Homicide ruled out in death of Indigenous woman: police Family of woman found at landfill ‘devastated and heartbroken’ By: Chris Kitching and Tyler Searle Posted: 1:51 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 6, 2023 Last Modified: 7:05 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 6, 2023 Updates

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A woman whose body was found at the Brady Road landfill had climbed into a garbage bin shortly before its contents were collected by a truck, city police announced Thursday.

Foul play is not suspected in the death of Linda Beardy, after investigators obtained surveillance video which shows her entering the bin, Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth said at a news conference.

“We’re satisfied that this is not a homicide,” said Smyth, who described Beardy’s death as a “tragedy.”

Landfill staff found Beardy’s body when a truck deposited a load at the site on Winnipeg’s southern limits at about 3 p.m. Monday.

Tips that were received after a public appeal Tuesday helped detectives narrow down the movements of the 33-year-old, who was originally from Lake St. Martin First Nation.

Beardy, who lived in Winnipeg, was a mother of four children, who were her “pride and joy,” her family said in a statement.

Video showed Beardy, who was alone, leaving a store on the 2200 block of Pembina Highway and entering the bin, which had an open top, just before 11:15 a.m. Monday.

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“She was actually observed to climb into the bin on her own. There was some activity observed within the bin, and after a short period of time, there was no further activity observed,” said Smyth. “She was not observed climbing out of the bin at any time.”

Police do not know why she went into the bin nor what she did inside. The camera did not have a clear vantage point, said Smyth.

Shortly after 2 p.m., a commercial truck picked up the bin and emptied its contents into the back of the vehicle.

The truck then went to Brady Road, where the contents were deposited.

Beardy’s cause of death has not yet been established by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said Smyth.

He was unable to say if the woman had died before or after the bin’s contents were dumped into the truck.

Smyth said an autopsy confirmed her injuries were consistent with a bin’s contents being dumped into a truck.

“There were no other injuries that suggest any kind of foul play,” the police chief said.

Police are awaiting toxicology test results.

Beardy’s death was initially classified as suspicious, with the homicide unit handling the investigation.

Police initially believed she was last seen downtown, but a tip led them to the Pembina Highway location.

“Clearly, she was recognized, and people alerted us,” said Smyth, noting Beardy had recently lived in the area.

“She was actually observed to climb into the bin on her own. There was some activity observed within the bin, and after a short period of time, there was no further activity observed… She was not observed climbing out of the bin at any time.”–Police chief Danny Smyth

She was not reported missing to police before her body was found.

Investigators, who worked “diligently” through the week, still want to hear from people who have information about Beardy’s activities last weekend and Monday morning, he said.

Smyth said Beardy’s family was informed of investigators’ findings before the news conference.

“We’ve made a commitment to the family to walk them through the investigation when they’re ready,” he said. “We will share with them everything that we discovered.”

Beardy’s family called her their “baby girl,” who will “always be truly, deeply loved beyond measure.”

“We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our dear Linda. It is difficult to comprehend that this happened to our loved one and to our family,” they wrote before the police update.

“We remember Linda as a super devoted auntie, who always stepped in to play and had such a contagious laugh that filled any room she was in.”

Beardy was the youngest of five sisters, who “fiercely” supported each other, and she was in constant contact with family, her relatives said.

Growing up in Winnipeg, she attended Pinkham and General Wolfe schools. She also attended the St. Norbert Adult Education Centre.

Her family said she had a strong Christian faith, and went to Bethel Tabernacle while growing up in the city. She was a member of Living Bible Explorers, and attended Believers Church at the time of her death.

The case drew national attention, coming 10 months after the partial remains of an Indigenous woman, Rebecca Contois, were found at Brady Road in June.

“We remember Linda as a super devoted auntie, who always stepped in to play and had such a contagious laugh that filled any room she was in.”–Beardy’s family

Police believe Contois and three other Indigenous women, whose remains have not been found, were slain by an alleged serial killer in early 2022.

Investigators believe the remains of Morgan Harris, 39, and Marcedes Myran, 26, were deposited at the privately-owned Prairie Green Landfill north of Winnipeg. Police have not determined the likely location of an unidentified victim known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe (Buffalo Woman).

Beardy’s death led to renewed calls for searches of Winnipeg-area landfills and more efforts to prevent gender-based violence.

A rally and march was due to begin at Portage Avenue and Main Street at 5 p.m. Friday to call for action and “justice” for Beardy and all missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

“The goal is to end gender-based violence against women and girls and two-spirit,” said community organizer and advocate Sadie Lavoie, while a group of people made posters for the event. “We want something to be done to ensure the safety of every community member in Winnipeg.”

There were assumptions Beardy was the victim of a homicide before police announced foul play was not suspected.

Hours after Smyth released the update into the Beardy investigation, officials from Lake St. Martin held a news conference on Brady Road.

Chief Christopher Traverse said the news of Beardy’s death has been difficult for people living on the First Nation, which is located roughly 225 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

“Indigenous people are not trash, and normalizing having their bodies found in dumpsters is disgraceful,” Traverse said. “It’s traumatizing for our community.”

Traverse denounced the provincial and federal governments for their handling of a flood that displaced Lake St. Martin residents in 2011.

He said Beardy was evacuated during the flood and not allowed to return home, but was unable to provide specifics on whether she was a permanent resident of Lake St. Martin at the time.

No members of Beardy’s family were present.

He declined to comment on the results of the police investigation.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced questions about the incident and his government’s record on efforts to protect Indigenous women and girls from violence.

“My heart goes out to the community in Winnipeg and to the families of the woman who was killed and left in this way,” he told reporters.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

As a general assignment reporter, Chris covers a little bit of everything for the Free Press.

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Tyler Searle
Reporter

Since joining the paper in 2022, Tyler has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.

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