Timeline: Identifying Shingoose as serial killer’s victim took more than three years

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/03/2025 (195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DNA evidence uncovered by police has confirmed Buffalo Woman, the previously unidentified victim of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, is Ashlee Christine Shingoose, a 30-year-old missing woman from St. Theresa Point First Nation.

The identification was made more than three years after she disappeared from downtown Winnipeg, and nearly nine months after Skibicki was convicted of murdering her and three other Indigenous women.

The Free Press has prepared a timeline detailing the period between Shingoose’s disappearance and public confirmation of her identity as a murder victim.

March 11, 2022:

Skibicki meets Shingoose outside Winnipeg’s Salvation Army and invites her to his apartment. The pair board a bus for North Kildonan. She is wearing a distinctive Baby Phat jacket and face mask. The date coincides with the last confirmed sighting of Shingoose.

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March 15:

Statements made by Skibicki to police indicate he killed Shingoose in his apartment on or around this date. Based on the timing of her death, and information later provided to police, investigators believe her remains were taken to Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill.

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May 17:

Police first learn about Shingoose’s death. As Skibicki is being interrogated for the slaying of Rebecca Contois, he surprisingly confesses to killing her and three others. Skibicki initially tells police he believes he killed Angel Loonfoot, who is later confirmed to be alive. Skibicki is taken into custody.

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Summer:

Police seize the Baby Phat jacket after Skibicki told investigators he had sold it online through Facebook Marketplace. It is unwashed, and they are able to recover DNA from the left sleeve cuff. At the time, this is believed to belong to the then-unidentified victim.

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November:

Police begin investigating unconfirmed sightings of Shingoose, which turn out to be incorrect.

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Dec. 1:

Police go to Milner Ridge Correctional Centre and charge Skibicki with three additional counts of first-degree murder, including the slaying of the unidentified woman. A news release includes photos of the Baby Phat jacket. Police say the unidentified victim was wearing the jacket and they plead for public information.

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Dec. 5:

The Winnipeg Police Service issues a news release indicating it will follow the lead of the Indigenous community and refer to Skibicki’s unidentified victim as Buffalo Woman.

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January 2023:

The Shingoose family provides a DNA sample to police. Her father is told forensic testing does not match Buffalo Woman’s profile. Police later discover the DNA from the jacket did not belong to Buffalo Woman and could not have identified her.

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Jan. 25:

Albert Shingoose travels to Winnipeg from St. Theresa Point to search for his daughter. At this point, there is no indication she has been slain.

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Feb. 3:

Police publish the first missing-person alert for Shingoose, asking for public information. St. Theresa Point community members assist in searching for her.

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March 1:

Shingoose’s daughter, Dayna Shingoose, is one of two 14-year-old girls who die in St. Theresa Point, after being exposed to temperatures as low as -23 C for several hours.

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October:

The WPS forms an investigative task force dedicated to pursuing leads related to Shingoose, based on evidence linking her to Skibicki’s apartment suite. At the time, she was considered a long-term missing person. Investigators cannot identify her as Buffalo Woman.

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April 29, 2024:

Skibicki’s trial begins in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench. He is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and Buffalo Woman. During the trial, a ceremonial buffalo headdress sits on the Crown proscutors’ table to honour the unidentified victim.

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July 11:

Skibicki is convicted on all counts and receives four life sentences. Police efforts to identify Buffalo Woman continue.

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Dec. 17:

Homicide detectives interview Skibicki in prison. He reveals new information that allows investigators to determine Buffalo Woman’s remains were taken to the Brady landfill in March 2022. He identifies a specific piece of clothing that belonged to her, and police send that evidence for further DNA testing.

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March 11 and March 24, 2025:

On each of these dates, the results from DNA testing are returned and confirm Ashlee Shingoose is Buffalo Woman.

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March 25:

Winnipeg homicide investigators and family support advocates travel to St. Theresa Point to inform Shingoose’s family and community of her death.

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March 26:

Police call a news conference at the Millenium Library in downtown Winnipeg to announce the identity of Buffalo Woman. Premier Wab Kinew pledges to search the Brady landfill for Shingoose’s remains. Police Chief Gene Bowers says the force will support that effort. Officials say the logistics will take time to work out.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca