CANADA Canada - Sonia Varaschin, 42, Orangeville, 29 Aug 2010 - #3

[whiterhino]

Will LE ever specifically say if they pulled fingerprints off the rear-view mirror or other surface of Sonia's car, or from any of the crime scenes? (I know this isn't useful if prints belong to others known to Sonia who would reasonably be expected to have prior prints in her home or car. But I've been watching a LOT of real crime shows lately, and often the perp(s) will leave bloodied prints - that's a likely distinction from expected ones). We don't know what the murder weapon is because LE has never told us; all we know is (sorry for the graphic refs here) that Sonia lost a lot of blood. IF a knife was used, often (as shows like Forensic Files and others indicate), an attacker is likely to cut themselves if the knife becomes slippery. Is this how LE gathered DNA? Is this a reason why LE has talked about "mixed DNA" samples in Sonia's case -- is that because Sonia's and the perp's blood is mixed, or is it a reference to the possibility of two (or more?) perps? What's the update on using the "new technology" to separate mixed DNA samples that LE discussed earlier?

I get the feeling the killer wore gloves/wiped their prints and any traces of themselves. Aside from some DNA left behind which after 10+ years has seemingly resulted in nothing.

Actually, I'm kind of unnerved knowing that whoever did this left almost no trace. If it weren't for the boot print and trace DNA, there would've been nothing!!! (that we know of)

I don't think the DNA came from an injury to the perpetrator. IMO it's likely sweat or saliva which IIRC would be more difficult to extract a full profile from ('m literally basing that off CSI so not scientific at all). Maybe this is one reason why it's taken so long? DNA with some amount of protein (?) like semen or tissue is, I believe, preferable. Still though it would be nice to have some kind of follow up after this many years.

@2soccermom I'm guessing they collected evidence and either returned it to Sonias' family or possibly put it into an auction? Sometimes the "proceeds of crime" are auctioned off but IDK protocol in this type of situation.

Brings up some questions: Where did the perp leave SVs' keys? Did LE find anyone else' DNA or prints/traces in SVs' home? Yes, we can say the BF or mother, brother etc could have left DNA/hair etc behind from previous visits. My question is did they find anyone elses' DNA at all besides Sonia and if so, whose, where and what kind?

I've always wondered if the boot print wasn't like some kind of calling card or intentional "mistake". I've also often wondered whether or not the killer is actually a size 10 work boot or if it wasn't someone wearing a size up/down. It would probably be fairly easy to scrub off the boots with some bleach and dump them where they'll be picked up quickly.

Speaking of DNA... Short story below:

There was this guy when I was younger. He had a reputation for being a creep and a perv. One night I was out having drinks with friends when I noticed the bartender was the creepy guy. I was placing my empty glass on the bar when I spotted him collecting some of the bottles and setting them aside. It stuck me as odd as I watched him take only some of the bottles, not all of them.

He caught me watching him. He looked over at me and said "It's for recycling". I never really believed him. Turns out, several years later he was caught peeping in windows and recording women.

Sometimes when I think of the DNA in Sonias' case, I think of this creep and the bottles. I ALWAYS felt that he was collecting bottles for DNA and prints, not to recycle.

The creep is currently in prison but not indefinitely. His shoe size and DNA are available right now and he is from a rural area VERY close to where Sonia lived, within a sort of triangle. Sometimes I think what if the DNA were planted? What if the boot print was intentional?

 

[2soccermom]

Very scary story above, whiterhino. My word! Glad this person was caught but how awful for the people he was peeping on.
And: I wholly agree with you in your concerns! People are so informed these days by crime shows (even if many of these aren't fully "realistic") and pretty much everyone knows about the significance of DNA left at a crime scene; there must surely be perps who premeditate (or interfere after a crime) by planting imposter DNA (stolen hairs, skin cells, perhaps even semen and blood although that would be more challenging, I'm sure). I'm trying to discover what strategies investigators use to detect fabricate/planted DNA (age of sample, for example) but my first hit came across this:

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show

Scientists in Israel have demonstrated t

www.geneticsandsociety.org

"Planted" DNA (by a perp on scene) is only one implication of the research findings, as the article notes. YIKES.

 

[Gina20]

Very scary story above, whiterhino. My word! Glad this person was caught but how awful for the people he was peeping on.
And: I wholly agree with you in your concerns! People are so informed these days by crime shows (even if many of these aren't fully "realistic") and pretty much everyone knows about the significance of DNA left at a crime scene; there must surely be perps who premeditate (or interfere after a crime) by planting imposter DNA (stolen hairs, skin cells, perhaps even semen and blood although that would be more challenging, I'm sure). I'm trying to discover what strategies investigators use to detect fabricate/planted DNA (age of sample, for example) but my first hit came across this:

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show

Scientists in Israel have demonstrated t

www.geneticsandsociety.org

"Planted" DNA (by a perp on scene) is only one implication of the research findings, as the article notes. YIKES.

Given that Sonia worked as a nurse, just imagine how easy it would be for someone in the medical field to obtain someone else's DNA.

 

[whiterhino]

Very scary story above, whiterhino. My word! Glad this person was caught but how awful for the people he was peeping on.
And: I wholly agree with you in your concerns! People are so informed these days by crime shows (even if many of these aren't fully "realistic") and pretty much everyone knows about the significance of DNA left at a crime scene; there must surely be perps who premeditate (or interfere after a crime) by planting imposter DNA (stolen hairs, skin cells, perhaps even semen and blood although that would be more challenging, I'm sure). I'm trying to discover what strategies investigators use to detect fabricate/planted DNA (age of sample, for example) but my first hit came across this:

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show

Scientists in Israel have demonstrated t

www.geneticsandsociety.org

"Planted" DNA (by a perp on scene) is only one implication of the research findings, as the article notes. YIKES.

Right?!

He might not have been keeping bottles for DNA/prints (it sounds so outlandish when I read it back lol). But it wouldn't surprise me if he tried it. He's a danger to society that should be heavily monitored upon his release.

I'm sure that planting DNA must be an art form. How to account for someones' DNA left behind in a certain location, kind of DNA etc, not easy to pull off I'm sure.

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

What happened to the “blood covered” car parked away from the scene. There was blood on the side of the car. Do we know whose blood that was?

 

[Gina20]

What happened to the “blood covered” car parked away from the scene. There was blood on the side of the car. Do we know whose blood that was?

Some years back, I saw a photo of Sonia's car in the impound lot. After 12 years, would it still be there? At 1:20, is that her car in the background?

 

[Gina20]

I know just about every possibility has been explored here, so here's one more. An organized prostitution ring called North Preston's Finest (NPF) has been operating in Peel Region for more than a decade. This gang has a reputation for no-holds-barred violence. Who were those partying young men that Sonia reported to the police?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/north-preston-s-finest-gang-funnels-girls-to-ontario-for-prostitution-police-1.2791599

North Preston's Finest - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Found Deceased - Canada - Taliyah Marsman, 5, & Sara Baillie, 34, Calgary, 11 July 2016 #1 *Arrest*

I think I missed something. Who is CP?

www.websleuths.com

GUILTY - Canada - Taliyah Marsman, 5, & Sara Baillie, 34, Calgary, 11 July 2016 #2

Case Synopsis On Monday, July 11, 2016 the body of single mother Sarah Baillie was found in her apartment after concerned family members called in a wellness check when Sarah did not show up for work as expected. Missing from the apartment was 5 year old Taliyah Marsman. Taliyah was observed...

www.websleuths.com

Sonia herself did not lead a high-risk lifestyle, but who hung out with her noisy neighbors?

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

And where are those partying neighbours now? Were they investigated thoroughly? DNA taken, found?

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

And what happened regarding the dating site Plenty of Fish? Too many unanswered questions here.

 

[dotr]

How DNA Evidence Works

The limitations of DNA evidence is explained in this section. Learn about the limitations of DNA evidence.

science.howstuffworks.com

''Even more troubling are cases of DNA fraud -- instances where criminals plant fake DNA samples at a crime scene. In 1992, Canadian physician John Schneeberger planted fake DNA evidence in his own body to avoid suspicion in a rape case. Planting fake DNA obtained from someone else is only part of the problem. Scientists at Nucleix, an Israeli company, recently reported that they could, with access to profiles stored in one of the DNA databases, manufacture a sample of DNA without obtaining any tissue from that person.''

 

[whiterhino]

What happened to the “blood covered” car parked away from the scene. There was blood on the side of the car. Do we know whose blood that was?

Imagine doing all of those evil deeds and then right at the end, walking away from the final scene leaving your own blood evidence behind!

IIRC the Plenty of Fish component was ruled out. IMO being on Plenty Of Fish puts people at a higher risk for many reasons. Hopefully anytime a dating site is in the picture of a missing/murdered person, it's looked into thoroughly. Then again all it takes is ignoring/blocking a user and suddenly you have a stalker. LE probably doesn't look into all the profiles that go ignored.

JMHO I don't think an organized trafficking ring is responsible for Sonias murder but then again, you never know. Someone from the townhouse complex could have been affiliated but I really doubt anyone would be so angry about a complaint that they would go to the level of what was done to Sonia. Saying this with all due respect.

All I keep thinking is that whoever moved Sonias body did it to buy themselves time. As long as no one can find her there's time to hide evidence, create an alibi etc. Who needed to do this?

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

Well, I’m right back to thinking Sonia, Audrey and Shelley have the same perp. My gut feeling.

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

Is Sonia’s family still putting the pressure on LE? I hope so. Same with Shelley’s husband. And maybe LV for Audrey?

 

[Gina20]

Imagine doing all of those evil deeds and then right at the end, walking away from the final scene leaving your own blood evidence behind!

IIRC the Plenty of Fish component was ruled out. IMO being on Plenty Of Fish puts people at a higher risk for many reasons. Hopefully anytime a dating site is in the picture of a missing/murdered person, it's looked into thoroughly. Then again all it takes is ignoring/blocking a user and suddenly you have a stalker. LE probably doesn't look into all the profiles that go ignored.

JMHO I don't think an organized trafficking ring is responsible for Sonias murder but then again, you never know. Someone from the townhouse complex could have been affiliated but I really doubt anyone would be so angry about a complaint that they would go to the level of what was done to Sonia. Saying this with all due respect.

All I keep thinking is that whoever moved Sonias body did it to buy themselves time. As long as no one can find her there's time to hide evidence, create an alibi etc. Who needed to do this?

Then again, one of the NPF gang members murdered a little girl because she might have identified him as her mother's murderer. If one of these creeps thought Sonia might have seen something or someone that she shouldn't have seen, that could have been all it took.

Also thinking of all the bodies dumped in Caledon.

 

[dotr]

Is this how LE gathered DNA? Is this a reason why LE has talked about "mixed DNA" samples in Sonia's case -- is that because Sonia's and the perp's blood is mixed, or is it a reference to the possibility of two (or more?) perps? What's the update on using the "new technology" to separate mixed DNA samples that LE discussed earlier?

rsbm.
Regarding mixed DNA..

New Genetic Genealogy Technique Can Separate DNA Mixtures

A recent arrest made in a 30-year-old murder is an absolute “game-changer”—it is the first case using whole genome sequencing to separate mixtures.

www.forensicmag.com

May 13, 2020 rbbm.
by Michelle Taylor

''A recent arrest made in a 30-year-old murder is an absolute “game-changer”—it is the first case using whole genome sequencing to separate mixtures. (Parabon NanoLabs researchers achieved successful separation of mixtures using microarray genotyping in 2015 and demonstrated its successful use for genetic genealogy in summer 2018.)
https://www.forensicmag.com/3374-AuthorProfile/8542-Michelle-Taylor/
On Dec. 20, 1987, Cleveland police responded to a report of a deceased female in a wooded area. Seventeen-year-old Barbara Blatnik was found nude and strangled to death 30 minutes away from her home. At the time, DNA was found beneath Blatnik’s fingernails, but it was a mixture of hers and her killer’s. DNA techniques in 1987 couldn’t do anything with a female and male DNA mixture, so the case went cold. Until Porchlight Project and Colleen Fitzpatrick’s Identifinders International stepped in.
https://www.forensicmag.com/3374-AuthorProfile/8542-Michelle-Taylor/
Using whole genome sequencing, Fitzpatrick and her team sequenced the DNA mixture, then subtracted out the sequence created from the DNA of the victim. The result was a sequence for the suspect, which they ran through Identifinders’ bioinformatics pipeline to create autosomal SNP data for just the suspect. Fitzpatrick uploaded that data to GEDmatch, worked the genealogy and received a match for 67-year-old James Zastawnik, who police promptly arrested for murder.
https://www.forensicmag.com/3374-AuthorProfile/8542-Michelle-Taylor/
“Using CODIS, is it very difficult to separate mixtures without a clear major and minor contributor. That is the main reason the case went unsolved for so long,” Fitzpatrick told Forensic. “Demonstrating it's possible to separate mixtures using whole genome sequencing and genetic genealogy is a game-changer. It opens the door for so many other sexual assault cases that otherwise may never be solved.”

 

[dotr]

re- post 2015 rbbm

Sonia Varaschin murder still unsolved - CHCH

Sonia Varaschin murder still unsolved

www.chch.com

''Police are also asking the public to take a close look at a video. It was taken around 6pm on the night of August 30th, behind the Orangeville town hall. 2 people can be seen together in a gazebo, heavily screened by trees.
Police believe that the people seen in the video, may be witnesses, or possibly suspects in the Varaschin case. They are hoping that anyone with information that may help to identify them, will contact the OPP.

Something that may help to jog a memory or 2, at the time of Sonia’s murder her family reported that she had recently left her job in Shelbourne to work in Mississauga because of workplace conflict. They also told police that, as a shift-worker, she’d had an ongoing dispute with 3 young men living in a neighbouring townhouse over noise.

Police have not confirmed either claim.''

2011

Sonia Varaschin’s final days filled with strife, mother says

Although Sonia Varaschin has been portrayed as a smiling, bubbly nurse who was loved by all, her life was hardly carefree.

www.hamiltonnews.com

''Parts of the new phase in the investigation will lead back to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, where some of the alleged conflict took place.

“We’re taking a look at all the issues surrounding her life — her friends, her work associates. All that is part of the ongoing investigation,” Det. Insp. Karski said.

According to Michele, Sonia had a confrontation with a supervisor while employed as a nurse at Southlake over Sonia’s decision to change a dosage that was prescribed for a patient.

The supervisor, Michele says, challenged why Sonia had changed the doctor’s orders without authorization and created tension in the workplace.

“She would come home crying every night,” Michele says. “She felt she was being treated like a criminal. She couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to hire a lawyer, but she refused.”

Sonia quit the hospital and had been working happily for a month or so in Mississauga at the time of her murder, her mother says.

In addition, there was an alleged conflict between the hospital and the Workers’ Safety and Insurance Board over disability pay Sonia was due after taking time off to heal a shoulder injury suffered on the job, Michele says.

In fact, Michele says, a key meeting was called for that Monday, Aug. 30, within hours of her daughter’s murder, to decide who was responsible for making that payment.

Michele says things quickly got resolved when police paid a visit to the hospital.

“The cheque came by courier very fast,” Michele says, adding that Southlake Regional Hospital had paid up.

The Star could not independently confirm Michele’s claims, but police are aware of them.

When reached by a reporter Saturday night, hospital spokesperson Tammy LaRue said she wasn’t aware of any disputes between Sonia and any member of the hospital staff. She said she would have to consult with human resources to verify those claims.

LaRue did say that Sonia “wasn’t under any disciplinary action. She left on her own terms.”

In addition to those alleged disputes, Michele has revealed for the first time that her daughter, who lived alone, had several disputes with three or four young men, who had rented a unit a few doors away, because of their late-night rowdiness.

“She was a nurse who worked shifts, so she called the police on them several times,” Michele says, adding that the young men have since moved out of the complex''

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

And no one knows where these men went? LE didn’t follow up? I highly doubt the hospital complaint had anything to do with Sonia’s death. Again, I say look young and look close as LE said about AG.

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

Surely LE could trace their whereabouts. And take DNA samples.

 

[Gina20]

Surely LE could trace their whereabouts. And take DNA samples.

It is a great mystery how killers who murder women in their own homes get away with it. Whether they move the body to another location or leave it in place doesn't seem to matter. There are quite a number of these unsolved murders over the years in Ontario alone. It seems illogical.

Home, the most dangerous place for women, with majority of female homicide victims worldwide killed by partners or family, UNODC study says

25 November 2018 - Around 87,000 women were killed around the world last year, some 50,000 - or 58 per cent - at the hands of intimate partners or family members. This amounts to some six women being killed every hour by people they know, according to new research published by the United Nations...

www.unodc.org

 

[dotr]

ONTARIO COLD CASE: Is an arrest close in brutal attack of Shelley Loder?

The vicious attack on Shelley Loder and the murder of Sonia Varaschin occurred three months apart in 2010. Could the cases be related?

www.insidehalton.com

"It is an isolated area. How many people from out of town would go there?”​

Chris Halliday October 10, 2019 rbbm
''The vicious attack on Shelley Loder and the murder of Sonia Varaschin occurred three months apart in 2010. There are similarities and dissimilarities to each crime. Could the same offender be responsible? Could it be a copycat? The OPP doesn’t believe they're connected but continues to keep an open mind.
No arrests have been made after a violent and vicious attack on Shelley Loder inside her Mono photography studio close to nine years ago, but an investigator overseeing the file says one tip could break the case wide open at any time''

''THE SONIA VARASCHIN CONNECTION?
There are some web sleuths who believe the same person responsible for attacking Loder could be connected to the murder of Varaschin about three months earlier.''

“There are some similarities. There are some areas that aren’t similar. But an offender may not offend in the same way every time,” Depratto explained.
“You can’t have tunnel vision. We don’t want to shut an avenue off at all,” he added. “People use different techniques at different times. Like you say, have they offended before? If you read those serial killer books, (people) get better as they go.”


''COULD IT BE A COPYCAT CRIMINAL?
In a 2012 interview with The Banner, Lee Mellor, the author of the book Cold Case Killers, suggested the possibility of a copycat criminal being responsible for Loder’s attack could explain some of the case’s similarities to Varaschin’s murder.
For instance, Mellor pointed out both incidents may have been home invasions and the crime scenes were located close to each other. He also added both crimes involved “very personal and hand-to-hand” violence and the attacker likely knew their victim’s habits.
“I believe both women had to be under surveillance by the person that attacked them,” Mellor said.''

“The more publicity we get out there on social media, the better it is, the more people that see it,” he said. “We might get some leads. It is good that these things do come up once in a while.”