CANADA Canada - Melinda Sheppit, 16, Ottawa ON, 30 September 1990

Interesting.

Can anyone chime in on the crowd in the Market in the early 90s? It is so upscale now, it is wild to think this happened there.

This case is still unsolved. The person many people speak of as one of the previous poi' by the name of Mark M, was never found to be involved but he sure was put through the ringer. I feel for his family because this reminds me of Guy Paul Morin. Wrongly accused but no one had the guts to stand up for Mark. Not anyone who knew the truth anyway.

I knew Mark M. I had many conversations with him over several months prior to his suicide. He was a gentle soul, a lonely person who was kind and caring and all he ever did wrong was ask girls to come visit him but in actuality he was not able to pay so he didn't even answer his door. I don't think he actually expected them to travel to him. Thisi is called a "no-show" He did it a few times so he ended up on the bad client list, He was bullied, ridiculed and harassed. Mark never hurt anyone and I don't believe he ever would have. it is my opinion that he was bullied to death. I feel for his family and I want them to know it was all BS what happened and he was a good person and a good friend.

imo

Your post is very powerful Patience imo.

Like many others, I would not know why Mark M was a POI (nor do i know that he was a POI) at one time, nor why he was never charged. I do know that policing in the 90's in Canada is a shameful period. Jmo.

Mark M's suicide is very tragic. More so if he was innocent of any wrong doing. Can you enlighten us on any details? Maybe someone will recognize a possible perp with a few details?

Why was Mark M originally identified as a POI? Was this by prostitutes or LE?

Are there other cases of young women being strangled downtown during this time period?

Mm was entered into a bad client list initially for not answering the door when his appointments showed. A time waster as people would travel to him and be out of pocket. He became disliked and was ridiculed. Someone claimed that he mentioned Melinda. The media picked it up and i believe it was sensationalized. He couldn't take it and committed suicide. I do not believe LE ever considered him a suspect and he was never charged with a crime to my knowledge.

This is is my opinion and it was a long time ago.

Do they know whom got her pregnant?

Any updates here? Strange case.

Judging by this article release in June of last year, it sounds like we might actually have a serial killer case?? Im trying to see if there is anymore information but it might be useful to look into the other three unsolved cases. Three other sex workers were found dead from strangulation in the area.

In 1993 Sophie Filion was found in Westboro, stuffed in garbage bags. She had also recently turned to sex work. In 1995 Carrie Mancuso was found strangled to death in an apartment on Lafontaine Ave. Amy Paul (a more recent case) was found dead from strangulation in a field in the rural area of south Ottawa.

Now the article suggests this connection to Melinda's murder based on the cause of death in all the cases. They were all found in different parts of the city and it could very well be different murderers but maybe looking into the similarities of these unsolved cases of 4 young woman strangled to death all working in the sex industry might offer us more clues into who killed Melinda and these woman?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawapolice-murder-unsolved-1.3615647

2016
''Sept. 30, 1990 – Melinda Sheppit was 16, pregnant and had been working the streets for just three weeks when her bruised body was found by a homeless man in a parking lot in the ByWard Market. She had been strangled and was missing one of her stiletto shoes. Described as a sweet girl who dreamed of being a social worker, she was last seen alive talking to a man at the corner of Dalhousie and Clarence streets less than 12 hours before.''

The Ottawa Citizen​

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Sun, Dec 21, 1997Page 20

rbbm​

''Melinda Sheppit’s nearly naked body was found next to a dumpster in a downtown parking lot on September 30, 1990. She had been strangled and one of her snakeskin stilettos was missing.''

Only days before, the 16-year-old had called her relatives in Oakville and told them she was going to return to the Toronto area.
Until two years before her murder, Sheppit lived with her parents, her sister and two brothers in
Oakville.''

''When her father, Peter Sheppit, got a job as a security guard in the capital, the family moved to a townhouse in Ottawa’s Hunt Club area.''

''A psychological profile said the killer was likely an introverted night owl, a 25-to-35-year-old who still lived with his parents and had little self-confidence.''