Five years ago, Jed Ouillette vanished from his South Drive home in Kitchener. He was never seen again.
As the years go on, Ouillette’s family members have become more and more convinced that foul play is involved.
“People don’t just disappear,” said Donna Morton, Ouillette’s sister.
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To say that Ouillette had been going through a difficult time would be an understatement. He had massive financial issues with his home being in the process of being repossessed. His girlfriend of 12 years moved out. His mom, who had been living in the basement to help financially, also moved out of the house.
He was a heavy drinker as well.
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Ouillette, who would be 57 today, worked at EMCO Waterworks Kitchener for most of his adult life. He purchased a dump truck to start his own business about a year prior to his disappearance, but he developed a medical condition that led to seizures, so he was unable to drive, therefore hindering his ability to make money.
On the day of his disappearance, he started a new job as a labourer, but was sent home after he suffered a seizure at work.
Debbie Brutski, Ouillette’s ex-girlfriend, was the last person to talk to him on Monday night. They had a conversation at around 7:30 p.m. over the phone, talking about finances and taxes.
According to Morton, Ouillette was upset with Brutski over financial issues. With Ouillette on the brink of losing his home, Brutski moved out and at the same time, collected an inheritance from her late mother.
"He was kind of upset that she didn't really help him out at all," said Morton.
On the Saturday before his disappearance, he had a conversation with a family member about potentially collecting alimony from Brutski, as the two were in a common-law partnership. It is unknown if he broached that issue with Brutski.
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If Ouillette committed suicide, he would have had to have done it by foot, as his vehicle was still parked at his house. In a dense, urban environment, he would have had to walk to an area where his body would not be found.
“If he committed suicide, he couldn’t have hid his own body,” said Morton.
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Det. Duane Gingerich of the Major Crimes Unit at Waterloo Regional Police, said that while police initially thought the case was not suspicious at first due to the circumstances of his disappearance, there is a possibility that foul play is involved.
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A couple weeks ago, police did interview someone in relation to the case, but Gingerich said they have been interviewing people through the last five years.
"There's definitely work still being done on it," said Gingerich. "That's been ongoing over the last five years. It hasn't been a case where we just re-opened it three weeks ago to look into it. It's been open all along."
Gingerich said there are "working theories" in relation to the case.
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'People don't just disappear': The mysterious case of Kitchener's Jed Ouillette
