I am reaching out to the Websleuth community for any information regarding the killer of Ljubica Topic in 1971.
I was sexually molested at the age of four, sometime between May and October 1969, exact date is not known. The incident took place in the alley behind the 1500 block of Dougall Ave and Church St. My parents reported it to Windsor Police but I don’t have details of what was done at that time. My parents are since deceased and when I contacted Windsor Police for an access request for my records, they could find no record of it (too old of a file).
My memory of some aspects of the incident are clear and I have a general picture in my head of the man’s appearance and his vehicle. Before it happened, I was playing in the alley with a group of older neighbourhood children and this person gave them some money and told them to go to the corner store and leave me behind. He tried to persuade me to get in his car, but I shook my head ‘no’ and so he molested me and pleasured himself and thankfully he left in his car alone. I returned home with some coins in my hand and when my mother asked where the money came from I told her. The look of fear in her eyes is something that sticks with me, but I think she played it pretty cool so she wouldn’t frighten me. It wasn’t until after her death in 1993 that I read an article about a “cold-case” in Windsor of the murder of Ljubica Topic. The thing I noticed first was the similarity in our appearance and then reading the few details given I was a bit shaken wondering if this was the same man. I spoke with my older siblings and they said my mother always wondered the same, but she never spoke to me about it. Over the years I would wonder if I had anything to contribute to solve Ljubica’s case but I really don’t have concrete memories that I could swear to in court, and there is fear and shame involved with telling my story. At one point, the police issued a sketch of what the suspect might look like. It did not seem to jive with my recollection of his face, but still I wondered. Now that her case has been closed definitively, I find myself wondering even more if this is the same individual. If that is the case, I was incredibly lucky that no violence occurred in the incident I was involved in. Perhaps because I didn’t put up a fight? Maybe he was just getting started and hadn’t escalated yet? I would like to see a picture of the person they have identified as her killer, preferably from that time period so that I can put this to rest in my mind after over 50 years.
I have contacted Windsor Police Victim Services; the Information & Privacy Commission; Percy Hatfield’s office; and even a private investigator……all with absolutely no support.
I do wonder if there are others like me with similar stories that were largely ignored by Windsor Police at the time prior to Ljubica’s murder? Please reach out with any information you may have to share.
Thank you.
windsorstar.com
www.facebook.com
torontosun.com
