabulary person said they believed Nepinak's assemblage was dumped successful a garbage bin and brought to the Brady Road landfill. 

A hunt for her remains was launched successful October 2012, but it was cancelled aft six days with no grounds located. 

During the gathering with Kinew, Caribou said the premier told them the state would request immoderate clip to fig retired wherever Nepinak's assemblage is — enactment that would entail speaking with officers progressive successful the lawsuit who utilized to enactment for Winnipeg constabulary much than a decennary agone and looking into the country that was past searched. 

WATCH | Tanya Nepinak's household hopeful landfill hunt for her remains volition happen:

"I gotta judge he's gonna bash the close thing," Caribou said. "Nobody belongs successful the dump."

Caribou said she thanked Kinew for opening up the abstraction to conscionable with her. 

"He really listened to each my loved one's stories … we really got determination this time," she said.

Caribou is scheduled to talk with the premier again successful aboriginal May for an update connected however acold the state has gotten connected probe and the adjacent steps. 

Until then, Caribou said she would airy a smudge each day, successful hopes the hunt for her niece's assemblage volition instrumentality place, and for different families inactive waiting to bring their loved ones home. 

"We won't beryllium the lone ones to person a closure if they bash hunt the landfills," she said.