Landfill search underway in Thunder Bay homicide investigation

Members of the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS), Ontario Provincial Police and the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, are searching for evidence at the Thunder Bay Solid Waste and Recycling Facility as part of the homicide investigation into the death of Deborah Anishinabie. In a news release Monday, TBPS said it “will include a search for partial human remains.” According to TBPS, “this effort follows previous searches of areas of the south side of the city that were conducted earlier this year.” The woman’s family and Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) issued a statement in response to the news of the landfill search. “Deborah will always be remembered for her radiant, bubbly spirit and the warmth she carried wherever she went,” the statement on NAN’s website said. “We had always hoped that Deborah would be returned to her loving family.” “Our prayers are with her family, friends, and everyone in Sandy Lake who are suffering and continue to grieve. We ask the Creator to give them strength during the difficult days ahead.” Anishinabie, 41, was last seen Dec. 5, 2024 leaving a bar in the 100 block of Simpson Street in Thunder Bay, according to police. According to a news release issued by NAN Dec. 18, Thunder Bay police had informed the family her body had been discovered in the 800 block of Finlayson Street, just a few blocks away from where she was last seen. A suspect was arrested the day prior and charged with an indignity to a human body. After continued investigation, Levi Michael Lawson, 24, was also charged in January of this year with second degree murder in Anishinabie’s death. Tags: dead, Deborah Anishinabie, homicide, indignity to human remains, investigation, Levi Michael Lawson, missing, NAN, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Ontario, second degree murder, Thunder Bay Continue Reading