Loved ones march in Winnipeg to mark Tanya Nepinak's birthday 13 years after she went missing
'I want people to continue to remember Tanya and that she's not forgotten,' aunt says
Dozens of people gathered in Winnipeg to honour Tanya Nepinak's birthday, renewing calls for another search of the landfill where her remains are believed to have been buried.
The 31-year-old was last seen on Sept. 13, 2011, leaving her home on Sherbrook Street. Her body was never found.
Relatives of Nepinak and their supporters walked from the city's West End to The Forks Thursday, the day she would've turned 45.
"We just want to keep her name out there," said Vernon Mann. He had two children with Nepinak, who are now in their 20s.
"She was a loving mom, a good person, she was just an all-around great person, and she doesn't deserve to be there."
Shawn Lamb was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Nepinak, Carolyn Sinclair and Lorna Blacksmith in 2012. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the deaths of Sinclair and Blacksmith, but the charges in Nepinak's case were stayed.
Police believe the woman's remains were dumped city's Brady Road landfill south of the city. A six-day search there in 2012 turned out unsuccessful.
Susan Caribou, Nepinak's aunt, said the family was also celebrating her birthday when they got the bad news the search was off.
"Today, I'm taking back her birthday and I'm going to honour her," she said.
"I want people to continue to remember Tanya and that she's not forgotten. She was very beautiful inside and out."
'Hard to live without that closure'
People sang, drummed and wrote messages to Nepinak during the birthday celebration.
Several of them carried signs urging for her and other missing and murdered Indigenous women to be brought back home.
"We're not giving up, but it's really hard to live without that closure," Caribou said. "I think all the landfills should be searched."
Late last month, the province began the recruitment process for people who will assist in the search of the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, two of the women murdered by Jeremy Skibicki.
Mann said that even though it's been 13 years, he's not over the death.
"You're constantly reminded every day because there's so many different missing girls, and with these other search happening at the Prairie Green landfill … it keeps fresh in your mind every day."
With files from Alana Cole