More than 20 years have passed since the body of a dead woman was found in a wooded rest area near Rockwood, but police are still looking for answers. A passerby who was walking near a picnic area along Highway 7, between Rockwood and Guelph, made the discovery on Aug. 28, 2005. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigators didn’t know much about the woman, but they believed she had been dragged a short distance into the brush about a month before her body was found. A ‘Woods’ branded sleeping bag covered her and she was wearing clothing purchased in the Montreal area. Her death was considered suspicious. “She was dumped in this location to hide the truth of her death,” OPP Detective Inspector Ian Maule said at the time. She had fractures to her cheekbone, nose and left eye socket that had already healed. Because of that prior injury, she wore a two-tooth partial denture to replace her missing upper teeth. Identifying Tammy In April 2024, police used DNA to confirm the woman was 41-year-old Tammy Eileen Penner from Chilliwack, British Columbia. The announcement came approximately two years after the OPP submitted the case for investigative genetic genealogy (IGG). “The length of time for IGG analysis varies depending on several circumstances, including [the] traditional genealogy process or the time spent creating a profile from a DNA sample,” Agata Czajkowski, strategic communications advisor for the OPP’s Criminal Investigation Branch, explained when CTV asked about the lengthy timeline. “Additionally, the only certified/accredited labs that perform IGG are located in the United States, which will increase the time it takes to receive results.” Tracking Tammy’s travels Tammy had been reported missing to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Feb. 7, 2005. Police said she travelled from Chilliwack to Abbotsford, British Columbia before making her way to Ontario. She stopped by the Midland Mall in Midland, Ontario on June 30, 2005. About a month later, a transport truck driver may have dropped her off at a Husky Truck Stop on Highway 401 and Dixie Road in Mississauga. That stop has since closed. Penner was spotted near a cream or beige-coloured transport truck shortly after she was dropped off. She may have been wearing a beige tank top with black corduroy shorts and carrying a blue sleeping bag. Anyone who believes they saw her at the truck stop is urged to reach out to investigators as they continue to investigate the case. The Wellington County OPP can be reached at 1-888-310-1122. Anonymous tips can be left with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or through ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
