MMIW: The Winnipeg Serial Killer (Part 1)

Three women vanish from the same area of Winnipeg within weeks of each other. At first, their disappearances don’t raise widespread alarm—lost phones, unstable housing, and the realities of life on the margins make it easy for cases like these to slip through the cracks. But their families knew something wasn’t right. Then, on a cold morning in May 2022, a man searching through a dumpster makes a discovery that changes everything. Human remains. As investigators work to identify the victim, they uncover a name: Rebecca Contois. And with that confirmation, the case shifts from a missing persons investigation to something far more disturbing. Because Rebecca isn’t the only woman who’s gone missing. Morgan Harris. Marcedes Myran. And Buffalo Woman, a victim who would remain unidentified for three years after her murder. All Indigenous. All last seen in the same area. All disappearing within weeks of another. As detectives begin retracing Rebecca’s final movements, their investigation leads them to a quiet apartment building just steps from where her remains were found. Inside, they begin to uncover something that suggests this may not be an isolated crime—but part of a much darker pattern. By the end of Part 1, investigators are no longer asking whether a murder occurred. They’re asking how many.   Resources: Hope for Wellness Help Line for Indigenous Peoples: 1-855-242-3310 National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.): 1-800-799-7233 StrongHearts Native Helpline: 1-844-7NATIVE If this case moved you, consider learning more about the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People and supporting organizations doing this work. MMIWG2S+ National Action Plan: Government of Canada National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Native Women’s Association of Canada Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Canadian Human Rights Commission resources on MMIWG Winnipeg Bear Clan Patrol Siloam Mission, Winnipeg N’Dinawemak – Our Relatives’ Place, Winnipeg