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WARNING: This story contains references to missing and murdered Indigenous people. Resources can be found at the bottom of this story.
After a nearly month-long search of the city’s landfill, Deborah Anishinabie’s family is still seeking closure as an investigation into her homicide in Thunder Bay, Ont., continues.
The 42-year-old member of Sandy Lake First Nation was last seen leaving New Newfie’s Pub on the city’s south side on Dec. 5, 2024. Her body was found on Dec. 14, 2024, less than two kilometres from the pub, in the 800 block of Finlayson Street and the 400 block of McKellar Street North.
However, police are still searching for the rest of her remains.
Levi Michael Lawson, 25, faces charges of second-degree murder and indignity to a human body in connection with the case. He is expected to appear in court next on Jan. 5, 2026 for a trial date to be set.
In Thunder Bay, this is probably one of the most horrific cases of homicide that we have seen.– Anna Betty Achneepineskum, deputy grand chief with Nishnawbe Aski Nation
The search of the Thunder Bay Solid Waste and Recycling Facility began on Sept. 22 and ended on Nov. 21. A month after its completion, the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) issued a statement saying “no new evidence was discovered.”
“Providing closure for the family has been our priority,” said TBPS chief Darcy Fleury in a news release on Dec. 22. “Conducting this search was both necessary and appropriate, regardless of the outcome.”
The Thunder Bay landfill search comes on the heels of two prominent searches in Manitoba landfills for three First Nations women.
An $18 million-search of the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg earlier this year uncovered remains belonging to Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, both from Long Plain First Nation.
Meanwhile, a search of the Brady Road landfill in Winnipeg began on Dec. 1 for the remains of Ashlee Shingoose of St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation.
“Considering there was so much attention and focus and criticism when it came to the Winnipeg landfill search[es], it was quite obvious that no other police services would try to discourage or disagree to those kind of requests,” said Anna Betty Achneepineskum, a deputy grand chief with Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), in an interview with CBC News on Tuesday.
‘We need to do a lot more work’
The Thunder Bay landfill search was led by the TBPS alongside the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Lac Seul Police Service and the City of Thunder Bay.
It’s estimated to have cost around $700,000, a spokesperson for the TBPS told CBC News in an email, with about $600,000 for equipment rentals and $100,000 in overtime wages.
The provincial and federal governments are expected to help with the search costs.
NAN, a political territorial organization which represents 49 First Nations in Treaties 9 and 5 — including Sandy Lake — has been supporting Anishinabie’s family throughout the investigation.
“In Thunder Bay, this is probably one of the most horrific cases of homicide that we have seen, ” said Achneepineskum.
“It’s quite obvious that we have not created a safe city for a First Nation woman. This only happened one year ago, so it’s quite obvious we need to do a lot more work.”
Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than non-Indigenous women in Canada, according to the federal government.
In its news release, the TBPS acknowledged the case’s connection to “the national crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.”
“Anyone who may be affected by this development is encouraged to seek strength and guidance through family, Elders, or community-based supports,” it says.
As for Achneepineskum, she said she wants to see policy changes in line with the 231 Calls for Justice outlined in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2019.
“There’s been little commitment to implement the recommendations. It’s still not supported by the government that we rely on funding for,” Achneepineskum said.
This includes changes within police services, the court system, and media coverage of these cases, she explained.
“We need to put more investment into prevention, education, and also to support families whose loved one is missing or has been murdered,” she said.
Anishinabie’s family previously described her to CBC News as a kind and bubbly person who worked in the health-care industry and had recently graduated from the Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute. Since her death, both her mother and father have passed away, Achneepineskum said.
Anyone with information about Anishinabie’s disappearance and death is asked to contact the Thunder Bay Police Service at 807-684-1200, or submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.p3tips.com.
“There’s no sentence that can fit this crime,” Achneepineskum said. “In the end, we hope that the person that’s responsible for this very vicious crime will not be treated with any leniency.”
Support is available for anyone affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Immediate emotional assistance and crisis support is available 24/7 through a national hotline at 1-844-413-6649.
Local resources include:
- Beendigen: Crisis Line: 807-346-HELP (4357) or 1-888-200-9997.
- Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre: 807-345-5840 or 1-855-345-5840.
- NAN Hope 1-844-NAN-HOPE (626-4673).
- Ontario Native Women’s Association: 1-800-667-0816.
- Anishnawbe Mushkiki: 807-623-0383.
- Thunder Bay and Area Victim Services: 807-684-1051.
