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Unsolved and cold cases in southwestern Ontario

Some cases remain open for years – or even decades – without answers. With no new leads, they go cold, despite the best efforts of investigators and loved ones. Here are some of the unsolved cases from around southwestern Ontario.

Published: May 05, 2026 at 3:42PM EDT

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Joshua Bennett, 18, was found dead near a Kitchener, Ont. trail on Sept. 24, 2021. An autopsy determined the college student had been stabbed multiple times. Security video from the area showed Bennett interacting with several people, who have not yet been identified, on Paulander Drive the night before his body was discovered. A $50,000 reward has been offered for credible information that leads to an arrest and successful prosecution in the case. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police’s Major Crime Unit at 519-570-9777, ext. 8191.

Eli Wood, 25, was last seen on Oct. 18, 2025. The following morning, a fire destroyed his home on Major Street in Kitchener, Ont. Investigators suspect foul play was involved in Wood’s disappearance. His family is offering a $5,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. While the case is not considered cold, there has been no new updates. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.

Mary Hammond, 25, vanished while walking to work on Sept. 8, 1983. She left around 3:30 a.m. but never turned up at Buns Master Bakery on Morton Avenue in Brantford, Ont. Police tracked her footprints to a field, where they also discovered her lunch, one sock and a small amount of blood. Investigators used DNA testing on those items and, in 2022, identified Steven Mudko as a suspect in her abduction and presumed murder. He died in 2010. Hammond’s body has never been found. A dedicated tipline has been set up at 519-756-7050, ext. 2592, or email HammondDisappearance@police.brantford.on.ca.

Jimmy Paige, 3, was last seen riding his toy tractor with his older brother and a friend on March 23, 1963. According to family members, the children had been circling the block in their Brantford, Ont. neighbourhood when the toddler suddenly disappeared. A large-scale search was launched, but there was no trace of Jimmy. Family members rejected the idea that he may have entered the Grand River on his own, pointing to the lack of physical evidence at the scene. One of the few pieces of potential evidence — Jimmy’s toy tractor — was later recovered. Please contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050.

David MacDermott, 30, was last seen on Nov. 9, 2002, at his home on Mill Street in Kitchener, Ont. His family said he had been celebrating his roommate’s birthday. What happened next is still a mystery. MacDermott’s family wants police to use ground penetrating radar to search the property but, as of 2025, the homeowner refused to grant permission. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.

Mistie Murray, 16, was last seen at Goderich District Collegiate Institute on May 31, 1995. Even though police admitted they had little evidence to work with, they focused on the teen’s adoptive father. Investigators accused him of dumping Mistie’s body in Lake Huron and charged him with second-degree murder. The jury ultimately acquitted him after only 45 minutes of deliberation. Later, a review of the case identified significant flaws in the police investigation. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.

The body of Robert Sykes, 49, was found in a wooded area near Caledonia, Ont. on Oct. 16, 2025. At the time of his disappearance, he had been living with 71-year-old Barbara Morgan. On Oct. 5, she was found dead at her home on Head Street South in Simcoe. Morgan’s death was ruled a homicide and her son, Justin Morgan, was arrested. Police were also concern for Sykes, who hadn’t been seen since the day before Barbara Morgan’s body was discovered. His death was also ruled a homicide. Justin Morgan has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-866-549-2090.

An unknown gunman shot Isaiah Macnab, 20, on Sept. 20, 2018. Police said a white Mercedes CLA 250 with stolen licence plates was seen that morning on Highway 401 from Brampton, and again at 10:31 a.m. on King Street East in Kitchener, Ont. The vehicle drove around the neighbourhood for the next 40 minutes. Then, at 11:11 a.m., the Mercedes pulled up to the Salvation Army’s “New Horizons” halfway house, where Macnab was staying. (See next slide)

Wayne Greavette, 42, was killed by a flashlight bomb on Dec. 12, 1996. The packaged had been mailed to his home near Aberfoyle, Ont. by an anonymous sender. When Greavette switched on the flashlight, it exploded and killed him. His wife and an adult son had minor injuries from the flying glass and furniture. The family had just moved into the home about six months before the incident. Greavette ran his own business but had expressed interest in tapping artesian wells on his property for a commercial water venture, as well as reopening an abandoned orchard. No one had been charged for the bombing and the motive for the murder has never been established. Please contact Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington at 1-800-222-8477.

Gregory Lembke, 26, was found dead in a bush lot near Mount Forest, Ont. on Jan. 4, 1992. He had been shot in the neck and head at close range with a .410 calibre shotgun. More than three months later, on April 15, 1992, two guns linked to Lembke’s murder were found in a nearby ditch. Both were stolen in 1991 during separate break-ins at a cottage and trailer located between Mount Forest and Durham. Investigators interviewed hundreds of people, but the shooter has never been identified. Please contact Guelph Wellington Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Thera Dieleman, 80, was found beaten and strangled to death in her home, just east of Innerkip, Ont., in 1988. Thirty years later, in 2018, police shared a composite sketch of her alleged attacker. Police said DNA evidence, found at the murder scene, was used to develop the image. The suspect was also seen driving a red flatbed farm truck with white lettering on the doors. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.

Derek Ritz, 51, was last seen at a home in Sebringville, Ont. on Dec. 31, 2016. Investigators said they have heard stories about what happened to him, but they still need concrete clues to close the case. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information on Ritz’s whereabouts or the people responsible for his disappearance. Please contact Det. Sgt. Mike Weyers with Stratford Police at 519-271-4147, ext. 8184.

John McNichol, 30, disappeared without a trace after leaving work in January 1978. He closed his bakery and sandwich shop in downtown Kitchener, Ont. for the night, said goodbye to his coworker and was never seen or heard from again. That coworker later found a note, allegedly written by McNichol on a paper towel, which said: “I’m sorry – I’ve gotta go.” At the time of his disappearance, the father of two young children was experiencing financial challenges at the bakery. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.

Jed Ouillette, 52, hasn’t been seen since Sept. 8, 2014. His last known location was his home on Southwood Drive in Kitchener, Ont. Waterloo Regional Police said they searched Lakeside Park, where Ouillette was known to visit with his dogs, and found clothing similar to what he was known to wear. His brother told CTV News Ouillette was going through “hard times” after losing his house but generally “seemed OK.” Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.

Michael James Lovejoy, 35, was found dead in the sleeper section of his transport truck on April 9, 1994. He was travelling from Buffalo, New York to Pontiac, Michigan with a load of automotive axles. Witnesses said his vehicle parked on the shoulder of Highway 403 in Brantford, Ont. on the afternoon of April 10, 1994. They also saw a man walking from Lovejoy’s truck to a tractor trailer parked behind it. That man has never been identified. Lovejoy’s body was discovered the next day. He had been shot several times. Please contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050.

John Zuern, 21, was a patient a London, Ont. hospital when, on June 14, 1975, he left without permission and was reported missing a week later. Zuern may have travelled to Toronto, where several sightings of him were reported on Bloor Street West and Spadina Avenue. It appeared as if he was living on the streets. The last sighting of Zuern was in 1980. Police said he had pronounced limp and had mental health issues. Please contact Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.

Amber Ellis, 32, has not been seen or heard from since February 2021. She was staying at a home in Six Nations of the Grand River but, just days before Ellis vanished, was allegedly involved in a confrontation in Brantford, Ont. Searches have been carried out at two properties in Six Nations, but human remains have never been recovered. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in her case. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-866-549-2090.

Alexander “Sandy” Abt, 44, was last seen in 2008. His sister visited his trailer, located in the Puslinch, Ont. area, on Oct.7 and again on Oct. 8. When Sandy didn’t answer, she let herself in and found a note written by her brother explaining that he needed to escape the “extortion.” Sandy had been arrested as part of a cocaine trafficking investigation in 2001. After his release from prison, the drug traffickers demanded repayment – with “significant” interest. Police said, at the time of his disappearance, Sandy had been working to pay off that debt. On Oct. 10, 2008, his van was found in a parking lot in Kitchener and taken to a local impound lot. Sandy showed up the next day to collect his personal belongings. He was reportedly limping and walked with a cane. He was also accompanied by a number of suspicious-looking men. Sandy promised to return the following day but never returned. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.

Lisa Maas, 22, was last seen leaving a house party in Woodford, near Owen Sound, Ont., on July 17, 1988. She was five months pregnant at the time. Lisa left her friend’s home with a male acquaintance, who told police he drove Lisa to her green 1976 Plymouth Fury and never saw her again. The vehicle was found two days later stuck in the mud at a farm property, while her driver’s licence was discovered near Annan, Ont. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-800-222-8477.

Jeffrey Roberts, 45, was found dead on Nov. 21, 2016, in a field near the Highway 403 overpass in Brantford, Ont. with what police described as “obvious signs of trauma.” His death was later ruled a homicide. He was last seen alive on Nov. 5, 2016. A $10,000 reward has been offered for tips that lead to a conviction in this case. Please contact the Brantford Police Service or email robertshomicide@police.brantford.on.ca.

The body of Pamela Harris was found in a small parkette just outside of Waterloo, Ont. on Nov. 7, 1988. A pair of hunters made the discovery, just off of Northfield Drive and near the Conestogo River. Police said she had been stabbed in the chest multiple times and there was also evidence she had been bludgeoned. A ring she was wearing helped lead to her identification. Harris was last seen on Oct. 7. A man told police he had picked up a hitchhiker, whom he believed was Harris, and dropped her off on Victoria Street North in Kitchener. She was never seen again. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.

The body of Robert Rempel, 49, was found on the front porch of a farmhouse near Maryhill, Ont. on Nov. 11, 2007. Police said he had been beaten to death. Rempel had an addiction to crack cocaine and spent the last years of his life in and out of jail. He had also been recruited by a local drug organization, called The Family, as a recruiter. Police said Rempel and others would beat up anyone who failed to repay their drug debt. Police said they never had enough evidence to charge anyone with Rempel’s murder. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.