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

[branmuffin]

Dupl. DBM

 

[falkenberg3132]

Alison's fate being sealed by being featured in the newspaper was how Graeme Thorne's fate was sealed as well - his family's details were published, too. They'd won the lottery and...

 

[OwnedByALabrador]

Along with babysitting various kids in Nicole’s apartment complex, I also lifeguarded at my own Apartment pool as well as others. We all worked for a company that supplied lifeguards.

As a lifeguard we knew ALL the kids. The kids always liked to hang out with the Lifeguards because it was cool. I honestly believe that had Nicole been at the pool that day the lifeguards would have known.

I think we have to remember this was a very different time. As kids we ran rampant. We got dumped outside in the morning. Came in for lunch, hit the pool from noon to 6:00. Had dinner, back out to the pool at 7:00 and in when the streetlights came on. It was the norm for all of us.

Today our parents might get charged with neglect but not then. It was wonderful. We had so much fun.

Just wanted to add a little perspective.

MOO

I can relate to this. I used to run in the streets all day during holidays; there was a group of us and we would go from home to home but also spend hours in the local park and woods. Parents would have a vague idea of where we were but they didn't know precisely.

That being said, I was a bit older than eight, more like twelve or thirteen.

 

[OwnedByALabrador]

I agree! And knowing this, why didn’t Mom seem worried when Nicole didn’t arrive home for lunch or even a snack all day? If she had a dental apt, who was to take her and when?

<modsnip: Not victim friendly> I agree that if she’d been at the pool that day she’d have been noticed for sure by lifeguards.

My only question is: could an off duty lifeguard she was familiar with have grabbed her that day? What was the average age of the guards? Did they drive to and from work?

I suggested this re a lifeguard a few pages back and I only hope that every lifeguard was questioned thoroughly. Nicole would have probably trusted any of them that she ran into around the apartment block and one could imagine that she'd quite happily go trotting off with one of them.

 

[Tealgrove]

Was there any chatter among the staff about what nicole was like / her family? What were the prevailing thoughts as to what happened?

No chatter. None of us worked at her apartment pool.

 

[Richard]

Nicole Morin, age 8
Missing since 30 July 1985

This month marks 39 years since Nicole Morin went missing.

 

[photographer4]

I can relate to this. I used to run in the streets all day during holidays; there was a group of us and we would go from home to home but also spend hours in the local park and woods. Parents would have a vague idea of where we were but they didn't know precisely.

That being said, I was a bit older than eight, more like twelve or thirteen.

At 9 I was on my own from dawn to dusk. I had to tell my parents where I was off to and with whom but I was outside all day, every day. Our generation knew not to take the first drink from a water hose on a hot day because you would burn yourself! We knew to be home by the time the street lights came on. Nicole probably enjoyed similar freedom. It’s how it was done back then!

<modsnip: Speculation not based on known fact and not victim friendly>

eTA: please excuse all the egregious grammatical errors. I thought I’d be clever and use Siri rather than type this out on a tiny phone. Ugh.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

Many posts have been removed or modsnipped.

Members need to read The Rules. One of THE most basic principles is that Websleuths is victim friendly, and that includes family members unless they are officially named by LE to be POI or suspect.

Accusations or insinuations against Nicole's parents are a violation of WS TOS. Members who do so risk a temporary or permanent loss of posting privileges.

 

[megsto]

I also thought it was interesting she called Nicole "the child" in these early days. I guess there is no manual on how a parent should behave when their child is missing though so we shouldn't read into that.

Jeanette’s first language was French. Her comments can come across slightly odd to English speakers but I really think it’s just a language thing.

 

[Snoop Sister]

Nothing new it appears on this cold case. Just like Tania Murrell’s case.

Is it possible for someone to start a cold case thread on Tania Murrell?

Bump

 

[dotr]

Nothing new it appears on this cold case. Just like Tania Murrell’s case.

Is it possible for someone to start a cold case thread on Tania Murrell?

Bump

Off to bump Tania's thread..

CANADA Post in thread 'Canada - Tania Murrell, 6, Edmonton, 20 Jan 1983'

May 10, 2020

6 Year Old Tania Murrell Vanished 37 Years Ago Today in Edmonton, Alberta
Jan 20, 2020

''The primary suspect in the case is a man who was a family friend of the Murrell’s. His name is not mentioned specifically in any articles about Tania in order to protect his privacy, but a reporter who worked on the case when she originally disappeared has gone as far as divulging that it starts with an L. During the initial investigation, Tania’s mother, Vivian, swore up and down that...

• BRS

• 

 

[Snoop Sister]

Off to bump Tania's thread..

CANADA Post in thread 'Canada - Tania Murrell, 6, Edmonton, 20 Jan 1983'

May 10, 2020

6 Year Old Tania Murrell Vanished 37 Years Ago Today in Edmonton, Alberta
Jan 20, 2020

''The primary suspect in the case is a man who was a family friend of the Murrell’s. His name is not mentioned specifically in any articles about Tania in order to protect his privacy, but a reporter who worked on the case when she originally disappeared has gone as far as divulging that it starts with an L. During the initial investigation, Tania’s mother, Vivian, swore up and down that...

• BRS

• 

I tried to search for a thread on Tania and didn’t find anything. Thank you.

 

[TC1827]

Recently getting into missing person cases.

Thank you all for providing interesting information. Some things which stand out to me:
1. Nicole's friend reporting the elevator going to the penthouse, stopping multiple times, and arriving empty. To me this indicates that she was taken from the elevator (assuming that she got on but I see that as more likely than her being snatched from the corridor). Plus if a shoe was found inside (as per some reports)
2. I do think that it was planned; especially due to security cameras to be installed the next day. Like they decided it was a now or never abduction event
3. Jeannette is sketchy. Not the whole sending her 8 year old to the pool alone. But her: a) running her daycare back to normal after a few days of loosing her daughter. b) sending other daycare kids to look for her duaghter instead of doing it herself (take all the kids with you or call their parents to come collect them. Join the search ASAP).
4. Her son from a prior marriage, Richard Joseph Henri Legault (Obituary for Richard Joseph Henri Legault | Valley Funeral Home), went missing and then reappeared at her door 15 years later. He also acknowledges Nicole as a "surviving" sister while Jeannette seems to have Chuck Cunnighamd Nicole by pretending that she never existed
5. The mystery blonde hair woman that no one recognized
6. Reports of the red car with a "sketchy" driver hanging around the complex
7. Nicole going missing soon after she got permission to roam alone (too short to hit the PH elevator button before), unsettling stuff
8. The I'm going to disappear note that she purportedly wrote a few weeks (?) before her disappearance
9. Her friend claimed that Nicole never arrived at the pool. Another friend, age 15, reporting that she was playing the playground that afternoon
10. The belgian report of the Dutch pedo ring and their claim that they found photos that look like her
11. The dad driving to Ontario Place to search. Kinda impossible for an 8-year old to make it all the way there own her own dowtown. She'd have to take route 112 The West Mall SB till Kipling Station; then the Bloor-Danforth Subway WB till Dufferin Station; the the 29 Dufferin Bus SB till Exhibtion Place. Thne somehow wlak from there to ON place. I was really good with maps, transit and sense of direction as a kid; I could have made that trip at 8 (well in theory, more likely a transit employee would have called my parents or 911) but I can assure you that most 8 year olds would not have been able to

I lived in a high-rise suburban Toronto condo as a child 2000 - 2006; ran around with friends and used an outdoor pool. Scary stuff

Here is my theory:
- Nicole's building was being watched my a child molester ring. Lots of kids running around unsupervised; no security cameras yet - perfect oppurtunity
- They saw the daycare as an in. Got Jeannette's trust, enrolled some of their victims as their own kids in the daycare. Kids also helped keep tabs
- Got to know more about Nicole
- Mystery blonde woman was a scout, providing reports
- A daycare "parent" sees the oppurtunity and corners Nicole in an elevator. Nicole trusts her (recall most child kidnapping are a child willingly following someone that they trust, not grabbed off the treat) and follows the "parent" to the stairwell or another apartment (if they rented one as part of the stalking operation)
- Nicole is knocked out, put in a suitcase, and smuggled out where is kept in a child trafficking ring where she is either alive and abused or has been raped and murdered

I think Jeannette due to guilt upon realization / wanting protection from being harmed from the gang started acting the way that she did re: search, daycare, etc.

The 15 year old who claimed to have seen her mistook her for someone else and got excited to provide info so she did

 

[dotr]

July 30 2025 rbbm.

Police announce $50K reward for location of Toronto girl who disappeared 40 years ago

A $50,000 reward has been announced for information on the location of eight-year-old Nicole Morin, who disappeared from an Etobicoke apartment building 40 years ago.

www.cp24.com

''On the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of eight-year-old Nicole Morin, Toronto police say they will be announcing a reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.

Police will be holding a news conference on Wednesday morning to discuss the abduction of Morin, who went missing from her apartment building at 627 The West Mall in Etobicoke on July 30, 1985.

Investigators previously said Morin had made plans with a friend to meet in the lobby of her building and go swimming.''

'Investigators will be hosting a news conference at her apartment building at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and representatives from Toronto Crime Stoppers and the Missing Children Society of Canada will be in attendance.'

Scheduled for Jul 30, 2025
On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the Toronto Police Service will be commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the disappearance of eight-year-old Nicole Morin and announcing a reward for information leading to the location of Nicole.The news conference will take place at 627 The West Mall, Etobicoke, at 11:00 a.m. – the time and place Nicole went missing. Representatives from Toronto Crime Stoppers and the Missing Children Society of Canada will also be in attendance.

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

I wonder if they actually have a suspect in mind. I say that due to the wording in @dotr's post above:

'On the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of eight-year-old Nicole Morin, Toronto police say they will be announcing a reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.

 

[dotr]

https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/stories/search-continues-for-nicole/

https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/marking-40-years-since-nicole-morins-disappearanc/

22 Division
Homicide and Missing Persons Unit
Case #: 1985-3154958
Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2025, 11:00 AM

Toronto Police announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the location of Nicole Morin, who was eight years old when she vanished from her Etobicoke apartment building 40 years ago.

Watch the news conference on YouTube.

While the case remains open, the Toronto Police Service is using this milestone to raise broader awareness around missing person investigations and public safety – particularly during the summer months when children are out of school.

Nicole was last seen around 11:00 a.m. on July 30, 1985, after leaving her apartment to meet a friend for a swim. She never arrived. Despite an extensive investigation – the largest of its kind in Toronto at the time – Nicole has never been found. She would be 48 years old today.

To help renew public interest, police are releasing an updated age-progressed image of Nicole, showing what she may look like as an adult.

"This case is not closed," said Detective Sergeant Steve Smith of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit. "It has never been forgotten. And it only takes one piece of new information to make a difference."

While historic cases like Nicole’s remain a priority, the Toronto Police Service is equally focused on today’s investigations. Each year, thousands of people are reported missing in Toronto, and the vast majority are safely located – often within hours or days. Early reporting and community awareness play a vital role in those outcomes.

"The community plays a critical role. You may think what you saw or heard isn’t relevant — but it could be," said Amanda Pick, CEO of the Missing Children Society of Canada.''

 

[Danaya]

I know I’ve posted about this before, but Nicole Morin’s abduction shares similarities with the 1990 murder of Andrea Atkinson, a six-year-old who vanished from her Toronto apartment building five years after Nicole. Andrea’s building was less than a 40-minute drive from Nicole’s. Her case, now largely forgotten, was covered extensively by the Toronto Star at the time. I’ll share a clipping below.

Like Nicole, Andrea left her apartment to go to another floor in the building, in order to meet a friend. Searchers ended up finding her body hidden in the boiler room, stuffed under a storage tank. DNA evidence found at the scene gave detectives enough evidence to arrest the building's janitor, John Carlos Terceira, who emerged as a suspect early on.

I think that something similar happened to Nicole, in that a building employee or neighbour saw her alone and acted on the opportunity. The time frame just doesn't allow for much movement other than someone who was riding the elevator with Nicole, or saw her if she got off on another floor, took the stairs, etc. I don't believe John Terceira is responsible for Nicole Morin’s abduction, though, because he would've been only thirteen back in 1985.

I think it's likely that the police have a prime suspect in the case, since the suspect pool was likely pretty small, given the tight time frame. They would never tell the public if that were the case, though. Here in Canada they are extremely tight lipped. Maybe there was a known sex offender who lived in Nicole’s building, or nearby. They likely just didn't have enough evidence to charge him, especially before the advancement of DNA, and with no body. JMO Police have likely been tipped off that the prime suspect has recently gotten divorced, died, is dying, etc.

 

[dotr]

 

[No_Stone_Unturned]

This case has been bothering me for the full 40 years of knowing nothing. I'm also bothered by the Sharin' Morningstar Keenan case. Both in Toronto and neither one conclusively solved. Such sad stories.

R

CANADA Thread 'Canada - Sharin Morningstar Keenan, 9, Toronto, 23 Jan 1983'

Oct 16, 2004

In 1983, Dennis Melvin Howe kidnapped, raped, and murdered a little girl named Sharin Morningstar. He then stuffed her in a refrigerator and left town. This drifter is believed to have committed numerous other crimes, but he remains at large. Check out the link to the Toronto Police website...

Link
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/homicide/most wanted/howe/howe.htm

• Richard
• Replies: 376
• Forum: Cold Cases

• 

 

[Luce2842]

Here's another interesting link: The missing - Nicole Morin - Ellee Seymour, Author

The first comment has a list of everyone who lived in that building at the time, supposedly.

More stuff I picked up over the last couple of days, and forgot to mention:

--Nicole's father, Art, at one point suspected people from his church (the Worldwide Church of God).
--Before her disappearance, she wrote something about how she was going to disappear. I'm not really clear on what exactly she wrote, or when/where she wrote it.

To me, that picture from the Dutch CD-ROM looks uncannily like Nicole, but I know nothing about that sort of stuff, and it's a profile pic. And like someone said earlier in this thread, it does seem far-fetched. Someone hanging out in her building just happens to have ties to this pedophile ring? Hmmm.

ETA: That's also why I don't believe it was Lovie Riddle. What would he have been doing in her building? Although I did see that one of the supposed tenants was a "D. Riddell." But the spelling's different...but still...that's kinda weird.

I found the comment that allegedly named every resident that lived in the complex at the time by
"DN8 on August 31, 2012 at 1:10 am"

The missing - Nicole Morin - Ellee Seymour, Author

Nicole Morin totally vanished 22 years ago aged eight while walking to an elevator in her Toronto apartment block to meet a friend who was waiting for her in the downstairs lobby. She never arrived. Her unsolved disappearance marked a turning point for similar police investigations as it...

www.elleeseymour.com