Some cases remain open for years – or even decades – without answers. With no new leads, they go cold, despite the best efforts of investigators and loved ones. Here we look back at some of the unsolved cases from around southwestern Ontario.
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Unsolved and cold cases Some cases remain open for years – or even decades – without answers. With no new leads, they go cold, despite the best efforts of investigators and loved ones. Here are some of the unsolved cases from around southwestern Ontario.
Joshua Bennett, 18, was found dead near a Kitchener, Ont. trail on Sept. 24, 2021. An autopsy determined the college student had been stabbed multiple times. Security video from the area showed Bennett interacting with several people, who have not yet been identified, on Paulander Drive the night before his body was discovered. A $50,000 reward has been offered for credible information that leads to an arrest and successful prosecution in the case. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police’s Major Crime Unit at 519-570-9777, ext. 8191.
Eli Wood, 25, was last seen on Oct. 18, 2025. The following morning, a fire destroyed his home on Major Street in Kitchener, Ont. Investigators suspect foul play was involved in Wood’s disappearance. His family is offering a $5,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. While the case is not considered cold, there has been no new update in months. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.
Mary Hammond, 25, vanished while walking to work on Sept. 8, 1983. She left around 3:30 a.m. but never turned up at Buns Master Bakery on Morton Avenue in Brantford, Ont. Police tracked her footprints to a field, where they also discovered her lunch, one sock and a small amount of blood. Investigators used DNA testing on those items and, in 2022, identified Steven Mudko as a suspect in her abduction and presumed murder. He died in 2010. Hammond’s body has never been found. A dedicated tipline has been set up at 519-756-7050, ext. 2592, or email HammondDisappearance@police.brantford.on.ca.
Jimmy Paige, 3, was last seen riding his toy tractor with his older brother and a friend on March 23, 1963. According to family members, the children had been circling the block in their Brantford, Ont. neighbourhood when the toddler suddenly disappeared. A large-scale search was launched, but there was no trace of Jimmy. Family members doubted early explanations suggesting the child may have entered the Grand River on his own, pointing to the lack of physical evidence at the scene. One of the few pieces of potential evidence — Jimmy’s toy tractor — was later recovered. Please contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050.
David MacDermott, 30, was last seen on Nov. 9, 2002, at his home on Mill Street in Kitchener, Ont. His family said he had been celebrating his roommate’s birthday. What happened next is still a mystery. MacDermott’s family wants police to use ground penetrating radar to search the property but, as of 2025, the homeowner refused to grant permission. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.
Neil McDougall, 40, was last seen at a home in Ayton, Ont. on Oct. 12, 1985. His car was later found nearby, in the small village south of Hanover. Ontario Provincial Police suspect foul play was involved in his disappearance. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.
Thera Dieleman, 80, was found beaten and strangled to death in her home, just east of Innerkip, Ont., in 1988. Thirty years later, in 2018, police shared a composite sketch of her alleged attacker. Police said DNA evidence, found at the murder scene, was used to develop the image. The suspect was also seen driving a red flatbed farm truck with white lettering on the doors. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.
Derek Ritz, 51, was last seen at a home in Sebringville, Ont. on Dec. 31, 2016. Investigators said they have heard stories about what happened to him, but they still need concrete clues to close the case. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information on Ritz’s whereabouts or the people responsible for his disappearance. Please contact Det. Sgt. Mike Weyers with Stratford Police at 519-271-4147, ext. 8184.
Jed Ouillette, 52, hasn’t been seen since Sept. 8, 2014. His last known location was his home on Southwood Drive in Kitchener, Ont. Waterloo Regional Police said they searched Lakeside Park, where Ouillette was known to visit with his dogs, and found clothing similar to what he was known to wear. His brother told CTV News Ouillette was going through “hard times” after losing his house but generally “seemed OK.” Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.
John Zuern, 21, was a patient a London, Ont. hospital when, on June 14, 1975, he left without permission and was reported missing a week later. Zuern may have travelled to Toronto, where several sightings of him were reported on Bloor Street West and Spadina Avenue. It appeared as if he was living on the streets. The last sighting of Zuern was in 1980. Police said he had pronounced limp and had mental health issues. Please contact Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
Nathan Wise, 39, was last seen last seen on May 12, 2023, in the area of Jane Street and Sheppard Avenue West in Toronto, Ont. He was living the in city but previously called the Region of Waterloo home and still had close ties to the community. Despite numerous public appeals and searches, there has never been a confirmed sighting of Wise. Please contact Toronto Police at 416-808-2222.
David Krueger was last seen on April 26, 1979. Prior to his disappearance, Kruger was dealing with financial difficulties at his hot tub business and the death of his mother. His pickup truck was found weeks later abandoned near the Finch Avenue TTC station in Toronto. Please contact Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
Amber Ellis, 32, has not been seen or heard from since February 2021. She was staying at a home in Six Nations of the Grand River but, just days before Ellis vanished, was allegedly involved in a confrontation in Brantford, Ont. Searches have been carried out at two properties in Six Nations, but human remains have never been recovered. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in her case. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-866-549-2090.
Gus Fourtounes, 40, was fatally stabbed in Guelph, Ont. on Aug. 25, 2005. Around 4 a.m., residents on Elizabeth Street heard a man screaming for help. Fourtounes died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Police said he was known to be involved in the city’s drug scene. Please contact the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
Robert William Commu, 29, was last seen working on his truck in the former township of South Dumfries on March 31, 1996. In the days leading up to his disappearance, he was reportedly in a pickup with two unidentified males. Commu’s family doesn’t believe he left by choice. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 519-442-2242 or 1-888-310-1122.
Jeffrey Roberts, 45, was found dead on Nov. 21, 2016, in a field near the Highway 403 overpass in Brantford, Ont. with what police described as “obvious signs of trauma.” He was last seen alive a few days earlier. Please call Brantford Police at 519-756-7050.
Lois Hanna, 25, was last seen at a community dance in Lucknow, Ont. on July 3, 1988. The following year, a 12-year-old boy found a bra in a local gravel pit. Investigators believe it may have belonged to Hanna. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information in the case. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.
The body of Pamela Harris was found in a small parkette just outside of Waterloo, Ont. on Nov. 7, 1988. A pair of hunters made the discovery, just off of Northfield Drive and near the Conestogo River. Police said she had been stabbed in the chest multiple times and there was also evidence she had been bludgeoned. A ring she was wearing helped lead to her identification. Harris was last seen on Oct. 7. A man told police he had picked up a hitchhiker, whom he believed was Harris, and dropped her off on Victoria Street North in Kitchener. She was never seen again. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.
Wilfred “Wolf” Bruder, 50, has been missing since Feb. 28, 2004. He was last seen using a payphone at Willow West Mall in Guelph, Ont. Please contact the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
Anne Matthews, 41, is believed to have left Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, Ont. on her own. The facility provides care for people struggling with addiction, trauma and mental health issues. Please contact the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212.
The body of Robert Rempel, 49, was found on the front porch of a farmhouse near Maryhill, Ont. on Nov. 11, 2007. Police said he had been beaten to death. Rempel had an addiction to crack cocaine and spent the last years of his life in and out of jail. He had also been recruited by a local drug organization, called The Family, as a recruiter. Police said Rempel and others would beat up anyone who failed to repay their drug debt. Police said they never had enough evidence to charge anyone with Rempel’s murder. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.
Neil Wormsbecker, 29, and Hank Englebertus Halff, 30, went out fishing on Lake Huron, just south of Goderich, on Oct. 22, 1967, and never returned home. In 2024, police asked their surviving family members for genetic samples to compare against human remains in their DNA database. Please contact Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.
Deoclides “Deo” Santos, 62, left his home to meet an unknown person on Nov. 27, 2003, and was never seen again. His vehicle was later found parked in a lot on Victoria Street North in Kitchener. Please contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.
