OPP offering $50,000 reward to identify victim and find killer

ROCKWOOD, ON, Aug. 26 /CNW/ - The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is now offering a 50-thousand dollar reward for information leading to identification of female human remains found five years ago near Guelph. The OPP investigators on this case are treating the circumstances of the victim's death as suspicious and consider that foul play was involved.

Members of the OPP Unsolved Homicide Investigations Team (UHIT) and Missing Persons Unidentified Bodies Unit (MPUB), along with the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, are confident that a reward will also lead to the apprehension of her killer.

On August 28, 2005, the remains of a white female, approximately 25 - 45 years old, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed about 130 pounds with light brown hair were found in a wooded location at a picnic/rest area on Highway No. 7, west of Rockwood. It is believed the female had been dragged a short distance into the woods beside the picnic area and had been there for approximately one month before being discovered. A "Woods"-brand sleeping bag had been placed over the deceased covering her.

The autopsy revealed that the victim had no recent injuries, however, at some time in her life, she had experienced a broken left cheek, nose and left eye socket which had since healed. As of result of these injuries the deceased had lost one left front and two upper teeth for which she wore a two-tooth, partial plate. This type of injury would have left her with a visible facial deformity. No personal jewellery or identification was found with the deceased. Investigators have established that the clothing she was wearing at the time of her discovery was purchased in the Montreal area.

"In spite of the public information provided and the extensive media coverage at the time, the identity of this woman - and that of her potential killer - remains unknown," said OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis. "The OPP are appealing to anyone -- family members, friends, former colleagues, or someone with knowledge of her past injuries -- to come forward to assist us to identify this victim and bring the person(s) responsible for her death to justice."

Photos of the scene surroundings and other information that may help identify this person are available for the public to view at www.missing-u.ca and the OPP Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) Unsolved Investigations page on the OPP website at www.opp.ca Anyone with information may contact the OPP, your local police service, Crime Stoppers, the Office of the Chief Coroner, or visit the Resolve Initiative website at www.missing-u.ca

Media Note: An aerial map of the scene, photos of clothing recovered, and background information on the OPP Unsolved Homicide Investigations Team (UHIT) and Missing Persons Unidentified Bodies Unit (MPUB) are available for download at this link:

http://www.opp.ca/media/rockwood/index.html

    
                                 www.opp.ca
              Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/OPP_News
    

For further information: Constable Mark CLOES, Community Services Officer, OPP Rockwood Detachment, Phone: [phone]