Canada! RCMP bust meth lab in Quebec’s Laurentians, arrest 4 suspects, Toronto police arrested Alan Haaksma in connection with 16 robberies across the GTHA, Man convicted of 1987 Edmonton murder granted new trial, 82-year-old Oakville man loses $750K to an investment scam: ‘Do you know how long I had to work to make that money?’, Hamilton police investigating ‘slew of robberies’ in city’s east end, 3 men teen allegedly break into family’s home in Milton early Thursday morning, Hamilton police searching landfill for a woman they believe may have been killed and placed in garbage disposal, Crown seeks 18-year sentence for Bruce Escott for decades of sexual abuse, Man charged with 1st-degree murder in 1998 killing of pregnant woman in Toronto, Calgary man found guilty of raping 90-year-old woman, Winnipeg police charge woman in first homicide of 2025, These 4 people have been missing for years, The Manitoba bank robbery spree of 1921-1922, Counterfeit cash: Fake $100 bills reportedly received by victims who arranged online to sell valuables, Suspect named in Canada-wide murder warrant after fatal Moss Park shooting, Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of Kenneth Lee, RCMP lay charges against 2 men in connection with Big River First Nation stabbings, Woman sexually assaulted on Vaughan transit bus after suspect tries to strike up a conversation, Erick Buhr ineligible for parole for 17 years for second-degree murder of grandmother, Ontario senior defrauded of nearly $1M by personal support worker nurse 2025.2.6-2.28

Federal justice minister says miscarriage of justice likely occurred in conviction

The federal justice minister has ordered a new trial for an Edmonton man convicted in the killing of a 34-year-old woman who disappeared from the city in 1987.

Roy Allan Sobotiak was convicted of second-degree murder in 1991 in the death of Susan Kaminsky.

In a statement Wednesday, Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said there are reasonable grounds to believe that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred in Sobotiak’s case.

The trial was deemed necessary as a result of the identification of new information that was not before the courts at the time of Sobotiak’s trial or appeal, Virani said.

No further details about the new information that triggered the retrial was released.

The case dates back to February 1987 when Kaminsky vanished after a night out at a north Edmonton pub with friends.

Her car was found abandoned. But neither she nor her body have ever been found.

The single mother of two was last seen in the company of Sobotiak on Feb. 7, 1987.

Kaminsky once babysat Sobotiak as a child.

Police suspected foul play, but no charges were laid until 1989 when Sobotiak, then 26, was charged with first-degree murder.

An undercover confession
Sobotiak went to trial in 1991.

The principal evidence against him was taped statements he made to an undercover police officer in which he boasted that he had tortured, sexually assaulted, killed, and dismembered Kaminsky.

The undercover operation began some time in 1988 but it wasn’t until late September the next year that Sobotiak made the incriminating statements.

Sobotiak was convicted of second-degree murder in 1991.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 16½ years.

The case has been the subject of numerous appeals.

In May 1994, the Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed Sobotiak’s appeal against his conviction.

His application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada was dismissed in 2004.

In February 2021, Sobotiak applied to the minister of justice for a review of his conviction.

Under the Criminal Code, a person who has been convicted of an offence and who has exhausted all rights of appeal may apply to the federal minister of justice for a review of their conviction.

The Criminal Conviction Review Group of the Department of Justice Canada conducts investigations on behalf of the minister.

A key consideration for such reviews is whether new information has surfaced since the trial and appeal, Virani said in Wednesday’s statement.

“An unbiased justice system must account for the needs of victims while safeguarding against potential miscarriages of justice,” he said.

“Following a complete review of Mr. Sobotiak’s case, I have determined that there are reasonable grounds to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred, and that a new trial should be ordered.”

Innocence Canada, a non-profit organization that advocates against wrongful convictions, said four of its lawyers assisted Sobotiak in his application to the minister.

In a statement Wednesday, the organization hailed the decision, noting that ordering a new trial is the greatest power the justice minister can exercise in a suspected case of wrongful conviction.

Innocence Canada said Sobotiak, now 62, is grateful for the decision and hopes he “will be a free man soon.”

Since his conviction, Sobotiak has continued to insist his innocence and has never been granted parole.

After more than 35 years of incarceration, he remains in custody at a federal penitentiary in Alberta.

Innocence said it is awaiting word from the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service to determine next steps in the case.

Hamilton police’s homicide unit are searching the Glanbrook Landfill for evidence in the disappearance of Shalini Singh, a 40-year-old woman who went missing in early December.

Police say Singh was last heard from on Dec. 4 and reported missing by her family six days later after she failed to make contact.

“Her family had not heard from her in several days and were concerned for her well-being,” police wrote in a media release.

Officials say the investigation initially began as a missing persons case alongside her common-law boyfriend, but he was found on Dec. 11 after visiting a family member outside Hamilton.

Police said the boyfriend, who was not named in the release, is “not co-operating” with the investigation and has provided no information that could assist in locating Shalini.

When asked if the boyfriend was considered a suspect, Hamilton Det. Daryl Reid said police will “not disclose his status or his identity.” However, he did note that decision could change down the line.

“All I can say is that we’re just looking into his involvement and possible involvement into her disappearance,” he said at a press conference.

Why the landfill search?
Investigators believe Singh may have been killed inside her apartment and that her remains were disposed of through the building’s garbage system.

Early in the investigation, police say they searched the Kenora Waste Transfer Station, but nothing was found. Detectives later determined that most of the garbage from the apartment had already been moved to the Glanbrook Landfill.

Police began searching the landfill on Feb. 24 in what they describe as a “systematic” operation expected to take “several weeks.” They also add that there will be a large police presence at the site and that traffic in the area will not be affected.

Officials are asking anyone with information to contact Det. Adam Baglieri at 905-546-3859 or provide anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers.

Criminals are constantly trying to find new ways to steal your money. The latest scam? Creating fake websites that will pop up in a Google search in hopes of getting you to enter your personal information.

CTV News spoke to one Ontario senior who lost most of his life savings after searching online to find the best interest rate to invest in GICs.

“I’m devastated. $750,000 is a lot of money,” said 82-year-old Walter Yamka of Oakville.

“I thought I was on the PC Financial website.”

Yamka said it was last October when he had $750,000 worth of GICs mature and decided to search online to find the best interest rate possible.

He said he went to Google and typed in ‘best rates for GICs’ and was taken to a webpage for PC Financial and then called the number on the website.

“I said, ‘I can come up with $750,000′ and [the person on the phone] said, ‘We can give you a 6.5 per cent interest rate on a GIC,’ which I thought was great,” said Yamka.

Yamka was sent documents with PC Financial letterhead and he was given a direct phone line to deal with someone who would help him make the purchase.

He then went to his CIBC bank branch and asked them to transfer the money to purchase the GICs.

However, it turned out the website was a fake and he had been scammed out of $750,000.

“They sent me a graph showing that in one year I would have $798,000 dollars. But now, I got zero. Nothing,” said Yamka.

He believes his bank should have known the website was a scam due to what he said were red flags, including that the money was transferred to a bank account that was not associated with PC Financial.

“When you’re dealing with that amount of money and transferring it, the bank should confirm the receiver is legitimate,” said Yamka.

‘Deciphering fact from fiction is getting even more difficult’
PC Financial has a warning on its website about the GIC scam and told CTV News in a statement, “PC Financial does not promote or sell GICs in person, over the phone or through email.”

CTV News reached out to CIBC and a spokesperson said, “This is a very unfortunate situation which highlights the importance of being suspicious when contacted by unknown parties and confirming details before authorizing a transaction. We work hard to protect our clients, including seniors, from fraud.”

“We have processes and controls in place and our team is trained to ask questions when a client is performing a large transaction, which we did in this case. If, despite these controls, a client authorizes a transaction, it would be processed as per their request.”

Cybersecurity experts say criminals will pay search engines to pop up first in online searches and that search engines do not vet companies to make sure they are legitimate.

“These scams are becoming that much more sophisticated where deciphering fact from fiction is getting even more difficult,” said Ritesh Kotak, a cybersecurity analyst.

Kotak said criminals can create websites and documents that are almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and he believes banks should be doing more to protect their clients.

“I think there is a responsibility on financial institutions to make sure the money is being transferred to a legitimate account,” said Kotak.

Yamka said losing so much money has been disastrous for his finances.

“$750,000! Do you know how long I had to work to make that money?,” said Yamka.

Yamka can still file a complaint with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI). Anyone who has a problem with a bank and is not satisfied with the outcome can use the ombudsman to review their case.

Erick Buhr will be ineligible to apply for parole for 17 years after he was found guilty of the second-degree murder of his grandmother, Viola Erb.

Buhr was found guilty of second-degree murder on Nov. 4, a verdict that carries an automatic life sentence. He was originally set to be sentenced on Jan. 27, but the hearing was pushed back due to a scheduling issue.

Buhr finally learned his fate in a court room on Tuesday.

Justice Gerry Taylor’s decision fell in line with the recommendation from the Crown. He said Buhr had shown no remorse for his grandmother’s death.

“Viola Erb’s life was terminated by an extreme act of violence and for no reason,” Justice Taylor said.

Buhr represented himself during sentencing. He continues to maintain his innocence.

“I just want to say to my family that I share your pain,” he said. “I’m left without grandma as well.”

Buhr asked for parole eligibility after 12 years and proposed a 3-to-1 credit for the approximately 29 months he’s already spent behind bars.

“That is a proposition which I have never heard of before,” Justice Taylor responded.

In addition to his life sentence, Buhr will be required to provide a DNA sample. He is also facing a firearms ban and an order prohibiting him from contacting 21 of Viola Erb’s family members.

Victim impact statements

One of Erb’s sons, Darryl, described her as a pillar to everyone who knew her.

As some victim impact statements were read aloud , the court was told her violent death tore the family apart.

“She was my world and I was hers,” a statement from Erick Buhr’s mother, Karen Erb, said. She told the court she lost both her son and her mother in the same day.

She added while she will never truly know what happened that day, she says her son’s addiction to drugs is to blame for her mother’s death.

“I know you didn’t choose to murder your grandmother, but drugs did,” she said.

During the trial, Buhr took the stand in his own defence and testified that he had been in a forested area behind the house, sitting on a log and smoking cocaine, before he went inside and found his grandmother badly injured.

He was on house arrest at the time of Viola’s murder. Court heard for the first time that was his sentence for a sexual interference conviction in June 2022.

In another victim impact statement read aloud by the Crown, Warren Erb, Viola’s nephew, said she was killed by someone she cherished and trusted.

“This murder has devastated her family,” he wrote.

That devastation was one of the factors raised by Crown Prosecutor Jennifer Caskie during her sentencing submissions. She said Viola was defenseless against the attack, which she described as ‘prolonged’ and ‘brutal.’

Caskie noted in court that while Buhr may be eligible to apply for parole at that time, whether it is actually granted will be a decision for the Parole Board of Canada.

Police still looking for 29-year-old Ryan Lachance

RCMP say one of the people they initially identified as a victim in a trio of stabbing incidents on the Big River First Nation this weekend is now a suspect.

The stabbings on the First Nation, located approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Prince Albert, were first reported on Saturday.

Between approximately 3:50 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. CST on Saturday, Big River RCMP received reports of three separate stabbing incidents, each with a single victim.

Police say the first stabbing was reported at 3:50 p.m. CST. A woman was left injured after an altercation between a man and a woman.

The second incident was reported at 4 p.m. CST, after a group of people entered a home and stabbed a man.

RCMP say the first two victims were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police say they received reports of another stabbing at 4:20 p.m. CST and located an injured man at a third residence. That man was transported to hospital by a Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) helicopter.

In an update provided Tuesday, RCMP say they now believe the third victim, Jacky Lachance of Big River First Nation, is now a suspect in the first two stabbings. He was arrested upon his release from hospital.

Jacky Lachance, 25, is now charged with:
Two counts of aggravated assault.
One count of robbery with a weapon.
One count of break and enter.

He’s scheduled to appear in Prince Albert provincial court on Feb. 18, 2025.

RCMP say they are still working to locate 29-year-old Ryan Lachance. He’s described as 5’6″ and approximately 150 pounds, with a teardrop tattoo under his left eye.

Police say Ryan Lachance has been charged with:
Two counts of aggravated assault.
Two counts of robbery.
One count of possession of a weapon with a dangerous purpose.
One count of mischief under $5,000.
One count break and enter.
Two counts of failure to comply with a release order condition.

He is also wanted by Big River RCMP in relation to an unrelated aggravated assault from November 2024.

While police were responding to the third stabbing incident, they received a report of an attempted robbery in the area of Victoire, Sask., a community located near the First Nation. They determined that a man threatened a driver with a machete before fleeing on foot after failing to steal the vehicle.

RCMP say Ryan is considered to be armed and dangerous. They’re asking the public to not approach him.

Ryan may be in a stolen, black KIA Optima with Saskatchewan license plate 649 NPP. However, his location at this time is unknown.

By The Canadian Press
Posted February 18, 2025

One of the two girls on trial in the death of a homeless Toronto man pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday after prosecutors said they had reassessed the strength of the evidence for second-degree murder in her case.

The girl, who was 16 at the time of the incident, entered her plea through her counsel as lawyers were expected to begin their closing submissions.

Submissions are expected to proceed for her co-accused, who was 14 at the time. That girl also tried to plead guilty to manslaughter at the start of the trial but her plea was rejected by the Crown.

Prosecutors have alleged the younger girl was the one who fatally stabbed Kenneth Lee in December 2022.

Court has heard Lee, 59, died in the early hours of Dec. 18, 2022, after he was swarmed by a group and stabbed in a downtown Toronto parkette.

The judge-alone trial, which started roughly two weeks ago, has pored over security footage from the parkette and other locations the group attended before and after the incident.

In a video shown in court, the girl who pleaded guilty Tuesday can be seen throwing a traffic cone at Lee and then hitting him with one as he tries to fend off blows from several others.

Eight girls were charged in the hours after Lee’s death.

Three girls pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter in the case and one to assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm, and a jury trial is scheduled in May for the remaining two girls.

—

2025.2.6 Kenneth Lee’s face was ‘covered in blood,’ shelter worker tells teens’ murder trial

Video footage played out in day four of the Kenneth Lee murder trial showed group of suspects involved in other incidents before alleged stabbing. A shelter worker who was on scene after the alleged incident also testified. Catalina Gillies reports.
By The Canadian Press
Posted February 6, 2025

A shelter worker who stepped in to stop an alleged group attack on a homeless man in a downtown Toronto parkette two years ago testified Thursday the man had blood pouring down his face but didn’t appear to be in a life-or-death situation.

Melissa Alexander took the stand at the trial of two teen girls charged in the death of Kenneth Lee, a 59-year-old man who was living in the city’s shelter system.

The girls, who were 14 and 16 at the time, have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

Alexander told the court she was wrapping up her evening shift at a then-temporary shelter near the parkette on Dec. 17, 2022, when she heard a commotion.

When she looked over, she saw a group of girls descending on something like a pack of animals attacking their prey, she told the court. Only after she had pushed them off did she realize there was a person on the ground, Alexander said.

“They were kicking on him, stomping on him and spitting on him,” she said. “He was just on the ground … there was blood running from his face.”

Some other shelter residents identified him as Lee, and Alexander was able to recognize him, she said.

Alexander was “exchanging words” with the girls as they headed toward stairs that would take them to Union Station and asking them to explain their actions, she said. The conversation was heated, with both sides cursing at each other, she said.

The shelter worker walked back toward Lee and flagged down a nearby ambulance shortly afterward, she said. She told paramedics what she knew about Lee and pointed at the girls in the distance when asked who had left him in that state, she added. Paramedics loaded Lee onto a stretcher and Alexander went home soon after, she said.

When her manager called the next day to inform her that Lee had died, Alexander was shocked, she said.

“No, that’s impossible,” she remembered responding. “When I left him with the paramedics, he was alive.”

Under cross-examination, Alexander said there was no indication Lee was critically injured, nor had she seen any weapons. Had that been the case, she would have acted differently, she added.

At least one teen in the group captured parts of the incident on video, court heard. In one short clip, Lee is standing with blood running from his nose down his face.

Court has heard Lee died in the early hours of Dec. 18, 2022, after undergoing emergency surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Eight girls between the ages of 13 and 16 were arrested shortly afterward.

Prosecutors allege the youngest of the two girls on trial is the one who fatally wounded Lee, but have not yet specified when they believe it happened or with what. Court has heard that the girl was found with two small scissors and a pair of tweezers when she was arrested.

Another member of the group was found with a stun gun, vise grips and a small pepper spray, court heard earlier this week.

Last year, three of the other girls accused in the case pleaded guilty to manslaughter and one to assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

Two other girls are set to face a jury trial this May on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter, respectively.

None of the teens can be identified because they were minors at the time of the incident.

York Regional Police are warning that there could be other victims after they allege two health-care workers defrauded an older woman of nearly $1 million.

On Aug. 22, 2024, police say the victim from Newmarket, Ont., reported that a large amount of money had been withdrawn from her bank account without their knowledge.

Police allege that two suspects, one of whom was employed to care for the victim, accessed their banking information.

Police allege the suspects attended various financial institutions and withdrew nearly $1 million.

On Feb. 6, a woman, 38, and man, 37, from Richmond Hill, Ont., were charged with numerous fraud-related offences.

York Regional Police say the two are a married couple, and the wife was a personal support worker caring for the victim, while the husband, who works as a registered nurse, was not involved in their care.

Const. Kevin Nebrija, York Regional Police media relations officer, said investigators have released photos of the duo to warn the public.

“Our investigators do believe there are more victims just given the nature of their employment. So we are appealing to anyone who may have had any contact with these individuals to contact our investigators,” Nebrija said.

Nebrija said that as the case is now before the courts, police could not say how the victim’s finances were accessed but said it’s important to ensure that people’s banking information is kept private.

“Ensure that no one has access to your banking information and that that is kept with someone you trust, whether it is a family member or friend,” he says.

Nebrija also cautioned people about signing important documents like a power of attorney and ensuring one is set in place before it is needed.

“It’s important to do your research before signing any type of legal document, such as the power of attorney.”

Nebrija said that unfortunately, scams targeting older adults happen quite often, especially around the holidays.

“These suspects will prey on that vulnerability, hoping that given the time of the year, the holiday season and the winter season, that the suspects can get through to them, kind of engage with them enough to almost build a trust and then scam them out of their out of their money,” he warns.

The Roaring ’20s was a time of upheaval. The First World War left deep scars, and prohibition fuelled a new wave of crime. Liquor smuggling created opportunities for criminals, turning some into millionaires.

While major cities in the United States and eastern Canada saw rampant bootlegging, western Canada had its own problems. The vast, unpatrolled border between the United States and Manitoba and Saskatchewan became a highway for criminals. With few police officers and poor roads, criminals took advantage of the isolation.

The Manitoba Provincial Police had been reorganized in 1920 to enforce liquor and traffic laws. Before that, law enforcement in the province consisted of a small group of officers assisting local town police. The new Commissioner, Colonel J.G. Rattray, was a retired army officer from Pipestone, Man. Despite efforts to modernize, the force struggled with low pay, outdated weapons and limited resources. Officers patrolled vast territories on motorcycles or in underpowered Fords and Chevrolets.

Cooperation between police forces was lacking. Provincial and federal forces often refused to share information, and American authorities dismissed concerns about criminals crossing the border. Some U.S. officials blamed Canada for allowing liquor to be smuggled south, arguing it led to crime in their own communities.

A crime wave begins

Between 1921 and 1922, a series of bank robberies escalated tensions. The spree began on Oct. 12, 1921, when robbers hit the Bank of Hochelaga in Elie, stealing $1,200. In November, thieves raided a liquor warehouse in Carnduff, Sask., making off with 60 cases of liquor. Over the winter, crime slowed due to heavy snow, but in the summer, the gang struck again.

On Aug. 21, 1922, an attempt to rob the Union Bank in Melita failed. A week later, they successfully blew open the safe at the Bank of Hamilton in Killarney, escaping with $11,000. The next night, they returned to Elie but failed to break into the Bank of Hochelaga.

In September, the gang returned to Melita. This time, they were prepared. In the early hours of Sept. 23, they cut phone and telegraph wires to isolate the town. Several men overpowered a night watchman and tied him up before heading to the bank. They forced two employees from their apartments above the bank and made them stand outside in their pajamas under guard.

The robbers drilled into the safe and used eight charges of dynamite to force it open. The explosions woke residents and one man rang the fire bell in alarm. The editor of the Melita Enterprise approached the scene, only to be warned away at gunpoint. Ignoring the warning, he continued forward. The guard fired into the ground before finally shooting the editor in the foot. Inside the bank, the robbers collected $108,189 in cash and securities before fleeing.

Constable John Tullock, stationed in Reston, was called to investigate. Days later, the same gang robbed banks in Ceylon and Moosomin, Sask., collecting another $12,500.

The Bienfait murder

On Oct. 4, 1922, events took a deadly turn in Bienfait, Sask. Paul Mateoff managed a liquor depot where American Lee Dillindge arranged to purchase 100 cases of liquor for $6,000. Dillindge arrived with a truck, paid the money, and as Mateoff counted it, gunshots rang out. Bullets shattered the window, killing Mateoff. A masked bandit entered, took the money from Mateoff’s body and fled.

Dillindge and his driver loaded the liquor onto their truck and left. Nearby, Saskatchewan police had passed through Bienfait shortly before the crime. They spotted a Cadillac speeding past — a stolen vehicle often used by rum-runners. Officers gave chase, but their underpowered police car could not keep up. The criminals stopped at the next town to cut the telephone wires before escaping across the U.S. border.

That same week, in West Hope, N.D., bank robbers killed the town marshal. Authorities believed the crimes were connected.

An embarrassing standoff in Pipestone

On Oct. 24, 1922, police received intelligence that a gang planned to hit the Pipestone bank. Saskatchewan police phoned Winnipeg authorities at 9 p.m., but Colonel Rattray was unavailable. The message was relayed to Inspector James Bain, who notified officers in Melita, Brandon, and other towns. Despite the warning, law enforcement failed to act quickly.

Constable John Tullock, the same officer who investigated the Melita robbery, was dispatched. He recruited only four armed citizens to help him. Instead of spreading out, they positioned themselves in a single building across from the bank, leaving the back door unguarded.

At 3 a.m., the robbers arrived. They cut telephone and telegraph lines before using a telephone pole as a battering ram to break down the bank’s back door. Before they could enter, Tullock and his men opened fire. In the darkness, their shots missed, and the robbers escaped through the back, unchallenged. The gang fled west toward Saskatchewan, leaving authorities embarrassed.

Fallout and reform

The failed Pipestone stakeout led to swift action. On Oct. 27, the Manitoba government suspended Commissioner Rattray, Inspectors Bain and Clarke, and Sergeant Ross. Winnipeg’s chief of detectives, George Smith, was brought in as acting commissioner. He immediately increased patrols along the border, secured new weapons — including a Thompson submachine gun — and purchased two used Cadillacs. Professional chauffeurs were hired as special constables to operate the vehicles.

On Nov. 10, the attorney general demanded Rattray and Bain resign. Bain complied, but Rattray refused. On Nov. 16, 1922, Colonel J.G. Rattray was dismissed.

Colonel H.J. Martin became the last commissioner of the Manitoba Provincial Police on Dec. 18, 1922. The force remained operational until April 1, 1932, when it was absorbed into the RCMP.

The Manitoba bank robbery spree of 1921-1922 exposed the flaws in law enforcement and forced long-overdue reforms. Cooperation between forces improved, and better resources were provided. While crime did not disappear, the criminals who once roamed freely now faced greater resistance.

The oldest case dates back to the mid-1970s and most recent was 2004

Police in Guelph, Ont., have released photos of four people who have been missing for years in the hopes it will spark a memory and lead to information about where they went.

The oldest case dates back to the mid-1970s and the most recent is from 2004.

Scott Tracey, media relations co-ordinator for Guelph Police Service, said missing-person cases leave family and friends “left forever wondering what happened.”

“They’re among the most difficult types of cases for those left behind … they’re here one day and the next day you have no idea where they are, what’s happened to them,” Tracey said.

“So that’s why it’s important for us to continue investigating these cases, continue putting the information out to the public, and try and resolve these cases. And that could be, you know, ideally through locating them or at least learning what happened to them, just to, you know, provide that information and, and that closure for the families.”

Tracey said the four missing-person cases are the only outstanding ones in their major case unit files. The service will also distribute the historic missing-person cases information to other police services across Canada and internationally in the event they are encountered through other investigations.

Below are the people who remain missing. Police hope the public can help them locate them.

John Zuern
Zuern, who was from Guelph, was a 21-year-old patient at a hospital in London, Ont., in June 1975. He had suffered from mental health issues. Zuern left without permission and was declared missing on July 21, 1975.
There was a reported sighting of Zuern in Toronto in 1980. Police say he was spotted in the area of Bloor Street West and Spadina Avenue and appeared to be living on the street.
Zuern was 26 at the time, was 5-foot-11, with a thin build, and weighed around 140 pounds. It was noticed he had a pronounced limp.

David Krueger
A business partner of Krueger’s called police on May 2, 1979, to let them know he hadn’t seen him in about a week. They ran a hot tub business together and there has been some financial issues. It was also around that time that Kreuger’s mother passed.
Police believe he may have been experiencing depression.
The last two clues Guelph police received about the Guelph man’s disappearance was an April 25, 1979, report that he was spoken to by the Waterloo Regional Police Service. There was no indication what police spoke to him about.
In late June 1979, his 1967 brown half-ton pick up truck was found abandoned near the Finch Avenue TTC Station in Toronto.
Before he disappeared, Krueger had also worked in the oilfields of Alberta.
If Krueger were alive, he would be 73. Police say he had a “distinctive port wine” birthmark on his lower right leg.

Anne Matthews
Matthews, 41, left the Homewood Health Centre in Guelph on Dec. 7,1983, on foot and was never seen again.
Matthews was last seen wearing a red felt coat with black embroidery around the bottom and fox fur around the hood, a light-coloured turtleneck sweater, dark slacks and beige boots.
At the time, police conducted an extensive ground search but she was not located and they have never received any information about her since 1983.

Wilfred Bruder
Bruder, 50, used a payphone at Willow West Mall on Feb. 28, 2004, but has not been seen or heard from since.
Bruder, who would now be 70, is described as 5-foot-5 with a medium build. He was partially balding at the time, had short brown hair, a moustache and was missing the ring finger on his left hand. He went by the nickname Wolf.

Donna Oglive, 24, was found dead in a parking lot in Toronto in March 1998

Toronto police have charged a 50-year-old man with first-degree murder in a cold case homicide from 1998.

Donna Oglive, 24, was found dead around 7 a.m. in a parking lot at 130 Carlton St. in March 1998, Toronto police said. She had been strangled, Det.-Sgt. Steve Smith said at a news conference on Friday.

Oglive had a child and was four months pregnant when she was killed, police have said. She was from British Columbia and had only been in Toronto for five weeks.

She was working as a sex worker, and her death may have happened during a “sex trade transaction,” Smith said.

The accused, who is from Gander, Newfoundland, was arrested at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Thursday just after midnight, according to a police news release on Friday.

He was living in Scarborough and working as a truck driver when Oglive died.

At the time of his arrest, he was regularly flying out to northern Alberta from Newfoundland every two weeks to work in the oil fields, Smith said. He had flown into Toronto from Edmonton when he was arrested.

“We need to find out what he’s been doing over the past 25 years and make sure there are no other victims, whether sexually motivated, or homicides that he could be involved in,” Smith said.

The accused is being held in custody, he said. He appeared in bail court virtually on Thursday morning, the release said.

Police have been investigating the case since 1998, the news release said.

Investigators developed a male DNA profile from evidence at the scene but could not find a match in the National DNA Data Bank. In 2022, police used investigative genetic genealogy that led them to the accused’s family, Smith said.

“We were able to collect a DNA sample and prove that [the accused] was the person responsible for the death of Ms. Oglive,” he said.

Police have been in touch with the Sex Workers Alliance of Toronto, who Smith said had been “instrumental in keeping this case at the forefront.”

Oglive’s death was the subject of a YouTube video posted by Toronto police in December 2019, as well as a police podcast in October 2021 about unsolved homicides.

Sex offender apologizes to victims; judge to decide his fate next month

The Crown wants convicted sex offender Bruce Escott sentenced to 18 years for abusing six victims, most of them youths, over a period spanning decades.

The defence, meanwhile, suggested Escott get half that — nine years in total.

The man at the centre of it all said just 10 words when given an opportunity to address the court at his sentencing hearing Thursday.

“I’d just like to apologize to the victims,” Escott said. “That’s it.”

In her submissions, prosecutor Deidre Badcock called Escott “a prolific lifetime offender” despite his lack of a related criminal record, and zeroed in on the impacts of his crimes on those victims. One of them was sitting at the back of the courtroom.

“Bruce Escott sought out and befriended low-income group home kids, kids who had nowhere else to turn. Offered them friendship, money, food, cigarettes, alcohol, rides, and he did this as a means to groom them, to break down their barriers, and once he had them close enough he systematically and gratuitously abused them,” Badcock said.

“He benefitted [from] them, groomed them, all as a means to satiate his sexual deviancies. This is a predator, your honour, and it’s someone who’s deserving of a significant sentence.”

Badcock called Escott someone who “led a double life” for a number of years.

“In one life he’s a respected volunteer fire chief, community volunteer, husband, father, grandfather, brother — while simultaneously in another life, the more sinister aspects of his life, he’s seeking out and targeting the most vulnerable members of society,” Badcock said.

“Young, troubled, runaway teens with nowhere else to go. The kind of victims you wouldn’t expect to be believed, and they didn’t have anyone else to turn to at times.”

Defence cites Mount Cashel cases in submissions
Escott’s lawyer, MacKenzie Hughes, said his client “should not be used as a scapegoat … to inflate future sentences.”

He said it’s “common sense” that 18 years is a “crushing sentence” for someone who is 82 years old.

In arguing for less time behind bars for his client, Hughes cited sentences handed out to Christian Brothers implicated in the Mount Cashel scandal.

“There’s a big differentiation here, where these people were in a position of authority, acting as parents, and their sentences are significantly less than what the Crown is asking here today,” Hughes told the court.

“Our position is that what is happening here is the Crown is attempting to get an inflated sentence in this case … to set a precedent for future cases. Look no further than his co-accused.”

Escott’s co-accused, Tony Humby, has pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges, and is set for trial next month.

Humby and Escott were neighbours in a trailer park near the airport in St. John’s.

According to the agreed statement of facts in Escott’s case, victims described the two men as working together to abuse youths.

The document said conversations between Escott and Humby were found in Escott’s text message history.

The agreed statement of facts cites messages from one day in late 2022 that “show Humby and Escott were acting in concert and often passing the young victims between each other.”

Sentencing decision set for early March
Escott has been in custody since his arrest nearly two years ago. He appeared at Thursday’s sentencing hearing at provincial court in St. John’s by video from the correctional facility in Bishop’s Falls.

His lawyer calculated Escott’s time served to date at more than 1,000 days, with a time-and-a-half credit applied.

Judge Phyllis Harris is expected to give her decision on sentencing on March 4.

That’s the day after Humby’s seven-week trial is scheduled to begin.