Andrea Giesbrecht trial: 'Something wasn't right,' says U-Haul worker who found infant remains

The trial of a Winnipeg woman accused of keeping the bodies of six infants in a storage locker began on Monday with testimony from U-Haul facility employeesand a police officer who responded to a call about the remains.

Andrea Giesbrecht trial: 'Something wasn't right,' says U-Haul worker who found infant remains

9 years ago

Duration 2:03

The trial of a Winnipeg woman accused of keeping the bodies of six infants in a storage locker began on Monday with testimony from U-Haul facility employees and a police officer who responded to a call about the remains.

Ryan Pearson andKristinaLekeiwere the first Crown witnessesto testify at the trialofAndreaGiesbrecht, 42,who faces sixcounts of concealing bodies. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of two years.

The judge-only trial is being heard by provincial court Judge Murray Thompson at the Winnipeg courthouse.

The remains were discoveredaround middayonOct.20,2014,inside a storage lockerGiesbrechtwas renting at the time.They were in various states of decomposition, wrapped in kitchen-style garbage bags, placed in duffel bags and stored in large household containers

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Pearson, an executive assistant,told courthe was called to the company's storage locker facility onMcPhillipsStreetto conduct inventories on six lockersincluding No. 1103, which at the time was being rented byGiesbrecht.

Inventories were being done because rental payments had not been made for some time, he said.

Pearson said he and two employees who enteredGiesbrecht'slocker with himopened a five-gallonpail apparently filled to the lid with soap.

"It seemed like something was in there. Thought something wasn't right," he testified.

"There was a smell. It was strong," Pearson said. "We got some gloves.It didn't seem right. It was sticky feeling. It seemed wet and mushy, so to speak."

'It was gross,' manager says

Lekei, who was the facility's general manager, testified that a strong "rotting smell" was coming from the container.

The employeesopened all five containers insidethe locker and saw "some kind of white foam-looking stuff," she said.

"Once we opened one of the blue Tupperware containers,there wasbags inside of bags with a towel inside of it, with something insidethe towel,"Lekeitold court.

Lekeisaidthe smellprompted themto call police. Pearson testified that officers arrived about 15 minutes later.

Patrol Sgt. Cory Ford, who was the first officer to arrive, testified on Monday afternoon that the callerto police stated, "There [were] garbage bags within the locker and possible body parts inside."

Ford, who was a constable at the time, said he arrived shortly after 1 p.m. and followed Pearson intoGiesbrecht'sstorage locker.

"I could immediately smell a very strong smell. I've been to many, many death-related incidents. I could smell decay," Ford told court. "I don't want to say an acetone smell, but definitely different."

'What looked like a baby'

Ford said the locker contained "two Tupperware containers and three pails two five-gallon and one 2-gallon." There was a black garbage bag on top of one of the containers, he added.

The five-gallon pail was two-thirds full of a "brown substance," Ford told court.

Ford said several containers gave off a smell of decay, and some had bags that were partially filled with liquid.

One item appeared to be full of "white crystallized substance that looked like detergent," said Ford, who added that he smelled "some sort of decomposition."

Ford said as he lifted up the bags, he would shine his flashlight into them to see what was inside.

"I was able to see a limb of what looked like a baby and a small headwith hair on it," he testified.

Ford said he was then directed by his supervisor to watch surveillance video footagefrom the U-Haul facility dated Oct. 3, 2014, the last timeGiesbrechtcame in to deal with issues related to the storage locker.

Giesbrechtlooked away as the video was played in court. It showed her speaking with a U-Haulemployee.

Ford said he spoke with his supervisor and was shown a photograph ofGiesbrechtfrom the Winnipeg police computer system containing pictures of people who have been arrested in the past. He said he identified her as the woman depicted in thesurveillance video.

Under cross-examination,Giesbrecht'slawyer, GregBrodsky, asked Ford if the remains "weren't hidden, they weren't disposed of they were kept."

Ford said he does not know themindsetof the person renting the storage locker in question.

Rented locker under maiden name

Lekeitestified thatGiesbrechthad rented the heated second-floor unit on March 7, 2014, under her maiden name, AndreaNaworynski.

The last timeGiesbrechtaccessed the locker was on May 7, 2014, saidLekei, who testified thatGiesbrechthad defaulted on her rental payments.

LekeisaidGiesbrechtindicated that she didn't want the items inside her locker to be auctioned off, saying they belonged to her deceased father.

However,Lekeisaid there didn't appear to be anything personal inside the locker.

"Once the unit was opened, it looked strange inside. No household goods, there was nothing personal inside," she said.

Customers cannot store furs, expensive items, perishable items or animal carcasses in the U-Haul lockers,Lekeitold court.

Pearson said he has had many sleepless nights following the discovery.

Check out our liveblogbelow for updates from theCBC'sCarolineBarghout, who is covering the trial. Warning: Some details may be graphic.

• ON MOBILE? Follow the livebloghere

Giesbrecht'slawyerexpects to present evidence inGiesbrecht'sdefencelater this month.

Brodskyhassaid his case will hinge partlyon the legal issues at play between a stillbirth and a miscarriage.

Storage locker trial: Were the babies born alive?

9 years ago

Duration 0:54

A lawyer for a woman charged with concealing the remains of six infants in a storage locker says her upcoming trial is likely to hinge on whether the babies were born alive

Earlier this year,Giesbrechtpleadedguilty to unrelated fraud charges.

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