Remains may be decade old

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This article was published 20/12/2014 (3977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The remains of six infants found inside a Winnipeg storage locker may be as much as a decade old.

Greg Brodsky, the lawyer representing the woman accused of concealing the remains, revealed new details about the case Friday, based on preliminary autopsy results. Brodsky told the Free Press a medical report he received shows these were not recent births.

“The evidence provided so far demonstrates to me they’re ancient. Some were mummified,” said Brodsky.

He said insect larvae found with the remains were sent to an entomologist in British Columbia for further study. Brodsky estimated the remains were eight to 10 years old.

Some fetuses were likely a few weeks old while others may have been close to full term, he said.

Brodsky said no evidence has surfaced to suggest criminal conduct took place.

“They were stillborn. They have no evidence of life after delivery,” said Brodsky. “They don’t say if a doctor had been present at the time of deliveries it would have made any difference.”

Brodsky said medical testing revealed the genders of all the fetuses, although he wouldn’t share those details.

DNA has been obtained, but results aren’t back yet to show if the fetuses shared the same mother or multiple mothers.

The Free Press asked Brodsky if the eight- to 10-year range of the remains and the fact they were apparently stillborn increases the possibility his client is the mother.

“That’s speculation. I’m not going to get into speculation,” he said.

‘They were stillborn. They have no evidence of life after delivery. They don’t say if a doctor had been present at the time of deliveries it would have made any difference’

— Greg Brodsky, the defence lawyer representing Andrea Giesbrecht

The remains were found Oct. 20 inside a U-Haul storage container on McPhillips Street.

Brodsky said it remains a mystery as to where the remains were stored before the U-Haul facility.

Brodsky said the evidence shows they’d only been in the storage locker since March, when Andrea Giesbrecht rented it.

“I don’t know where they’ve been all that time,” Brodsky said Friday.

Giesbrecht, 40, is in custody on charges, including concealing human remains. She faces multiple fraud charges stemming from an unrelated investigation.

Giesbrecht is charged with breaching a Sept. 30 probation order by participating in gambling. The judge had barred her from such conduct after she pleaded guilty to defrauding an elderly neighbour out of nearly $8,000 to feed a gambling addiction.

Giesbrecht was set to apply for bail Friday, but the hearing was adjourned.

Brodsky said he is waiting for a more complete autopsy report before proceeding.

The Crown has said much of the delay in getting results can be blamed on Brodsky, who forced the autopsy to be stalled for about three weeks last month when he filed a motion seeking to have his own medical expert be allowed to attend.

Brodsky ultimately lost that decision.

Brodsky said he’s still unsure if his client might face upgraded charges such as murder, for which police issued a caution against her.

www.mikeoncrime.com