CANADA Canada - Possible SK targetting sex trade workers in Ottawa, Ontario

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Interesting that the perp appears to be inactive after August of 1995 until 2006. I wonder why?

Ottawa police have six unsolved homicides dating back 21 years, said acting Police Chief Charles Bordeleau.

“The pattern involves more than one, but we’re not identifying how many of those are in the pattern.”

Police won’t reveal the pattern they have identified, but there are some similarities between a few of the cases.

  • ( 1 ) Melinda Sheppit (16), Sept. 30, 1990 - parking lot - strangled
  • ( 2 ) Sophie Filion (23), Dec. 3, 1993 - parking lot - strangled
  • ( 3 ) Carrie Doloris Mancuso (32), August 1995 - her apartment - asphyxiation
  • ( 4 ) Kelly Morrisseau (27), 2006 - parking lot - stabbed (from 1st. post)
  • ( 5 ) Pamela Kosmack (39), June 2008 - bike path - beaten to death
  • ( 6 ) Jennifer Leigh Stewart (36), August 2010 - parking lot - stabbed
  • ( 7 ) Leeanne Lawson (23), Sept. 2, 2011 - parking lot - strangled
 
Hello Sleuthers,

Longtime lurker - never felt I had anything significant to add in any thread that wasn't already said, and even here not sure my two cents are warranted. That aside, I love the community and love the work being done here.

As a lifelong local to the area, I took an interest in many of these sadly unsolved cases of missing and murdered women, most of whom seem to have had links to the the Byward Market and Vanier areas and to drug use and/or the sex trade (though not all of course, more on these below) spanning from 1988 to this year. It's quite sad to see that nothing more has really come of any of these cases, or LE's suggestion of a serial killer still at large, which even after Leduc's incarceration, I would agree with.

I've only just returned to my research in earnest in the last few days and there have been a few new cases I find interesting on this subject, though not definitely related.

The body of Annie Pootoogook, 46, wonderful and troubled Inuit artist, was found in the Rideau River in September 2016. After achieving quite a degree of fame in the art world, she fell on very hard times and was living on the streets of Ottawa, lower town in particular, of which the Byward Market and Vanier are parts of. She was very difficult to locate before her death and police say her whereabouts were difficult to trace. Though not treating this as a homicide, police considered the circumstances around her death "suspicious" and it at least was in the hands of the Major Crimes Unit. As far as I can see no developments have been mentioned since.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada...s-death-of-inuit-artist-annie-pootoogook.html

Then, in April 2017, 39 year old Mary Papatsie went missing, a then streetwalking Aboriginal mother of ten, last seen on Montreal Road in Vanier. Her disappearance wasn't reported for five weeks. She had been known to live both on the streets of Vanier and in nearby Lower Town shelters. Her apparent haunt was the Jean Coutu drugstore on the West end of Montreal Rd. Claimed to have been seen a month later on the same street with a "young clean cut male", though unconfirmed. Prior to living in Vanier, she was tied to a few fixed addresses before leaving her last place for fear it was haunted. Foul play isn't necessarily suspected, though like Annie, her case is with the MCU.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mary-papatsie-major-crimes-unit-1.4209491

http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php?topic=8027.0

Though the police haven't disclosed much of anything on their serial suspicions, the unsolved cases with IMO legitimate similarities are:

Melinda Sheppitt, 1990
Sophie Filion, 1993
Amy Paul, 2013

Caucasian females, all tied to the Lower Town sex trade, all found in unrelated spots. I need to reread some articles on them to confirm and i may be completely incorrect, but my original notes mention nothing about them showing signs of sexual assault.
 
Ottawa is very fond of it's apparent image as one of the world's safest and cleanest cities, a clean-cut unassuming government town, though I can say that over the past decades like many other cities, the crime and vice has simply been pushed further into the margins where it's less in view. Lower town and the Vanier neighbourhood in particular have not at all been improving, with crack and meth addiction, homelessness, and prostitution. Some cases I feel are far more likely to be gang and/or drug related.

I lean more towards the murders of Kelly Morrisseau Jennifer Stewart, and Carrie Mancuso listed in previous posts being drug and/or money related, or at the very least unrelated to the others considering the very different and brutally bloody fashion in which the first two were killed (stabbed and axed, respectively as upposed to strangulation/asphyxiation), the circumstances of the latter's, and the fact that all three were killed where they were found, as opposed to the others proposed. An informant in Kelly's case claimed she was killed over crack cocaine, and LE's POI was apparently MIA from Vanier and presumably Ottawa overall since her murder.

Interesting to note that Jennifer Stewart's murder is officialy solved and her alleged killer Adrian Daou behind bars in 2012, though his defense maintains Adrian to be innocent, who initially confessed in exchange for being taken off suicide watch. His story changed many times, and there were many flaws in the investigation. Other sex workers who knew Jennifer say she may have been killed for violating somebody else's block.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/jennifer-stewart-verdict

http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php?topic=3770.0

Carrie Mancuso, although there are similarities, the MO is completely different from the others, who were killed elsewhere and dumped in parking lots, whereas Carrie was killed in her home, by a man in a kilt no less, who was last seen jumping out of Carrie's window in escape. She was also set to testify in a drugs case four months later. She had also served an 18 month sentence for her part in a meth lab.

Also worth noting on the three "similar" victims above...

Melinda Sheppitt's killer was apparently known to the police as of 2007 but without enough to convict, yet I also read later that she was being looked at in relation to Marc Leduc. Sophie Filion is almost the same situation, and now that I read back, I can't find any evidence that Sophie had a Lower Town/Vanier tie. Her initial link was her Vanier address, but now that I double check, the street mentioned in articles seems to be in another neighbourhood further East. That and she was last seen downtown in a different area.

Amy Paul's murder was at one point officially linked to local now-convicted criminal and rapist Jacques Rouschop who was ultimately never charged. Despite claims of Paul's blood being found in his car, he appeared to have had an alibi for the time of her murder. I also couldn't find confirmation on her cause of death in the media, so I hesitate to say she's a sure tie to the '90's murders, not to mention the timespan between them.

In fact, the public info I can find on these three doesn't at all confirm in my mind that they were killed by the same individual. They make it possible, but it's all far from consistent.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...paul-homicide-told-police-monitored-his-calls
 
Other cases of note:

Deborah "Gina" Smith, 41, a known crack addict, prostitute, and "felon" with ties to *advertiser censored* and Outlaw Bikers (not sure if Outlaws as generic term for a club or specifically the 'Outlaws' which has a chapter in Ottawa) went missing in February 2005, seemingly vanished from her Vanier apartment. Barely reported on at the time and no developments since. Was set to testify against a boss/lover for threatening to beat her with a hammer.

Six months later, a nylon bag of bones show up in the drained Rideau Canal near Dow's lake that have yet to be identified. Subsequent DNA analysis suggested they were from a middle aged female. It was an incomplete skeleton with missing jaw bones and teeth. Interesting , though not conclusive.
 
On the subject of Marc Leduc's possible relation to unsolved murders ... one of his daughters said that he "went off the rails" in 2004. If this isn't taken with a grain of salt (though it coincides with a DUI), it could separate him from the murders in the '90's at the very least. Though IMO there is other ample circumstantial information on him that suggests he wouldn't have committed any of the other murders I've mentioned. What's troubling about Leduc is the talk that there was more than one perp in both murders for which he's convicted. One is based on three DNA profiles apparently found on Pamela Kosmack and sighting of a suspicious individual calling Leanne Lawson's name around her crime scene after she was found (haven't confirmed either).
 
There are also three missing persons that are possibly linked - at least to each other. Janette Brunet, Lisa Somerton, and Josee Boutin all went missing within a 23-day period in January and February 1988. Janette was last seen leaving a pub with an unknown man, apparently headed across the river into Québec. A pub employee found her pendant with a broken clasp out back the next day. Lisa was last seen by her roommate and wasn't reported missing for eight days. She was set to testify against an ex boyfriend for assaulting her, though he was ruled out by the poice. The official theory is she ran away. Josee called her employer to say she wouldn't be in that afternoon and was never heard from again. Although none of these women, as far as I know, have ties to drugs or sex work, Josee's parents lived in Vanier, and she was last seen in said area running across Montréal Rd. It appears a connection may have been feared in media at the time, but no official links were made.

Last thing ... I don't know if there's a thread here about murdered or missing along the 401 highway and whether or not it's used by killers, serial or otherwise, as dumping grounds in a similar fashion to the rest of the country and the U.S., but I've read other threads online concerning the Ottawa-Montréal-Brockville triangle connected via East 401, 416, and 417 highways, (the latter two are Ottawa area's backbone and connect it directly to Montéal), and IMO this triangle of highways and the 417 in general could be good candidates if one were to look for clues to an active serial killer operating in the Ottawa area, or beyond.

Most of the discussion on this subject already is largely with reference to the horrifically bizarre 1975 Nation River Lady case, who has a lengthy thread on here already and is a mystery unto herself. Found frozen in South Nation River where it passes under the 417 in Casselman between Ottawa and Montréal. Many others have both attempted to link her to missing persons and/or to tie her to other similar murders of women who were found dumped along and off of highways and in rivers. These suggestions range from others in the area to women in the U.S. Ones that seem compelling are an unidentified female pulled from Niagra River that same year, and another found in Napanee in 1984. There was another compelling case somebody posted in a thread where the woman appeared to have been killed in near identical fashion to NRL in a different area, but I seem to have lost the post's location. I hesitate to go into detail on the NRL case due to the pre-existing thread(s) and the fact that I have yet to jump into it fully as It seems to be it's own rabbit hole. Nevertheless as I said before, I feel this case and others similar along these highways could be the work of an active serial killer as is the case in other places in North America.

http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php?topic=1681.0

WARNING: OPP released a PM photo of NRL that is easily stumbled across by accident and very unsettling. Just a heads up to proceed with caution, although all threads concerning her seem to be free of this image and give many warnings as well.

Apologies for the overlong fragmented posts - didn't expect to write that much. I've been rereading all that I can online before I stop by the local library to find some old articles on the three missing in 1988 as I find their circumstances most compelling and unsettling, and I can only find so much on them online (almost never made mention of). If anything is incorrect that I've written I'm sorry for that too - I'm trying to triple check my notes and all the sources I had as I revisit all of this. I'll try to add more links that I missed as I go. If anybody has any new details or thoughts on any of these cases it would be great to hear as talk of them, both the murders and the missing persons, have largely gone quiet.
 
BlindDead1775 said:
Hello Sleuthers,

Longtime lurker - never felt I had anything significant to add in any thread that wasn't already said, and even here not sure my two cents are warranted. That aside, I love the community and love the work being done here.

As a lifelong local to the area, I took an interest in many of these sadly unsolved cases of missing and murdered women, most of whom seem to have had links to the the Byward Market and Vanier areas and to drug use and/or the sex trade (though not all of course, more on these below) spanning from 1988 to this year. It's quite sad to see that nothing more has really come of any of these cases, or LE's suggestion of a serial killer still at large, which even after Leduc's incarceration, I would agree with.

I've only just returned to my research in earnest in the last few days and there have been a few new cases I find interesting on this subject, though not definitely related.

The body of Annie Pootoogook, 46, wonderful and troubled Inuit artist, was found in the Rideau River in September 2016. After achieving quite a degree of fame in the art world, she fell on very hard times and was living on the streets of Ottawa, lower town in particular, of which the Byward Market and Vanier are parts of. She was very difficult to locate before her death and police say her whereabouts were difficult to trace. Though not treating this as a homicide, police considered the circumstances around her death "suspicious" and it at least was in the hands of the Major Crimes Unit. As far as I can see no developments have been mentioned since.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada...s-death-of-inuit-artist-annie-pootoogook.html

Then, in April 2017, 39 year old Mary Papatsie went missing, a then streetwalking Aboriginal mother of ten, last seen on Montreal Road in Vanier. Her disappearance wasn't reported for five weeks. She had been known to live both on the streets of Vanier and in nearby Lower Town shelters. Her apparent haunt was the Jean Coutu drugstore on the West end of Montreal Rd. Claimed to have been seen a month later on the same street with a "young clean cut male", though unconfirmed. Prior to living in Vanier, she was tied to a few fixed addresses before leaving her last place for fear it was haunted. Foul play isn't necessarily suspected, though like Annie, her case is with the MCU.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mary-papatsie-major-crimes-unit-1.4209491

http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php?topic=8027.0

Though the police haven't disclosed much of anything on their serial suspicions, the unsolved cases with IMO legitimate similarities are:

Melinda Sheppitt, 1990
Sophie Filion, 1993
Amy Paul, 2013

Caucasian females, all tied to the Lower Town sex trade, all found in unrelated spots. I need to reread some articles on them to confirm and i may be completely incorrect, but my original notes mention nothing about them showing signs of sexual assault.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting, BlindDead1775!
Here are a few threads for some of the women you have referenced.
NATION RIVER LADY.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...UFON-25-50-May-75&highlight=Nation+River+Lady

Kelly Morrisseau
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...orrisseau-27-pregnant-Gatineau-QC-10-Dec-2006

Annie Pootoogook
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ootoogook-found-dead-in-Ottawa-September-2016
 
BlindDead1775 said:
Hello Sleuthers,

Longtime lurker - never felt I had anything significant to add in any thread that wasn't already said, and even here not sure my two cents are warranted. That aside, I love the community and love the work being done here.

As a lifelong local to the area, I took an interest in many of these sadly unsolved cases of missing and murdered women, most of whom seem to have had links to the the Byward Market and Vanier areas and to drug use and/or the sex trade (though not all of course, more on these below) spanning from 1988 to this year. It's quite sad to see that nothing more has really come of any of these cases, or LE's suggestion of a serial killer still at large, which even after Leduc's incarceration, I would agree with.

I've only just returned to my research in earnest in the last few days and there have been a few new cases I find interesting on this subject, though not definitely related.

The body of Annie Pootoogook, 46, wonderful and troubled Inuit artist, was found in the Rideau River in September 2016. After achieving quite a degree of fame in the art world, she fell on very hard times and was living on the streets of Ottawa, lower town in particular, of which the Byward Market and Vanier are parts of. She was very difficult to locate before her death and police say her whereabouts were difficult to trace. Though not treating this as a homicide, police considered the circumstances around her death "suspicious" and it at least was in the hands of the Major Crimes Unit. As far as I can see no developments have been mentioned since.

Ottawa police investigating ‘suspicious’ death of Inuit artist Annie Pootoogook

Then, in April 2017, 39 year old Mary Papatsie went missing, a then streetwalking Aboriginal mother of ten, last seen on Montreal Road in Vanier. Her disappearance wasn't reported for five weeks. She had been known to live both on the streets of Vanier and in nearby Lower Town shelters. Her apparent haunt was the Jean Coutu drugstore on the West end of Montreal Rd. Claimed to have been seen a month later on the same street with a "young clean cut male", though unconfirmed. Prior to living in Vanier, she was tied to a few fixed addresses before leaving her last place for fear it was haunted. Foul play isn't necessarily suspected, though like Annie, her case is with the MCU.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mary-papatsie-major-crimes-unit-1.4209491

InMotion Hosting

Though the police haven't disclosed much of anything on their serial suspicions, the unsolved cases with IMO legitimate similarities are:

Melinda Sheppitt, 1990
Sophie Filion, 1993
Amy Paul, 2013

Caucasian females, all tied to the Lower Town sex trade, all found in unrelated spots. I need to reread some articles on them to confirm and i may be completely incorrect, but my original notes mention nothing about them showing signs of sexual assault.
Click to expand...


My theory is that Ottawa convicted SK Camille Cleroux also killed Melinda Sheppitt and Sophie Filion. Cleroux worked at a 24 hour diner in the Byward market called Mellos. It was a popular place for local sex trade workers to get a bite to eat after their shifts. Cleroux could of easily met Melinda and Sophie there... Also, Cleroux is allegedly a pedophile so that might fit why both women were not sexually assaulted according to the coroner's report... but that doesn't guarantee there was no sexual assault obviously.

Camille Cleroux | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers[/QUOTE]
 
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