CANADA Canada - Nicole Morin, 8, Toronto, 30 July 1985

[Ozoner]

BBM.

For me, this comment supports the theory that it was a predator who lived in Nicole's building. If Nicole and Melissa went for a swim "all the time," then it would've been easy for him to observe patterns. He would've noticed that she would be allowed to take the elevator by herself on occasion.

Personally, I think it was a crime of opportunity. He'd had his eye on her for some time, and would entertain the fantasy but didn't think it would go much farther than that. Then one day he pushes the elevator button, the elevator opens, and there's Nicole all by herself in a swimsuit.

The suddenness of her disappearance, I think, reflects the suddenness with which the predator acted on this unplanned coincidence. It was pure impulse because there was no time. Here was his one chance being handed to him, and he knew it would never come again.

I don't fault the mother because the 80s were just a different time period. Nicole had done this "all the time" without incident, so why would that day have been any different? And often times people see their apartment building as an extension of their own home. They might not let their child go to school alone, but they might not see anything wrong with letting them check the mailbox or meet a friend in the lobby because they're still "inside."

Also, missing children as a phenomenon was only beginning to be recognized. I don't know about Canada, but for us in the United States, America's Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries were still 2–3 years away, so although abductions have always occurred, they weren't really being brought into your living room the way those shows did.

I didn't live in an apartment building , so I can't relate to the elevator scenario, but I walked to school alone all the time when I was eight. I think someone usually walked me to school in Kindergarten, but I walked home by myself. There would have been nothing whatsoever unusual about the mother's actions in that era.

 

[iulia]

ONTARIO COLD CASE: Nicole Morin vanishes on way to summer swim

 

[dotr]

July 30 2019
Toronto police release age-enhanced image of girl who went missing in 1985

Nicole Morin is pictured here in this age-enhanced image released by Toronto police. (Toronto Police Service handout)

"A search was conducted in 2014 in Springwater Township following a tip that was submitted to police but investigators did not find any new clues.

Police say there have been numerous tips from the public over the past three decades but officers still have not been able to determine what happened to the little girl that day.

Police say Morin had brown hair, brown eyes, and a birth mark on her right upper forehead.

Investigators hope that releasing the age-enhanced image will lead to new information in the case.

Anyone with information about Morin’s disappearance is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously."

 

[JerseyGirl]

The eight-year-old, Nicole Morin was reportedly meeting a friend to go for a swim on the morning of July, 30, 1985 and was last seen leaving her apartment located on the top floor on 627 The West Mall in Etobicoke.

Tips from the public led Ontario Provincial Police to conduct two searches; the first in Barrie in 2014 and three years later in Springwater Township.

But they came back with no possible leads.

#FINDNICOLE: Police release age-enhanced image of 8-year-old girl missing for 34 years

 

[Moonwalker9]

I think somebody grabbed her on her way down from the elevator. A neighbour did it. I bet his name has even been circulating in the initial report. Just nothing to prove it.

Canada's Missing | Case details
The Doe Network: Case File 41DFON

Left & Center: Morin, circa 1985; Right: Age-progressed image of Morin at age 24 by NCMEC (circa 2001)

Nicole Louise Morin
Missing since July 30, 1985 from Toronto, Ontario Canada
Classification: Non-Family Abduction




Vital Statistics

• • Date Of Birth: April 1, 1977
  • Age at Time of Disappearance: 8 years old
  • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'0; 51 pounds
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes.
  • Marks, Scars: Morin has a birthmark on the right side of her forehead and protruding ears. She has pierced ears.
  • Clothing: She was wearing a peach, one pieced bathing suit with colored stripes on the front, a green headband, red canvas shoes, and was carrying a peach colored blanket and a purple beach towel.
  • Dentals: Gap between her front teeth.

Circumstances of Disappearance:
On July 30th, Nicole left her mother’s penthouse apartment in The West Mall, in Toronto's Etobicoke area, and vanished. There has been no trace of the girl, who was likely abducted moments after leaving the apartment in the Highway 427 and Rathburn Road area.
At 10:30am Nicole had gone to the lobby of the twenty story apartment building to pick up the mail. She returned to the apartment and got ready to go swimming with a playmate. Before leaving the apartment Nicole had spoken to a friend through the building's intercom and promised to be right down. The playmate waited about 15 minutes before buzzing the apartment again to find out why Nicole hadn't arrived. The two girls had arranged to meet in the lobby and go to a supervised swimming pool at the rear of the building.
About 11:00am Nicole said goodbye to her mother and left the apartment. No one has seen the girl since she closed the apartment door and walked into the penthouse hallway.




Investigators
If you have any information on Morin's whereabouts, please contact:
Toronto Metropolitan Police Department
416-808-2200
OR
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
877-318-3576
All information may be submitted anonymously.

NCMEC #: RCMP8608792

NCIC Number:
M-974508409
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information: The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse

 

[JSolt1210]

I think somebody grabbed her on her way down from the elevator. A neighbour did it. I bet his name has even been circulating in the initial report. Just nothing to prove it.

BBM.

I totally agree. Someone upthread posted pictures of the building complex from which Nicole disappeared, and it just looks MASSIVE (see below)! I'm sure it was daunting for police to consider that she could be in ANY one of those apartments—especially since Nicole lived on the top floor. And with the amount of suites, there's no way the Morins could've known everyone living there. Whoever may have been observing Nicole could've easily done it without anyone noticing.

At the same time, though, more people means more potential witnesses. I think the kidnapper just lucked out that Nicole happened to be in the elevator alone and no one else was out in the halls.

627 The West Mall, Toronto - Summit Royal Condominium
627 The West Mall #708, Etobicoke

 

[baoluo]

Could it be someone who worked in the building? Perhaps someone with control over the elevator. A maintenance person encounters Nicole in the elevator and is able (through a key or code) to take the elevator directly down to the basement / underground parking area. Perhaps there was a secluded area where this person parked and they were able to get Nicole to a car. It seems risky that someone would grab her straight off the elevator and back to an apartment. Having control over the elevator would allow the perpetrator to take her directly somewhere and avoid running into other residents / people. Where any employees questioned? I haven't read the entire thread here, so my apologies if this has already been suggested.

 

[photographer4]

A follow up article days later says the item was a green headband however Nicole’s mom said it wasn’t Nicole’s.

Still wondering... did police ever think to hold / DNA test that headband, even though the mom said it wasn't Nicole's?

 

[JSolt1210]

Could it be someone who worked in the building? Perhaps someone with control over the elevator. A maintenance person encounters Nicole in the elevator and is able (through a key or code) to take the elevator directly down to the basement / underground parking area. Perhaps there was a secluded area where this person parked and they were able to get Nicole to a car. It seems risky that someone would grab her straight off the elevator and back to an apartment. Having control over the elevator would allow the perpetrator to take her directly somewhere and avoid running into other residents / people. Where any employees questioned? I haven't read the entire thread here, so my apologies if this has already been suggested.

That's a really good suggestion! I don't know how elevators worked back in the 80s—apart from the obvious, of course! Was it possible back then for a repair person to punch in a certain code that would allow them to bypass all floors? Currently I'm employed in a place where the elevator automatically goes to the basement whenever it "resets," whatever that means. Fortunately there's a security desk at that level.

I can totally see a repairman saying something like, "I can get you downstairs faster!" If a code could lead to the basement, then it would explain why she was never found, despite extensive searches of the apartment complex.

 

[photographer4]

Humm, we are not in the US, we are in Canada !!
In Canada, a lie detector is inadmissible in criminal Court. And a polygraph is far from accurate !!
Can evidence of a polygraph test be used in court? | Provincial Court of British Columbia I know that this link is about British Columbia, not Ontario. However, polygraph inadmissibility in Canadian criminal trials stem from this Supreme Court judgment : CanLII - 1987 CanLII 27 (SCC)

Wishing a machine predicting the truth or lie is, at best, wishful thinking !



Doesn't mean impossible, nor "mother is guilty".


Ok. But as a standalone, it doesn't prove mother's guilt.

Just considering the "I'm going to disappear" note in Nicole's diary. What if anything can we infer from that? Would an average 8yr old use the word disappear in a written sentence? In my mind, that seems like a big word for an 8yr old to be writing down. It makes me wonder if she heard someone else use the term prior to her going missing? It also made me wonder, what was the context of the diary entry? What was written in the days before and after (if applicable?). Were there other entries afterward? What were they about? What was her writing ability like overall? Was she really likely to have written that statement of her own accord? How was "disappear" spelled? Was she overall a good speller at age 8? Or not so much? These points matter because they might provide some insight into what else was going on in her life, in her mind at the time before her disappearance. What was the writing like? Yep... I'm going there. Was this kid normally a neat printer, and this was messy or vice versa? Was this written in pen? Crayon? Pencil.... nail polish??? I jest, but its not a joke. I'd just like more information from anyone who can provide it which would answer the questions posed above.

 

[photographer4]

Apart from the theory about her being abducted on one of the floors the only other alternative I could come up with is that she came down the elevator much later with another person (unknown person) who accompanied her to a vehicle in the car park, someone she must have trusted enough.

Just throwing a random thought out there.... is there ANY chance that this kid didn't even ride the elevator at all that day to meet her friend? I'm not familiar with the location where she lived, but there had to have been a fire escape staircase, no?? Is there ANY chance this kid opted to take the stairs for some reason? Elevator takes too long? Bored? Thought she could get there fast via the stairs? Was there any tangible evidence to say she got ON that elevator at all that morning? I cannot recall. I will look around, but I'm hoping for video surveillance or someone saw her get on the elevator (which I don't think happened). Did mom watch her get on the elevator?? Are LE and all of us just assuming she took the elevator?

 

[JSolt1210]

Just considering the "I'm going to disappear" note in Nicole's diary. What if anything can we infer from that? Would an average 8yr old use the word disappear in a written sentence? In my mind, that seems like a big word for an 8yr old to be writing down. It makes me wonder if she heard someone else use the term prior to her going missing? It also made me wonder, what was the context of the diary entry? What was written in the days before and after (if applicable?). Were there other entries afterward? What were they about?

Personally, I don't think Nicole disappeared of her own free will. But I agree that it would be nice to know more about the context behind her "I'm going to disappear." I think, though, that it could be something as simple and innocuous as hearing it from a Saturday morning cartoon, and then inventing a story behind it.

 

[baoluo]

Just throwing a random thought out there.... is there ANY chance that this kid didn't even ride the elevator at all that day to meet her friend? I'm not familiar with the location where she lived, but there had to have been a fire escape staircase, no?? Is there ANY chance this kid opted to take the stairs for some reason? Elevator takes too long? Bored? Thought she could get there fast via the stairs? Was there any tangible evidence to say she got ON that elevator at all that morning? I cannot recall. I will look around, but I'm hoping for video surveillance or someone saw her get on the elevator (which I don't think happened). Did mom watch her get on the elevator?? Are LE and all of us just assuming she took the elevator?

This is 627 The West Mall, where she lived. I doubt she would have taken the stairs, especially living as high up as she did (near the penthouse, I think). But anything's possible, I guess.

 

[photographer4]

Personally, I don't think Nicole disappeared of her own free will. But I agree that it would be nice to know more about the context behind her "I'm going to disappear." I think, though, that it could be something as simple and innocuous as hearing it from a Saturday morning cartoon, and then inventing a story behind it.

Absolutely it could be taken from anywhere and written in her diary, or... it could unfortunately have a more nefarious meaning.

I wonder if police searched EVERY unit in each of the buildings there or if they just spoke with people as they answered their doors? Its not hard to imagine that as police were searching, she was somewhere in someone else's apartment, hoping to be found.

 

[photographer4]

This is 627 The West Mall, where she lived. I doubt she would have taken the stairs, especially living as high up as she did (near the penthouse, I think). But anything's possible, I guess. View attachment 200624

20 floors. That is how many I counted (based on balconies). Hrm. I think you're right. Its not likely she (willingly) took the stairs. The reports I've read said only that she was last seen leaving her apartment to meet her friend. I wonder where she was when she was last seen. Exactly where? In the doorway heading to the hallway? Walking into the elevator? What did the other daycare kids say about things (if anything - because how old were the daycare kids anyhow?). If Nicole had a history of walking about the building to meet her friend(s), or to get the mail, then I'm back to thinking how easy it would have been for someone to stalk her via any (potential) CCTV existed that would allow residents to tune into a tv station to watch the lobby / elevator area etc back then. I am thinking back to visiting friends of my own in apartment buildings that far back, and being amazed that residents could just watch security cameras to see people coming and going all the time, yes, even back then.

 

[photographer4]

Has anyone here heard of "Lovie Riddle" (aka: The Interstate Man)? At one time, he advised police that he had taken Nicole to Texas, and killed her there. I do not recall any discussion of this person here on WS... so I thought I would bring it up. Apparently police ruled him out as a suspect because of his conflicting accounts of what happened? You can read more about him and his possible ties to this case in this book:
Unsolved: True Canadian Cold Cases
By Robert J. Hoshowsky

You can also google: "Lovie Riddle & Nicole Morrin" to find more information. That guy was all kinds of messed up, and I will be looking for more information to support the police claims that his story was conflicting.

 

[photographer4]

Here's a chilling thought... I've read that she used the intercom system to communicate with her friend in the lobby (is that correct?). If so... is it POSSIBLE that someone might have overheard that conversation from the hallway or perhaps a neighbouring apt unit and seized the opportunity to snatch the kid from the hallway before she even got to the elevator? I mean I have friends who live in apartments even now, and honestly, the sounds carry like mad. It might sound far fetched, but damn, if it went down that way, it would make more sense -

- Someone hears Nicole and her friend on the intercom by chance.
- They know she's gonna get ready and go to the lobby to meet her friend
- They realize they have a window to snatch her and they take it

Maybe that same person had been watching on a CCTV and was aware the kid would be alone. Maybe that person was aware mom was busy with her daycare kids, and not likely going to search for awhile? Maybe this person never took Nicole down to the lobby area, but just entered a stairwell or apartment unit and that was that for however long? This might not have been as random as it might initially appear.

 

[baoluo]

That's a really good suggestion! I don't know how elevators worked back in the 80s—apart from the obvious, of course! Was it possible back then for a repair person to punch in a certain code that would allow them to bypass all floors? Currently I'm employed in a place where the elevator automatically goes to the basement whenever it "resets," whatever that means. Fortunately there's a security desk at that level.

I can totally see a repairman saying something like, "I can get you downstairs faster!" If a code could lead to the basement, then it would explain why she was never found, despite extensive searches of the apartment complex.[/QUOTE

 

[baoluo]

Could be a maintenance person or repairman with means was able to override the elevator took her down to a maintenance level or parking garage. For all we know, this was planned and the perp had assistance (lookouts or whatever) in the basement. All they would have to do once Nicole was in the elevator, would be to drop the elevator to a level where the chances of being seen are slim, in to a car and then up the 427 and out of town before anyone realizes what's happened. Perhaps, if her mum was involved, it was planned this way. Or it could have been opportunistic. I can't help but think her mum was somehow involved in the whole thing. It's a pretty quick and relatively easy way to make a child "disappear."[/QUOTE]

 

[photographer4]

woman-tells-police-nicole-morin-tip

Not a new article, just something I'd not seen before, so posting it in case others had also not seen it before....