Canada - Richard Robert Mantha: kidnap, drug & assault several women, Chestermere, Alta., 2021–2023

[Gina20]

If it is true that Forest Lawn street workers have been disappearing off Calgary streets for the last 18 months, and this suspect has been abducting women in the last 15 months, what does that tell us about street workers? Do some get out of the business or change provinces? Are street drugs a factor in the druggings, abductions and assaults? Has this man been an active abductor of street workers for 2 years, and some of his victims didn't survive? I'm curious.

Tracy, or Tayler, the victim who was left outside Calgary with no clothes, this man who helped also her reported this incident to police, right? I'm curious, like you.

"These women are very vulnerable," said Meyer.

"They're in a position – it's survival sex out here. We deal with a lot of addictions. There's a lot of crisis and trauma that is why these women are where they're at."

'Sexual violence is on the rise' Calgary advocates say as a suspected serial rapist is charged

The heinous crimes allegedly committed by 59-year-old Richard Robert Mantha over the span of 15 months has advocates of sex trade workers speaking up on the fear and safety issues plaguing working women.

calgary.ctvnews.ca

In the article, Meyer claims that assaults are reported weekly. Further, in the video she estimates that in the past six to eight months, there have been 30 missing individuals.

Drug addiction plays a role.

Enduring Forest Lawn 'stroll' remains troubling reality for residents

It’s a one-kilometre stretch in the heart of Forest Lawn that’s one of the last vestiges of a different era.

calgaryherald.com

This article mentions how the stroll expanded onto 20 Avenue S.E. and the intersection at 50 Street S.E. in recent years. Businesses in the are have been affected. Drugs are definitely part of it.

Forest Lawn ‘hooker stroll’ a source of concern for area residents – The Press

saitjournalism.ca

The hotel mentioned in the article is undergoing renovations as affordable housing.

Calgary hotel with dark past transformed into affordable housing for women and seniors - Calgary | Globalnews.ca

The Old Town and Country Hotel is getting more than a makeover, transforming it for Calgarians in need.

globalnews.ca

 

[Gina20]

If it is true that Forest Lawn street workers have been disappearing off Calgary streets for the last 18 months, and this suspect has been abducting women in the last 15 months, what does that tell us about street workers? Do some get out of the business or change provinces? Are street drugs a factor in the druggings, abductions and assaults? Has this man been an active abductor of street workers for 2 years, and some of his victims didn't survive? I'm curious.

Tracy, or Tayler, the victim who was left outside Calgary with no clothes, this man who helped also her reported this incident to police, right? I'm curious, like you.

Last October, police in Saskatoon located a 31-year-old woman who had been reported missing in July. When they appealed to the public for tips, they said she "may be in Regina with an unknown male, or in Chestermere, Alta., a suburb community of Calgary”. That seems strangely specific. The woman was found safe, but her location was not given.

 

[Gina20]

Distance from where women were abducted to where they were held and assaulted.

View attachment 414325

Thinking of a likely route from the stroll in Forest Lawn to the property east of Chestermere, where Mantha lived. Go south on 52 St. S.E. to Glenmore Trail, head east to Range Road 273 (Vale View Road), then north. The route straight east to Chestermere involves heavy traffic at the Costco, plus commuter congestion through Chestermere.

 

[Gina20]

Last October, police in Saskatoon located a 31-year-old woman who had been reported missing in July. When they appealed to the public for tips, they said she "may be in Regina with an unknown male, or in Chestermere, Alta., a suburb community of Calgary”. That seems strangely specific. The woman was found safe, but her location was not given.

Thread:

Found Safe - Canada (AB) - Melissa Lee Herman, 31, last seen on July 26, 2022, in Saskatoon (AB), may be in Chestermere or Regina

www.websleuths.com

 

[Gina20]

In the past 24 hours, there has been a daytime shooting on a public transit bus in Calgary's downtown core that has left a man in life-threatening condition, a body found in a suitcase in the Manchester industrial area and a person shot dead with another injured outside a Safeway store in Kensington. Calgary Police Service will be busy with all these serious crime investigations.

 

[Gina20]

An interview with Ursula on the dangers of the Forest Lawn stroll.

'Do or die': Sex trade worker says Forest Lawn stroll increasingly dangerous

A veteran sex trade worker says her Forest Lawn stroll has become increasingly violent.

calgaryherald.com

 

[Gina20]

Sex assault suspect's communication with lawyer hindered by limited phone access, court told

The lawyer appearing on Richard Mantha's behalf said the suspect has experienced difficulty accessing the phones at Calgary Remand Centre.

calgaryherald.com

Still no phone, still no retainer for the lawyer. Back in court Tuesday.

 

[ttcRider]

Sex assault suspect's communication with lawyer hindered by limited phone access, court told

The lawyer appearing on Richard Mantha's behalf said the suspect has experienced difficulty accessing the phones at Calgary Remand Centre.

calgaryherald.com

Still no phone, still no retainer for the lawyer. Back in court Tuesday.

Maybe he is too scared to leave his cell to use the phone?? Remand is not a fun place to be.

 

[otto]

It sounds like the Remand Centre is not providing reasonable phone access. That will be sorted before Tuesday. It has been introduced in court twice as an ongoing problem.

Robert Mantha will arrange money to retain his lawyer, she'll have a chance to discuss bail options with him.

I don't think he will be released on bail. There is an ongoing investigation with police looking at other assaulted or missing/ murdered women. Furthermore, evidence from one of the crime scenes is still being processed.

 

[Gina20]

There's lots of new information in this article. Mantha has a mother in Quebec. He worked in vehicle repairs, among other things. He has had issues with hiring lawyers in the past. He was first charged by RCMP in Strathmore, Alberta, before the Calgary Police Service began its investigation.

Owner of property outside Calgary where alleged sex assaults took place said tenant was ‘looking for a fight’

Richard Robert Mantha is accused of confining, drugging and sexually assaulting three women in the Calgary area.

www.thestar.com

Mantha was not supposed to be living on the property. The property owner has sought a restraining order against him.

The director of Her Victory says there are more victims, but it will be up to them to step forward.

A professor notes the similarity to the Pickton case, and the question of interagency communication. Working on the edges of different police jurisdictions might be what allowed this to continue.

 

[Gina20]

The accused worked in vehicle repairs. It should be noted that a number of automotive repair shops are located on 20 Avenue near 50 Street S.E. This is part of the Forest Lawn stroll.

Vancouver police investigator Kim Rossmo was among the first to warn of a serial killer in what became the Pickton case. He developed geographical profiling. Was this technique used in Calgary, and if not, why not?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pickton-inquiry-hears-serial-killer-concerns-dismissed-1.1247112

 

[evilwise]

Another one of these Canadian serial sex offenders. I'm starting to be less surprised by them not having been caught sooner and starting to think there's just a big blind spot to it.

 

[Gina20]

On December 30, 2022, a woman who police say worked in the sex trade went missing in Forest Lawn. She is still missing.

Woman missing from Forest Lawn; Calgary police seek public assistance

Krystal Russell, 39, was last seen on the evening of Dec. 30, 2022, in the southeast Calgary neighbourhood.

calgary.ctvnews.ca

CANADA - AB - Krystal Russell, 39, aka "Trustice", Calgary - 30 Dec 2022

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-police-search-for-woman-missing-since-last-month Russell is described as five feet six inches tall, 150 pounds with a medium build, brown eyes and brown hair with blue and purple highlights. She also has a septum piercing, a jester tattoo on her...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Gina20]

A 65-year-old man also went missing in early January 2023 from a 7-11 store at the corner of 17 Avenue and 52 Street S.E in Calgary. This is just a block away from the former Town and Country Hotel.

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/police-seek-public-assistance-to-locate-missing-forest-lawn-man-1.6279776

His name is Robert Stanley Mainland, aka Bobby aka Bubbles.

 

[Gina20]

Any potential evidence, along with old tires and other junk is being removed by the Chestermere landowner, Paul Lock.

Chestermere landowner left with cleanup after police arrest suspected kidnapper | Globalnews.ca

Outside the structure, a camper van, an old ambulance, propane canisters, old furniture and piles of garbage were sitting in the dirt. A white refuse bin was trucked in.

globalnews.ca

 

[Gina20]

From the article:

“There’s definitely some damage to the building. Got structural damage to the trusses. If you look close over there, there’s bullet holes in the wall – looks like a small calibre,” Lock told Global News.

Small-calibre bullet holes. What was he shooting?

 

[Gina20]

Today a woman's body was found in a Forest Heights alley, a four-minute drive away from the stroll in Forest Lawn.

Calgary police seek information, dashcam footage after woman found in alley - Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Just after 9 a.m., police were called to the alley behind the 700 block of 40 Street S.E. for reports of the body being found.

globalnews.ca

 

[Gina20]

Back in court again Thursday to set a date for a bail hearing. The news clip shows footage of the piles of debris left behind at the Chestermere acreage. Old vehicles, tools, furniture and barrels are among the piles of garbage.

Suspect in Alberta kidnapping and sexual assaults to seek date for bail hearing - Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Richard Mantha, 59, who faces sexual assault and kidnapping charges, will appear in Calgary court later this week to seek a date for a bail hearing.

globalnews.ca

 

[Gina20]

A bail hearing has been set for May 12.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-police-richard-mantha-sex-assault-bail-hearing-1.6817093

 

[Gina20]

There are more charges against Richard Mantha. He'll be in court tomorrow to face the new charges and for his bail hearing.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-richard-mantha-calgary-police-sexual-assault-new-victims-1.6840033

Now, four new charges — two counts of sexual assault and two counts of administering a noxious substance — suggest two more women were victimized even earlier with offence dates spanning a one-year period beginning in September 2020.