CASES IN ONTARIO
MURDERED
Carolyn Connolly
Her autopsy showed she had been beaten and repeatedly stabbed. She died from stab wounds to her heart.
Carolyn was Ojibway from Curve Lake First Nation.
Toronto Sun reports:
But they say she was a good person and she didn't deserve to die, especially not at the hands of a savage killer.
"She wasn't born a drug addict," Mary Connolly said yesterday of her sister-in-law. "She just got swept up in this lifestyle."
Rather than think of Carolyn as someone who struggled with addiction for much of her life only to end up slain in a drug-infested alley over the civic holiday weekend, Mary said she will remember her as a kind-hearted mother of two grown daughters.
ALLLURE TOO STRONG
"It's so unfortunate Carol didn't have the strength to pull herself up out of this because I know in her heart that's what she wanted," Mary said.
Carolyn was married for a while and seemed to have her life on track, Mary said. But the allure of drugs proved to be too strong and she eventually drifted back to her troubled lifestyle. After Carolyn's divorce, her daughters were raised by their father and their grandparents, Mary said. Over the years, some family members distanced themselves but they never stopped loving her.
Most recently, Carolyn had been living at Sherbourne and Dundas Sts. in an apartment overlooking the alley where her body was found Saturday morning.
"We were pretty distant, but she was still my mom and it's sad to see her go that way," Connie Repopoulos, 33, said in her Danforth-area home, looking at a picture of her slain mother holding her grandson. "We loved her and we miss her."
"There are a lot of people hurting from the way she died," Repopoulos said. Police say she died of several stab wounds to her chest.
SCREAMS IGNORED
Mary said she was shocked to learn people apparently heard Carolyn's screams that morning and "nobody could dial 911." "Oh my god!" she said, bursting into tears. "It's sad that a woman could be yelling and screaming for her life and people would ignore it." If Carolyn had heard someone screaming, she would have rushed to help without hesitation, Mary said. "She would not have sat quietly by or turned her back," she said. "She would have been there fighting for that person's life."
Mary said she and her family were also upset by some media reports that focused more on crimes committed by Carolyn 20 years ago than the fact that she is a murder victim and her killer remains on the loose. "The emphasis should be on the son of a gun who brutally murdered this woman," Mary said. "How dare you condemn the victim. It was like they were saying she deserved to die. And that's just so wrong."
Sadly, when Carolyn was first released from prison she visited me often and was so angered at the numbers of Aboriginal women who were missing or had been murdered in Canada with little media attention. Little did I realize that she would be on my website. She was by far, one of the kindest people I have ever met. She would literally give her shirt off her back to someone in need without hesitation.
Toronto Police homicide detectives are reviewing surveillance video from cameras in the area hoping to identify the person responsible for the city's 38th murder of the year.
Carolyn's murder has been aired on GTA's Most Wanted Show.
The video of her case is available at this link
Anyone with information or who saw Carolyn, who was wearing black-coloured pants, a blue tank top with a linear pattern and red flipflops, is urged to call Det. Michael Barsky at 416-808-7422, Det. Peter Code at 416-808-7393 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS. UNSOLVED
MISSING
Virginia Carol Kitty
Height (estimate) 173 cm (5'8")
Weight (estimate) Unknown
Hair Colour Brown – straight, worn short
Eye Colour Brown
Race Aboriginal/Metis/Inuit
Dental Information
Teeth – some fillings
Medical Information
Glasses – wears glasses
Notable Identifiers
Cheek – large mole on right cheek
Arm – vacination scar on arm
Build – stocky
Virginia left her home in Swastika sometime in April 2008. She kept in touch with family members for a period of time.
After several months, contact with Virginia stopped and all of her possessions were found at her residence.
Police and her family would like to verify Virginia's well-being.
Contact : Ontario Provincial Police – Kirkland Lake Detachment 705-567-5355
OR
Missing Person and Unidentified Bodies/Remains Unit
Ontario Provincial Police
1-877-9FIND ME (1-877-934-6363)
OR
Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
MURDERED
Denise Bourdeau
By late April, after her body was pulled from the Grand River, police officially labelled her death a homicide.
Denise was seen leaving left Jonathan's Family Restaurant & Bar on Weber Street North in Waterloo after ushering in the new year there. She was last seen leaving with her boyfriend, the restaurant's owner has said.
A problem for detectives is the amount of time that has passed since -- and that no one was looking for a murder suspect when Bourdeau disappeared. "For our investigators, the first 48 to 72 hours are crucial, in the sense of getting as much information as possible," Larkin said.
"In this case, that didn't happen. We had a missing person that turned into a suspicious death investigation. "
Amy Miller remembers when her daughter took her first steps. How she giggled and clapped her hands in approval.
She remembers when, on her first day of school, her daughter insisted on walking alone. Miller hid behind trees along the short walk to make sure she made it safely. And Miller remembers how, as a teenager, her daughter would secretly practise kissing on mirrors throughout the house. These are just a few of the memories that get Miller through the days now.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-653-7700 ext. 8767 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Spring Phillips
A man she was known to have allowed to stay at her place the night before, was seen on security camera, nonchalantly getting into and out of the elevator at approximately 5 AM.
Police later identified him as Levi Samuel Aggek of no fixed address. He arrived from the maritimes about 3 months ago and stayed in various shelters.
A vigil was held outside her apt. buillding on Dec.6, 2009, as part of Dec.6th Day of Rememberance and Actioln organized by the Toronto Women of Colour Coalition. An hour later Levi Aggek was arrested and charged with second degree murder.
Tashina CheyenneVaughn General
Tashina is described as an Aboriginal woman, 21 years of age, 5'7" tall, weighing 150 lbs. She wears black rimmed glasses has long brown hair and has a small T shaped scar on her left brow, and a round dark birthmark on the back of her left thigh.
Tashina was last seen in the vicinity of Chiefswood Road and 4th Line Road in the Village of Oshweken.
Norma General choked back tears as she appealed for the return of her pregnant, 21-year-old granddaughter, whose mysterious disappearance has generated an intensive police investigation on on both sides of the border.
The close-knit General family, which held a joint news conference with Six Nations police yesterday, hasn't heard a word from Tashina Cheyenne Vaughn General since she left her mother's home for work at the Village Pizza in Ohsweken on Jan. 22. A male friend dropped her off at the pizza shop around noon but she didn't show up for her afternoon shift.
On Jan. 23, her mother contacted Six Nations police to report she hadn't returned home overnight as expected. General had left for work with no money, credit cards, cellphone or identification and would have had difficulty living or travelling on her own.
But during the next three weeks, Six Nations police received a number of unconfirmed reports she had been spotted in the village of Ohsweken and they suspected she may have been staying with friends. Her disappearance also generated a lot of discussion on Facebook, where a group has been set up to find her. But police haven't yet determined whether General has personally logged on to her own Facebook profile since her disappearance.
After March 16, the investigation took on a new intensity after General's grandmother phoned Six Nations police expressing concern that she still hadn't returned home. A flyer about her disappearance was circulated throughout Ontario and at native reserves in the United States. Area police forces, the OPP and border agencies were also alerted.
This week, police searched the area around her home with tracking dogs and with an OPP helicopter equipped with infrared imaging equipment. They also scoured the banks of the Grand River with an inflatable boat and searched a wooded area near Chiefswood Road and the Bicentennial Trail. But they failed to turn up any trace of the missing woman.
Inspector Terry Martin, who is heading up the investigation, said General, who studied social work in college, has family and friends on both sides of the border and as far away as Wisconsin.
He said police contacted and interviewed the father of her child but he wasn't able to provide any useful information.
If you have any information about Tashina General, call Six Nations police at 519-445-2811 or Brant-Brantford Crime Stoppers at 519-750-8477.
Tashina's remains were located not far from where she was last seen on Six Nations Reserve, on Friday, April 25, 2008. Preliminary reports are that she was strangled. Her body was found in a shallow grave on the property of Kent Owen Hill aka Kent Squire-Hill, the father of her unborn baby, Tucker.
Kent Hill was arrested in a motel in North Bay. Tanisha and baby Tucker were laid to rest in a Longhouse Ceremony at Six Nations on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.
MURDERED
Tricia Paquette
Tricia's mother, Joyce, filed for divorce, taking her three children and began divorce proceedings.
On Wednesday, February 15, 1978, Tricia, according to certain pupils of the school that she attended, was present in the schoolyard prior to 9:00 a.m.; however, she did not attend classes that day or return home that night. Her body was found on Sunday, February 19, 1978, on the north bank of the Grand River, She had been killed by some 19 blows to the head. A hatchet belonging to her step father was recovered from the Grand River near the scene of the killing. The medical evidence indicated that the blows to the head were consistent with the injuries having been inflicted by a hatchet. There was no sign of any sexual molestation. Testimony at his trial showed that the accused favoured his two biological children over Trisha, who had been conceived during her mother's first marriage.
Wildman was convicted of murder.
MISSING
Viola Panacheese
Viola's birthdate is January 24, 1949. She is approximately 5 foot, 1 inch tall, weighs about 120 lbs., has long, straight black hair and brown eyes.
At the time of her disappearance she did not have her eyeglasses on, but is known to wear them. She was last known to be wearing a blue spring jacket, blue jeans, a plaid shirt and Chinese style slipper shoes.
On the day of her disappearance, Viola was seen walking along Lakeshore Avenue. There has been no contact with Viola since that day. If you have any information about Viola's whereabouts or know anything of her disappearance, please Contact :
Ontario Provincial Police – Sioux Lookout Detachment
(807) 737-2020 or Toll-Free 1-888-310-1122
OR
Missing Person and Unidentified Bodies/Remains Unit
Ontario Provincial Police
1-877-9FIND ME (1-877-934-6363)
OR
Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Alissa Martin-Travers
Alissa, who was described by neighbours, friends and family, was was a small girl with shoulder-length brown hair who was always outside playing.
Police received a 911 call at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, April 3, 2008 from Alissa's mother, Stephanie Martin. The call led officers to investigate the "suspicious death of a child" at the family's 539 Cumberland St. residence. Alissa lived there with her mother and baby sister, Serenity. Cornwall police are calling this one of the most horrifying crimes to plague the city in recent memory.
. Cornwall police charged Shane Haley, 20, with the first-degree murder. He was arrested at his Cornwall residence. Police said Martin had only a "remote acquaintance" with Haley.
Police would not say how little Alissa was killed, only that her body suffered "obvious signs of trauma."
MURDERED
Liz Bonney
LIZ BONNEY of Cat Lake First Nation, ON, ( 180 km NW of Sioux Lookout, ON) was murdered in their community in 1992. Her brother in law mutilated her, wrapped her body in plastic and put it under the house where she lived.
He then participated in the search party for her.
Convicted man ( name not yet known ) was sentenced to life in prison.
MURDERED
Jane Doe
She is approximately 5'3-5'5" tall, and was wearing long johns, red leg warmers, and red knee length socks.
There was no further identifying information available for this Jane Doe.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Ontario Provincial Police - Lambton County Detachment at 519-882-1011
OR
Missing Person and Unidentified Bodies/Remains Unit
Ontario Provincial Police
1-877-9FIND ME (1-877-934-6363)
OR
Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Helen Gillings
At approximately 5:00 pm Friday February 17, 1995 her body was found in an alley at the rear of 483 King Street East in Hamilton. This alleyway is in the area of King and Emerald Street. She was last seen alive entering this alley with a male at approximately 1:00 am Thursday February 16, 1995.
The Hamilton Police Services Board is now offering a reward of ten thousand ($10,000) dollars, to be paid in Canadian funds, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this murder. Claims will be recognized only when made in writing and final disbursement of funds will be determined by the Chief of Police.
UNSOLVED
MISSING
Lee-Ann Chyoweth-Pawis
LEE-ANN CHYOWETH-PAWIS, aged 17 was last seen on June 19, 2005 while going to visit a friend in Midland. She never returned home. Lee-Ann is 5’ 6” (approx), has black dyed shoulder length hair, has hazel/green eyes, weighs 130 lbs. At the time of her disappearance, Lee-Ann was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Her right eyebrow is pierced and has a cherry mark on her right cheek.
Anyone with information is asked to contact: Midland Town Police Duty Sgt. or Constable Vince McCullough 1-705-526-2201
Source: Midland Police
MURDERED
Debbie Sloss-Clarke
Toronto Police basically did nothing about her death - part of the first paragraph of the police report reads:"The victim was a native Indian and is believed to have been born in Northern Ontario . . . what is known however is that the victim was an alcoholic and crack addict."
Debbie’s murder was never investigated beyond that point.
The police report is three pages long and defines Debbie's case as sudden death (natural causes) and gives alcohol/drug consumption as the cause. The report also lists July 31, 1997, two days after her body was found, as the day the police information was entered into the system and as the day the police last updated their investigation.
Debbie’s autopsy did not find a cause of death. A toxicology report dated Sept. 8, 1997 showed no drugs were detected in her system and the small amount of alcohol in her blood was likely a product of the advanced decomposition of her body. Yet, the police report was not opened again.
Mary Lou Smoke speaks of her childhood with her sister Debbie, who many believed was her twin, in glowing terms. It was a happy time in a life that turned tragic with violent men, alcohol and addiction, splintered family relationships. A deep sorrow etches Smoke's face when she talks about her sister's death.
Ms. Smoke never got that dreaded call from Toronto police. Despite Sloss's body being found in the room she rented under her own name and her health card and a government cheque made out to her being in that room, police never contacted Smoke or other family when Sloss's body was found. It was more than a week later that word of her death spread through the community of street people who knew her and eventually reached her family.
Ms.Smoke remembers getting the call from another sister. "I was cooking dinner for some people . . . it wouldn't sink in. At first, I just kept cooking. I couldn't believe it. How could my sister be dead? I believe she was probably killed by someone for as little as $25," she said. "That's what survival is like down there. That could have been the difference of life and death for someone."
A family healing circle, was held at the Hamilton Native Women's Shelter on March 13, 2004. Tobacco was offered to all family members and also to Dan and Mary Lou Smoke, who were the Elders at this gathering.
The circle started off with a couple of traditional songs and a smudging. This helped ease the worries that the family was facing and it allowed them to speak freely about Debbie's death. When discussions began by Laura, Debbie's daughter, it became immediately apparent that this discussion was going to be very healing for the family. As soon as it began, everyone started sharing information about her passing. Each o the family members were given the opportunity to describe when they had heard about Debbie's passing.
Laura said that she knew that something had happened to her Mom when she called and there was no answer. Previously, Debbie would call Laura back after the initial call. This time there was no answer and no one would say anything to her.
Debbie’s brother and daughter shared how she told them in the last year of her life that she wanted to quit using alcohol and drugs and regain her family. Her brother told her that she was not an outcast of the family. Laura said that Debbie was going back to her ex-husband. His only condition was that Debbie had to quit drinking. Debbie had been sober for 4 months prior to her death.
Dan and Mary Lou attended a number of meetings or Elders Gatherings in Toronto and this allowed them to see Debbie a fair bit.
Mary Lou recalls one incident that continues to bring laughter to her heart. Mary Lou and Dan were bringing Debbie to an Elders Gathering, and they gently reminded her that it was our custom for women to wear a skirt at these gatherings . Debbie arrived in a mini skirt and kept tugging at it all evening, attempting to make the skirt look longer. She laughed and told Debbie that she wasn't told to wear a Long Skirt!
Mary Lou said that Debbie wanted help with her addictions. She was getting counselling from the Elizabeth Fry Society. Mary Lou was proud that she was getting help because she said that it is hardest to admit that there is a problem and to seek help. Right up until her death, Debbie was starting to learn more about her traditions. Dan remembers that her spirit would pick up every time that she saw Dan and Mary Lou. Debbie knew she would be attending Elders Gatherings with them where she would be able to learn their teachings of wisdom. These teachings made Debbie feel good and made her realize that she did not need alcohol.
However, Debbie's addictions and the company that she kept played havoc in her life. Unfortunately for Debbie, there were no programs at the Friendship Centre to help her on her healing journey. Instead, the Council Fire had just opened their doors to street people when Debbie died. A lot of these street people were present at the feast in honour of Debbie. None of them knew anything about Debbie’s death but it was good for them to join Debbie's family and remember her.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Toronto Police Department.
Source: Sloss-Smoke family
London Now.ca
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Sylvia Gaudet
Ms. Gaudet lived alone at this location for many years. Many people frequented her apartment.
Police are asking for the public's assistance in identifying people who visited her apartment the evening prior to her death, or any other information that may help reveal the identify of her killer.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Jorge Lasso of the Investigative Services Division, Major Crimes Unit at 905-546-2458 or Hamilton Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS).
Case #05-102686.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Jane Louise Sutherland
JANE LOUISE SUTHERLAND Oct. 23, 1984. Jane, a Cree teenager, left her Northern Ontario reserve for Ottawa in the spring of 1982. Two and a half years later, her fully clothed body was found just after noon in Hull's Jacques Cartier Park, across the Ottawa River from Lowertown. She'd been dead two or three days. She'd been strangled and her skull crushed with repeated blows from a blunt instrument. A friend of Jane's told police the two had had a few beers that night at the Venezia Restaurant on Dalhousie Street. From there she left to walk to Hull. A drug addict, Ms. Sutherland supported her habit through prostitution.
UNSOLVED
MISSING
Margaret Guylee
Her daughter, Carrie was only four when her mother disappeared saysshe still carries the pain caused by her mother's still unexplained disappearance. Margaret's case remains unsolved.
MURDERED
Susan Asslin
Any person having information regarding the person(s) responsible for the death of Susan ASSIN should immediately contact their nearest police agency or any Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.
This reward will be apportioned as deemed just by the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services for the Province of Ontario and the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
This reward expires June 30 th, 2006.
UNSOLVED.
MURDERED
Sonya Cywink
Sonya had disappeared five days earlier.
Her murderer has not been found.
Sonya had gone in the direction of the dark road that tangled her deeply in an unhealthy lifestyle, one that many travel and from which few return. Just before her death she had told her sister, Meg, "You see, I wasn't a bad person, I was a sick one."
Within that sickness came her demise. It is a sickness that many struggle with to find their way back to a spiritual, healthy balance. It is with an understanding heart and an open hand that many do find their way back, but many don't.
"Sonya was a flower that never got to bloom" , says sister Meg.
"But in her death she blossomed and her petals touched the hearts of many, bringing them together in a ceremony of healing.
On Saturday, August 29, 1998, Meg and her family, friends, and communities, gathered to unite at a Gathering to Honour Our Ancestors. The Releasing of the Spirit Ceremony was be held at Southwold Earthworks with many Spiritual Teachers and Elders .
Floyd Hand, a Lakota Spiritual Teacher and Elder from South Dakota, helped in compiling a "natural profile" of the murderer. In his profile, Floyd describes the murderer as a 28-30 year-old, well-dressed and clean-cut Caucasian male driving a medium blue and/or two-tone Dodge pickup. This person worked in a small to medium-sized manufacturing company in the administration section of the area west of Iona, Ontario. Following the murder, he resigned his position and moved to the west coast, possibly to the Alberta area. Floyd recently stated that the man is back in the London area and living with relatives as of June 1998. It is thought that Sonya knew her assailant.
A $35,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Sonya's death. This reward expires in Dec, 2003.
The Ontario Provincial Police would urge that anyone with information regarding the person(s) responsible for the murder of Sonya CYWINK, immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122, the Elgin County Detachment at (519) 631-2920, your nearest Police Agency or Crimestoppers.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Elena Assam-Thunderbird
She had a lot of friends and they all agreed with what her best friend said: "She made friends with everybody. She never met anyone who would want to harm her ... until now, I guess."
It was a young man she met over drinks with friends late Friday night, a man she would blindly trust to accompany her alone down a dark road to the bus stop, who is today behind bars and accused of viciously beating her over the head before throwing her into a swift creek to die.
The city's third homicide of the year was carried out with reckless abandon under the cover of darkness and woods near the Lebreton Flats early Saturday, police say.
Police said the killer used a blunt object, possibly a large rock, to repeatedly pummel the victim's head, as tourists slept a short distance away in tents at the LeBreton Flats campground. Police believe the assailant dumped her lifeless body into the water and fled, leaving behind a terrible scene on the creek's rocky shore.
Two kayakers called police later that morning when they saw all the blood. At the edge of the creek, which kayakers and canoeists use to launch into the Ottawa River, police found Elena's identification left amid the pools of blood. Officers found her clothing and backpack, covered in blood and littered around the same spot, a stone's throw from the Fleet Street pumping station in the shadow of Parliament Hill.
Nine hours later, a short distance downstream, police would find the girl's naked body, stuck in an underwater drainage tunnel near the mouth of the Ottawa River. The Ottawa police major crime and sex assault units joined to solve what a lead detective had earlier called "a mystery."
While the injuries to her head were severe and potentially lethal, an autopsy yesterday determined the teenager died as a result of drowning. Major crime Staff Sgt. Gerry Sabourin said there was no evidence of sexual assault, "as of yet."
Police questioned the suspect, a 26-year-old west-end resident arrested around 5:40 p.m. yesterday, into the early hours of this morning. Charges were pending late last night.
Mahtoonah Arngna'naaq, 16 and the closest of Elena's many friends, spent Saturday night at Elgin Street headquarters, fighting tears to answer detectives' questions in a videotaped interview. Her answers led police to a man the girls met in Chinatown on Friday night.
Mahtoonah and Elena spent the day as they always did, hanging out with their crowd of friends in front of McDonald's restaurant on Rideau Street. They laughed and talked and absorbed the usual glares from passersby. Night would bring them into the Somerset Street West neighbourhood and the company of a friend known as Dakota.
Mahtoonah said Dakota introduced a new face, a young man who said he lived in the Bayshore Drive area. After acquiring a sufficient amount of alcohol, the group moved to a common hangout at the intersection of Primrose and Lorne avenues. The two boys and two girls coupled up on two park benches on a patch of grass outside the Paroisse St-Jean Baptiste, an immense stone church that overlooks the Lebreton Flats to the north. They drank and talked and laughed, though Mahtoonah said she found the strange man odd.
"I got a bad feeling with him," she said before he was arrested yesterday.
When the drinks were done, "it was really late," around 2 a.m., and the group decided to call it a night, Mahtoonah said.
She said the stranger offered to walk Elena to the bus stop, where she planned to get a bus to her Vanier apartment. Mahtoonah said she accompanied Dakota to his home in the townhouse projects at Booth Street and Primrose Avenue, where she spent the night. Before they parted, Elena asked her friend to call her on Saturday afternoon.
Mahtoonah did but got no answer. The police knocked at Mahtoona's door within two hours of finding the body.
"They started asking me all these questions and I knew something was wrong," she said.
"Your friend Elena has been found," the officers told her.
"What do you mean, found?"
"She is dead."
As police officers pored over fields, yards, trees, cars, sewers and garbage cans in search of evidence yesterday afternoon, Elena's "family", more than a dozen of them, comforted each other at their "home" on the dirty sidewalk outside Rideau Street McDonald's.
Elena was born and raised in Ottawa. She lived through "some really hard times" to become a "beautiful soul", her friends said.
She moved into a small Vanier apartment on New Year's Day with her cat and hamster, Poochie. Every Wednesday, she visited her mom, but otherwise took care of herself.
"She was an independent woman," Mahtoonah said. "She was strong."
Her friends said she never used drugs, "never even smoked pot", no matter what the crowd did. She took correspondence courses run by the city's Youth Services Bureau on Besserer Street, and looked forward to a happy life.
Her friends said the streets had always been kind to her.
"She just loved to chill," Mahtoonah said. "I love her. I can't stop crying."
SOURCE: Aaron Sands , The Ottawa Citizen , Monday, June 03, 2002
(Ottawa Sun) Barry Thurston James is the kind of guy who haunts the imagination of any parent with a young daughter. He's the reason for curfews and long lectures on personal safety. James is a sexual predator who, within hours of meeting his female prey, lures them to a dark and secluded location and then pounces.
That's exactly what he did nine years ago to a 21-year-old virgin. She fearfully surrendered to his aggression and was raped.
But at least she lived to tell about it. And that's just what she did last week while testifying at James' first-degree murder trial in the violent death of 17-year-old Elena Assam, who was also a virgin.
Unlike the first victim, Assam slugged it out with James. She lost not only the battle, but also her life during the early morning hours of June 1, 2002.
James hammered the girl on the head nine times with a rock before casting her unconscious body into a Lebreton Flats stream to drown.
What followed was a massive Ottawa police investigation, led by Sgt. Julie Vaillant and Sgt. Dave Shea, that left no stone unturned. What easily could have become a case of whodunit instead led detectives to James' front door one day after the murder.
There was never any doubt that police had the right guy. His blood was at the crime scene and her blood was on his clothes, it was later proven.
As well, the last time Assam was seen alive, she was alone with James.
But James never took the witness stand to tell his side of the story and the jury never heard his confession to police, which was ruled inadmissible by Justice Lynn Ratushny.
'I MURDERED HER'
"I murdered her and I put her body in the water, which I didn't want to do, but I did. Why? Anger. Rage. A lot of it," said James in his taped statement to Vaillant on June 3, 2002.
"To take someone's life like that, you have to have a lot of anger and a lot of rage in you," he said.
On the night she died, Assam and her pal Mahtoonah Arngna'naaq, 16, had been hanging out in Centretown when they met two strangers near the corner of Somerset St. W. and Lorne Ave.
The girls came to know the men as "Dakota" and "T," while the men only knew them as "the shorter one" and "the taller one."
The foursome walked to a lookout area, where they chatted and drank beer before Arngna'naaq headed home with Dakota, whom she had confused in her drunken stupor with an ex-boyfriend.
Assam and Barry "T" James walked to the Lebreton Flats OC Transpo station to catch a ride back to their respective homes, but the bus service had ended for the night.
A Lebreton Flats camper saw the couple walk past him, engaged in normal conversation. Minutes later, between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m., the man heard the girl scream: "Get off me" or "Get away from me."
It's believed James made a sexual advance toward Assam that was flatly rejected. What happened next was an escalation of violence toward Assam that ended in her tragic death. Assam, who was experienced in martial arts and larger in size than James, refused to let her attacker have his way with her.
James later tried to justify the murder by claiming Assam begged him to take her life.
"She kept on saying, 'Please do it. Take my life. Do it. Take my life. And make sure you're man enough to dump me in the water when you do it,' " James told police.
The attack happened at the bottom of a steep embankment west of Parliament Hill. There, on the stone platform next to a popular kayak route, Assam fought for her life.
BODY RECOVERED
James told police he hit Assam on the head with a rock from behind while she was sitting on a wooden bench, causing her to scream.
Assam bit and scratched back before falling to the ground, said James, who eventually grabbed Assam's feet, dragged her to the water and then rolled her in.
Her body was recovered downstream by police later that day. James could not explain why Assam was naked from the waist down except for a sock, or why her underwear was present at the crime scene.
It's believed he removed her underwear and pants or forced her to do so, just as he had done with his previous victim.
After James washed the blood off his face, he returned to his Bayshore townhome where he tossed his bloodstained clothing into a neighbourhood recycling bin and hung his jacket, bloodstained at the sleeves, on a dining room chair.
Then he went to bed.
James, who was arrested at home while playing Monopoly, later expressed regret over what he'd done.
"I would rewind time if I was God," he told police.
But Assam's life was over. And while it hadn't always been an easy life, she had made the most of it.
Assam had her own apartment in Vanier, did volunteer work and took courses through correspondence. She had managed to stay away from drugs and certainly from sex.
MOM REMEMBERED
She was also thoughtful enough to remember her mom's birthday. The greeting card was later found in her bag at the crime scene.
Also recovered were computer disks containing job applications for the Detroit Free Press, Ottawa X-press and the World Wildlife Fund.
Assam had dreams, as all young women do, but she died an ugly and horrible death before getting a chance to chase any of them.
Barry Thurston James, known as "T" on the streets, James had previously served three years in jail following a 1997 conviction for a violent sexual assault in Hull.
Following a two-week trial and roughly 10 hours of deliberation, a six-woman, six-man jury convicted Barry Thurston James, 28, of murdering Elena Assam, 17, on June 1, 2002, during a sex attack.
The verdict brought joy to Ms. Assam's mother, Annie Thunderbird, who cried out, "Yes -- thank you very much," when the foreman announced the decision.
After the verdict, Judge Ratushny sentenced Mr. James to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, which is automatic when somebody is convicted of first-degree murder in Canada.
But before she did, she gave Ms. Thunderbird and Mr. James a chance to speak.
"Since the tragic loss of my daughter, my life is not the same, and it will never be," Ms. Thunderbird said. "She was my life." She said Ms. Assam was her daughter and her friend, and that she misses her every day.
"I just hate that she is gone. My life is life hell," Ms. Thunderbird said.
After Ms. Assam's mother finished, the judge gave Mr. James a chance to speak. After a brief pause, he turned and faced his victim's mother.
"Mrs. Thunderbird, I've thought about the right words to say, and the right feelings to say it with, and there's nothing that I can do or say. There's no amount of time that the judge can give me that would bring your daughter back," he said, marking the first time he'd spoken during the trial.
"And for this, I'm truly, truly regretful and sorry for what I did to your life."
"You wrecked my life," Ms. Thunderbird replied to him.
"I hold myself responsible for my actions, and I'm ready to face what comes with them. Thank you," concluded Mr. James.
Barring a successful appeal, Mr. James will be eligible for parole in 23 years and 349 days. By then, he will be 52.
MURDERED
Bernadette Leclair
The person responsible for Bernadette's vicious murder, was described as a 'gentle caring family man who led a seemingly ordinary and upstanding life, working hard, raising a son, and impressing his family and friends', who coached a little league baseball team
In 1990, his fingerprints taken during a drunk driving offense were put into the computer and they came up a match on DNA found on a cigarette butt found at the location the girls bodies were found.
He admitted to these horrific crimes saying he suffocated both girls by tying plastic bags over their heads after raping them. but claims to have no memory of these deeds.
Larry Runholm was sentenced on Feb. 19, 2003, to life in prison without chance of parole for 20 years.
“The fact there were two similar murders of innocent teenage girls almost three months apart is unusual and extremely serious circumstances,” Justice Stanley Kurisko said in delivering his eight-page ruling.
“There is no explanation that mitigates the killings.” Runholm avoided a jury trial by pleading guilty in January to second-degree murder in the 1987 deaths of teenagers Donna Tebbenham and Bernadette LeClair.
Defence lawyer Dan Brodsky said his client will consider an appeal of Kurisko’s decision, and if that doesn’t pan out, Runholm will apply for a judicial review to cut the parole period to 15 years.
Because parole eligibility starts counting from the time of arrest, it’s possible Runholm could get parole consideration as early as 2015
MURDERED
Deanna Daw
DEANNA DAW, of Fort Frances, shot to death on October 29, 2000, by her common law husband, Michael Tetu, in the presence of their four year old daughter, Kristina.
Tetu plead guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in jail .He will be eligible for parole in five years.
Besides being sentenced to the 10 years for manslaughter, Tetu faces an additional five years in jail—to be served consecutively—for assault with a weapon.
He also was sentenced to 15 years—to be served concurrently—for an additional charge of assault with a weapon and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.
The latter charges stemmed from Tetu’s role in a hostage-taking incident at the Fort Frances Jail last June 28-29.
Three victim impact statements were submitted to Justice Platana, but these were not read aloud in court.
A fingerprint and a discarded cigarette butt led to a guilty plea to the murder of two teenage girls more than 15 years ago.
The person responsible for Bernadette's vicious murder, was described as a 'gentle caring family man who led a seemingly ordinary and upstanding life, working hard, raising a son, and impressing his family and friends', who coached a little league baseball team
In 1990, his fingerprints taken during a drunk driving offense were put into the computer and they came up a match on DNA found on a cigarette butt found at the location the girls bodies were found.
He admitted to these horrific crimes saying he suffocated both girls by tying plastic bags over their heads after raping them. but claims to have no memory of these deeds.
Larry Runholm was sentenced on Feb. 19, 2003, to life in prison without chance of parole for 20 years.
“The fact there were two similar murders of innocent teenage girls almost three months apart is unusual and extremely serious circumstances,” Justice Stanley Kurisko said in delivering his eight-page ruling.
“There is no explanation that mitigates the killings.” Runholm avoided a jury trial by pleading guilty in January to second-degree murder in the 1987 deaths of teenagers Donna Tebbenham and Bernadette LeClair.
Defence lawyer Dan Brodsky said his client will consider an appeal of Kurisko’s decision, and if that doesn’t pan out, Runholm will apply for a judicial review to cut the parole period to 15 years.
Because parole eligibility starts counting from the time of arrest, it’s possible Runholm could get parole consideration as early as 2015
MURDERED
Samantha Johnings
SAMANTHA JOHNINGS, aged 19 months of Hamilton Ontario, was sexually assaulted and murdered by a friend of her mother's. This murder took place on December 13, 1992.
Samantha's own mother, Norma, was sexually abused as a child, and grew up to have two children at a young age. Samantha was the eldest with a newborn brother Anthony at home.
There was evidence of previous phy>
MURDERED
Minnie Sutherland
The two block strip of scummy bars and shabby restaurants in Hull used to be one of Canada's toughest places. It was Ottawa's dirty little back room, drawing the city's riff-raff, university students and slumming tourists.
The lure of the place was simple: bars in Hull stayed open until 3:00 AM two hours after last call in Ontario. People arrived drunk, spent two hours hammering back drinks, and staggered out to the streets to find their way back across the river. Stabbings, robberies, fights and rapes were fairly common.
The strip was Hull's shame, but it also was the backbone of what passed for tourism in the city. Thousands of Canadian high school students had their first drinks in the bars of Hull during class trips to Ottawa. For many of them, it was all they ever saw of Quebec.
New Year's Eve was the busiest night of the year. All of the 20-odd bars along the two-block strip were packed. In 1988, a tiny woman, old beyond her 40 years and nearly blind, was amongst the partiers. After last call, Minnie Sutherland jay-walked onto Promenade du Portage and was hit by a car.
Around her was a mob of people looking for cars and buses. The street was crowded with cars and people walking, the snowbanks were abnormally high and there were virtually no police around to keep order.
When Sutherland fell into the slush, two police officers picked her up and dumped her in a snowbank. When the driver of the car and passers-by tried to help, the police told them to stop blocking traffic.
Sutherland eventually ended up in an Ottawa hospital, brought in by an Ottawa police officer. Her friends had abandoned her. For three days, none of the medical staff knew she had suffered a severe brain injury. Sutherland's brain damage masked itself with the symptoms of drunkeness- disorientation, vomiting, inability to speak coherently. Of all the places to have this kind of injury, none could have been worse than that seedy street at last call on New Year's Eve.
Two weeks after she was admitted to hospital, she died.
Ottawa Police were not held responsible for her death, despite the fact that when they called in the "accident" they referred to Minnie as a "Squaw" involved. Her body was tossed to the side and all but ignored, assuming she was ‘just another drunken indian.’
Had Minnie been non native chances are that she would have been transported to hospital immediately and her brain injury been diagnosed in time to save her life.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Sandra Kaye Johnson
SANDRA KAYE JOHNSON, aged 18. On the morning of February 13th, 1992 a male walking his dog near the Neebing/McIntyre floodway near 110th Avenue in Thunder Bay discovered Sandra Johnson’s body. Police have been able to establish Johnson’s whereabouts until about 1:30 the morning of February 13th. After that, however, whom she was with and where she went is still a mystery.
Police know that Johnson was at a south side bar until around midnight. After stopping off at her sister’s residence Johnson was seen walking near the 7-11 store at the corner of Dease and May Streets around 1:30 in the morning. Sometime after that Johnson died.
Police have been working with forensics evidence in the Sandra Johnson case. They have also turned to Crime Stoppers to help in their ongoing investigation. Someone out there knows something and detectives are hoping that person will finally come forward and help end the pain and suffering the Johnson family has endured over the last decade.
Please contact Detective Constable Mike Walsh at 684-1362 with any information you may have. You can also contact Thunder Bay District Crime Stoppers at 623-8477 or 1-800-222-8477.
MURDERED
Stacey Diabo
Ms. Deslile will probably be acquitted due to the nature of the crime.
MURDERED
Diane Dobson
Windsor police have refused to provide us with a picture or further details of this case to add to our site.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Deborah Toulouse
Deborah and Lawrence Toulouse were the parents of Lorraine, Olivia, Vanessa and Lawrence Jr., and grandparents to Austin Lawrence Nicholas Waboose. Ms. Toulouse was daughter of Ursala Kanasawe and the late Levi Kanasawe, and granddaughter to Ben and Agnes Kanasawe. She was sister to Joseph, Robert, Donna, Eleanor, Bernice and Lillian.
Their deaths are being treated by the police as a murder suicide at this time. Officers from the Wikwemikong First Nations Tribal Police and OPP North East Region Crime Unit, under the direction of A/Det. Inspector Steve Rooke, OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, are continuing their investigation into their deaths
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Jane Jack
On that evening Jane, her common law partner of ten years, and a friend acquired a case of beer and mickey of rye which they drank from 7 - midnight. The accused then aquired another case of beer and another mickey and returned to his residence where they continued drinking.
For some reason untold to the court, around 4 or 5 am, struck him on the back of the head from behind with a bottle of beer. He then pushed her into the bedroom, and with no recollection of the events, obtained a Rapella knife and inflicted some "twenty-two abrasions, punctures, some of which were very deep resulting in her death.". The Court was satisfied that "there was sufficient provocation on her part to reduce the charge from second degree murder to manslaughter as the Crown has conceded that to be so."
In sentencing the Judge stated:
"It was excessive force, far more severe than was required to deter his common law wife from any further assaults, and on the basis of the evidence I have no difficulty in finding that the Crown has established the guilt of the accused of the offence of manslaughter beyond any reasonable, conceivable doubt. I so find and there will be a finding of guilty of the offence of manslaughter.
I have reviewed all of the letters of character reference. Mr. Strong, you are highly regarded by a great number of people who have supported you by writing to your lawyer, to the Crown attorney, and I have read those letters. I have read your summary of your background and your life. You have indicated, as shown on the screen, that you are very sorry for the injuries which caused your common law wife's death and felt disgusted with yourself as you have told the officer.
You were provoked without any question, and I have so found, by what Jane Jack did to you by coming up from behind and smashing a beer bottle over your head. That would provoke anyone and I understand your cause for concern. That did not however, entitle you to get a Rapella knife and stab her as you did which I know that you realize today.
Since that event on April 28th, I take into consideration the fact that you have spent two months in custody, that you have taken a ten day rehabilitation programme for alcohol abuse, have attended on three separate occasions with Migisi Alcohol Treatment Centre which was to some extent a custodial term, albeit voluntary, because you volunteered for two additional sessions. I understand further that you are not the same person as we have heard as of April 1995, that you have turned your life around, you have met a new companion who is now living with you. You have completed a course of treatment to overcome the alcohol problem that you had, not only to deter yourself from excessive use of alcohol, but to avoid association with those who do. This too is in your favour.
You have worked with Wilson's Camp for a period of ten years. They think so highly of you that once you are released from custody - and I must say that I have no alternative but to impose a term of custody - but following your release they are quite prepared and happy to have you back working with them again. Violence is not in your character from what I have been told and read and I hope and sincerely trust it never will be again.
The section under which you have been found guilty, Mr. Strong, provides that this court - and this is how serious the law considers this offence - that you could be sentenced to prison for life. The Crown has indicated that a sentence of thirty months is indicated.
Mr. Brodsky on your behalf asks in view of your change in character and in view of the time you have spent in custody and the treatment, that the court consider a lenient sentence. Having regard to the fact that the maximum sentence is life imprisonment, in my view thirty months is in the lenient time-frame and I must commend you Mr. Strong, another factor which I am impressed by, is your loyalty to your friends despite the insistent and persistent requests of the interviewing officer, you refused to provide any information with regard to where you got the second case of beer. Your loyalty is to be commended. You did not want to get anyone else in trouble. I do not know, quite frankly, why the officer persisted in that line of questioning.
In any event, Mr. Strong, you might now stand. The sentence of this court is that you will serve thirty (30) months in custody. I am not in a position to provide that there will be any probation period because that only applies for sentences under two years. However, you have made your way back and I am satisfied that upon your release you will continue to avoid alcohol and not associate with those who do.
I commend you for the programme which you have embarked upon and your success in completing it. I wish you all future success in your life, Mr. Strong. Keep your nose clean in the place you are going and you should be eligible for parole fairly shortly. That is the sentence of the court. You may be seated."
MURDERED
Maxine Susanne Peters
Family and friends are stunned by her death.
"I think the majority of people are still in shock," said Joyce Johnson, who co-owns the Chematogen Trailer Park and Campground, a family business on Walpole Island. Maxine was a clerk at the campground's variety store for the last seven years.
"She knew a lot of the campers and a lot of the locals who would come in and go to the store. She was very outgoing, a very caring person," Johnson said.
Maxine was "extremely well-liked," Johnson said, her voice cracking. The hard-working woman was primary caregiver for her two children, she added. The children were not with their mother at the time of the shooting.
. Johnson, who heard about the shooting early Sunday, said Peters knew the man charged in her death, whom she believed was the boyfriend of Maxine’s sister.
Walpole Island police are investigating along with the OPP. OPP Det. Insp. Mark Wright is heading up the probe.
Darrel Blackbird, 48, has been charged in her death.
MISSING
Pamela Holopainen
PAMELA HOLOPAINEN, aged 22 of Schumacher, Ontario was last seen leaving a house party on the night of Monday, Dec. 15, 2003.
There has been no contact between her and her two children, aged one and two years, since the time of her disappearance, nor her family members. It is unusual for her not to be in touch with her family and investigators are concerned about her well being.
The investigation is being conducted by members of the South Porcupine OPP detachment, OPP North East Region, and Timmins Police Service, under the direction of OPP Detective Inspector Dave Truax, Criminal Investigation Branch.
There is a $50,000.00 reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the disappearance of Pamela.
Anyone with information is asked to call the OPP at 705-235-3345.
MISSING
"Vickie"
Vickie and her sister Tara were placed for adoption on a reserve 10 years ago (1994). Both ran away five years ago and have not been seen since.
Their birth father and sisters desperately want to know if they are ok.
Their birth father (Cheyenne-Apache) is Ernest Thornley, from Codrington ON. His number is 613-475-9582, or if you would prefer to contact me, I will contact him for you either to tell him you are ok but do not wish to be found, if this is what you prefer.
MISSING
"Tara"
Tara and her sister Vickie were placed for adoption on a reserve 10 years ago (1994). Both ran away five years ago and have not been seen since.
Their birth father and sisters desperately want to know if they are ok.
Their birth father (Cheyenne-Apache) is Ernest Thornley, from Codrington ON. His number is 613-475-9582, or if you would prefer to contact me, I will contact him for you either to tell him you are ok but do not wish to be found, if this is what you prefer.
MURDERED
Mary Ann Davis
Police responded to a call for service at the home at that time. Upon arriving at the residence the female occupant was found deceased. The murder took place at 304 Sagon Road, Zhiibaahaasing First Nation.
A post mortem examination was conducted in Sudbury on Monday November 28th, 2005 as a result of this examination the cause of death was from a gun shot wound.
As a result of this incident the common law spouse of Mary Ann Davis has been arrested and held in custody. Charged with one count of First Degree Murder is Brent Jeremy KELLS age 21 of 304 Sagon Road, Zhibaahaasing First Nation.
Mr. Kells appeared in Gore Bay Ontario Court of Justice on Monday the 28th November 2005 and was remanded into custody until Monday the 05th December 2005 for his next court appearance.
News of the death travelled quickly across the Island, and many people were shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of this young woman. A number of teachers who had Ms. Davis as a student while she was at Manitoulin Secondary described her as "sweet," and possessing "a good nature."
Elizabeth Forestell, executive director of Manitoulin Family Resources, which operates the Haven House shelter for abused women, pointed to the tragic irony of Davis' death occurring during Women Abuse Prevention Month, and with the December 6 vigil to remember victims of the Montreal Massacre.
She noted that "there have been 26 or 27 women who have either been killed or have committed suicide in Ontario since January," and expressed dismay that "an apparent homicide has been reported," and "the alleged assailant was supposed to be in court for assaulting his partner."
Ms. Forestell believes that it is time "to call the community together to look at causes of woman abuse and look to the neighbours to try and change the social situation that lets these things happen."
Members of the Northeast Region Forensic Identification Unit are assisting with the investigation .
The investigating officer is Senior Constable Brian Ziegler of the U.C.C.M. Anishnaabe Police Service and is being conducted under the direction of Detective Inspector Larry Reesor, Criminal Investigation Branch, OPP General Headquarters, Orillia. Anyone with information regarding this homicide is asked to contact the above named officer.
MURDERED
Helen Louise Jacobs
HELEN LOUISE JACOBS, aged 73, of11 Holt Place, Elliot Lake, ON, died in a housefire which was deliberately set on July 19, 2005.
When the Fire Dept arrived they found that the raised duplex at this location sustained major structural damage and the contents were destroyed in the fire.
Further investigation resulted in the discovery of two bodies in the house. Deceased are Douglas Jacobs (79) and Helen Louise Jacobs (73) both of Elliot Lake.
Officers from the East Algoma O.P.P. have arrested and charged a 13-year-old male from Elliot Lake with two counts of Second Degree Murder.
The young person cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The investigation is continuing by officers from East Algoma under the direction of Detective Inspector Paul Beesley, of the Criminal Investigation Branch.
MURDERED
Jane Doe
These remains were at the top of a hill in a remote bush area between Regional Road 24 and Highway 144.
The skeletal remains were sent for expert examination. Results of the examination revealed the remains were of a female, 30 to 50 years of age, with a predominantly Caucasoid genetic ancestry. The remains indicate a mixed ancestry that may include North American Aboriginal.
She suffered from a broken wrist that had since completely healed, had dental problems including periodontal disease, and there are arthritic changes to her spinal column. The robust nature of the bones indicates that she may have been an individual who habitually engaged in more strenuous activities.
If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Greater Sudbury Police (705) 675-9171 or Crime Stoppers (705) 675-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Audrey Brown
Police called it an "accident", according to her aunt who spoke of her at the Sept. 2007 Full Moon Memory Walk in Thunder Bay, ON.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Rena Fox
Her frozen and beaten body was found on the side of the highway outside of Thunder Bay, ON., on February 28, 2003.
Rena worked at the Office of the Register General since it opened in 1991.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Petrina Whitecrow
No further information is available.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Unknown girl
According to Det. Sgt. David Nakogee of Nishnawbe Aski Poice Service, alcohol "was a factor” at the time of the incident.
The victim was transported by air ambulance to Weeneebayko Hospital in Moose Factory. A doctor met the young girl at the airport, but Nakogee said she passed away before arriving at the hospital.
Police are unable to release any further information about the incident, as the investigation is still ongoing. The names of the accused and the victim cannot be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
.Additional charges have been laid against the Fort Albany youth charged in connection with a stabbing death. After further investigation, the accused 15-year-old female is now facing a charge of first-degree murder, an increase from the original charge of second-degree murder.
Additional charges of assault with a weapon - relating to 3 separate victims, all youth - and weapons dangerous have also been laid.
MURDERED
Mercedes Stevens
MERCEDES STEVENS, aged 9 of Kashechewan First Nation, ON, was hit and killed by a drunk driver on the reserve. The reserve is a dry reserve.
It started as just another night for George Friday. On Sept. 8, 2006, Friday was watching TV shortly after 8 p.m. when his niece entered his home in Kashechewan.
“She said a truck hit two kids,” recalls Friday. Friday went outside and saw two girls lying on the road. A red Explorer utility truck sat a little ways down the street.
Of the two girls, nine-year-old Mercedes Stevens laid motionless face down on the road. On Sept. 14, Stevens succumbed to her injuries at Kingston General Hospital. The other victim, a 10-year-old girl, received serious injuries to her leg.
Kashechewan’s Jacob Williams was the driver of the truck and was found to be intoxicated at the time of the event. Charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm and impaired driving causing death, the 29-year-old Williams pled guilty and on Oct. 5 was sentenced to 34 months and 18 days in prison.
MURDERED
Sarah Mason
Sarah was the sister of Edith McGinnis Quagon( Ontario page) and Kathleen McGinnis (bc2 page).
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
age 42 murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota 1978Edith McGinnis Quagon
No further information is available.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Jeanine St. Jean
JEANINE ST. JEAN, aged 42 was found beaten to death in her residence near Thunder Bay, ON.
No further information is available.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Laura Pilon
LAURA PILON, aged 22, of Thunder Bay, ON was found murdered in 1992.
No further information is available.
UNSOLVED.
MURDERED
Barbara Shapwaykeesic
BARBARA SHAPWAYKEESIC,originally from Whitesand First Nation, was found murdered at Bob's Motel, Thunder Bay, ON in 1989.
No further information is available.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Therese Labbe
No other information is available.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Margaret Perreault
MARGARET PERREAULT, originally from Niigoonsiminikaaning First Nation , ON, was found murdered on Simpson St., Thunder Bay, in 1988.
A young offender,"D.G.", was arrested but charges were withdrawn.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Alice Quoquat Netemegesic
ALICE QUOQUAT NETEMEGESIC, originally from Lac Seul First Nation, ON, was found murdered in the late 1970's, at McVicar Creek, Thunder Bay, ON.
She was the mother of five sons and one daughter.
No further information is available at this time.
Donna Kabatay
It is believed taht two loggers were responsible for her murder.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Mae Morton
Mae had been raped and left to freeze to death outside Beardmore, ON.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Doreen Hardy
DOREEN HARDY, aged 18, originally from Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging ANishinaabek First Nation (Rocky Bay), ON, was found murdered in 1966 in Sandy Beach near Thunder Bay, ON.
She was one of four Aboriginal women found murdered in the same area around the same time.
No further information is available at this time.
UNSOLVED.
MURDERED
Sarah Jane Wawia Bernard
SARAH JANE WAWIA BERNARD, originally from Gull Bay First Nation was found on Sandy Beach, near Thunder Bay, ON in 1966.
Josephine Thompson was found at the same time. Josephine was the mother of two and a grandmother.
No further information is available at this time.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Josephine Thompson
JOSEPHINE THOMPSON, aged 18, originally from Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging ANishinaabek First Nation (Rocky Bay), ON, was found murdered in 1966.
Josephine was found at the same time in the same place as Sarah Jane Wawia Bernard was.
No further information is available at this time.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Mary Peters King
MARY PETERS KING, believed to be from Rocky Bay First Nation, ON, was found murdered near Thunder Bay, ON.
No further information is available at this time.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Lorraine Rivers
LORRAINE RIVERS, of Thunder Bay was murdered.
No further information available at this time.
UNSOLVED
MISSING
Caroll Lou Viau
CAROLL LOU VIAU a.k.a. Adams, Rogalski, Hardy , aged 41 of Thunder Bay was last seen on Sept. 20, 1985 at Thunder Bay Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital parking lot walking southbound on North Algoma Street on September 20, 1985. She was spotted by her husband, but he was unable to coax her into the car. Viau had voluntarily signed herself into the hospital on September 8, after suffering a nervous breakdown and mental confusion. Viau later showed up at a Salvation Army facility. The hospital was notified but since she was a voluntary patient, police say they didn't pick her up. .
Carol is originally from Rocky Bay First Nation in ON.
Caroll is desribed as having brown hair and blue-green eyes. SHe has a tattoo that reads "RICH" just above her left wrist. She was wearing light clothing despite it being windy and cold.
She carried no identification and had no money.
Caroll has a full upper dental plate.
Caroll had suffered a nervous breakdown and mental confusion.
UNSOLVED
MISSING
Sarah Skunk
SARAH SKUNK, has been missing from Thunder Bay, ON since 1985.
No further information is available at this time.
UNSOLVED
MURDERED
Judie Thibault
JUDIE THIBAULT, aged 57 - of Thunder Bay, ON was reported missing to police on Nov. 21, 2000.
On November 22nd, 2000, Judie's car, a 1983 Pontiac Lemans, two tone grey, Ontario Licence 058 ZWT, was located at the Intercity Shopping Plaza Center in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Thunder Bay Police conducted as extensive investigation but were unable to locate her.
On the 26th of August, 2004, skeletal remains were located north of Hwy. 11/17, west of the town of NIPIGON, Ontario ( 75 Km. from Thunder Bay). The remains were identified as that of THIBAULT. An autopsy has confirmed that THIBAULT met her death by foul play.
Any person having information regarding the person(s) responsible for the death of Judie THIBAULT should communicate immediately with the Director of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or (705) 329-6111, their nearest police authority, or Crime Stoppers.
There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Judie's killer(s).
UNSOLVED
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