Found Deceased Canada - Samantha Higgins, 22, LaSalle, QC, 6 July 2015 *Arrest*

[otto]

The people who were condemning the party hostess would've left her alone if they had known that Sam wasn't perfectly happy for all of those 7 years? I don't see the connection at all.

I do. If it was known (perhaps we should say not falsely denied) that there was recent arguing between the couple (per grandmother), longstanding control, jealousy, child care, and custody issues, problems completing high school, and fewer than 10 consecutive weeks co-habitation prior to the murder, plus assault with a weapon, theft, and criminal conviction where Nick blamed Samantha for the criminal activity, I would have focused on Nick from the beginning. I think most people would not have given the 'crying' father of an infant and 3 year old daughter a pass, where they instead looked at the bigger picture of murders in the area.

As it was, the suspect who led police to the body parts was given a pass, and the people that hosted the party were berated on social media for allowing the young mother to be plucked off the streets in the middle of the night. The people that gave the party did absolutely nothing wrong, and there's nothing they could have done differently that would have prevented Samantha from being murdered after she arrived home that night. Anyone that gave the party host a hard time for Samantha's decision to walk home should apologize to the party host. Samantha was not plucked off the streets by a random murderer. She arrived home, and was the victim of the very common spousal homicide.

 

[Joe Friday]

I know it was reported that Samantha stayed with her grandmother for four months during her recent pregnancy. I don't think we know if this was because she needed extra care or possibly because she and NF were on the outs at the time.

I also see people posting that the older child of Samantha and NF spent four months being cared for by the grandmother. I did a search for this but came up empty. I would imagine it might have been reported on FB or in the french media. I don't pay much attention to FB because it is usually just rumors and as far as the translation of the french media articles I have learned that isn't very reliable either.

Can anyone point me in the direction where it says that the young daughter was cared for by the grandmother for four months?

TIA

 

[montrealer]

I think to say she was out being a party girl is a bit much when she apparently seldom was away from her children. Having a drink with a friend once in a while is not partying. And nowhere does it say that NF actually had custody of the children at any point, it said he was trying to get custody which as most pointed out he was just likely trying to get joint custody back.
I think people need to realize that there is no valid defence for what NF did, and that painting SH as a partier or claiming she had other romantic interests when you have NO proof is really not alright. I understand this is a sleuthing site but have some respect.

 

[otto]

I know it was reported that Samantha stayed with her grandmother for four months during her recent pregnancy. I don't think we know if this was because she needed extra care or possibly because she and NF were on the outs at the time.

I also see people posting that the older child of Samantha and NF spent four months being cared for by the grandmother. I did a search for this but came up empty. I would imagine it might have been reported on FB or in the french media. I don't pay much attention to FB because it is usually just rumors and as far as the translation of the french media articles I have learned that isn't very reliable either.

Can anyone point me in the direction where it says that the young daughter was cared for by the grandmother for four months?

TIA

I'm pretty sure that her grandmother had custody of the daughter for four months (per French news article ... will locate later today if no one finds it sooner), and Samantha lived with her mother during her pregnancy (wasn't that in the 8 minute video with the parents?).

 

[otto]

I think to say she was out being a party girl is a bit much when she apparently seldom was away from her children. Having a drink with a friend once in a while is not partying. And nowhere does it say that NF actually had custody of the children at any point, it said he was trying to get custody which as most pointed out he was just likely trying to get joint custody back.
I think people need to realize that there is no valid defence for what NF did, and that painting SH as a partier or claiming she had other romantic interests when you have NO proof is really not alright. I understand this is a sleuthing site but have some respect.

I haven't read anywhere that she was a party girl. Per Nick, she had a couple of drinks before she went out on July 6. At 7PM she went out, she drank with friends, at 1AM she walked home, then she was murdered, dismembered, and dumped. I haven't read anything to support that she had a romantic interest in someone at the small gathering she attended.

Clearly she spent a great deal of time away from her daughter if Nick and the grandmother had custody of the three year old for various lengths of time, the child was in daycare and Nick did the pick-up, she cared for her grandmother, and she attended school to complete a high school diploma ... all after the child was born.

It just occurred to me that Samantha's mom was 17 when she was born, and Samantha was 22 ... that makes mom 39 years old - much younger than I thought from video. Was Samantha using any type of drug? How common is meth in that part of Montreal?

 

[Cardiac]

I'm pretty sure that her grandmother had custody of the daughter for four months (per French news article ... will locate later today if no one finds it sooner), and Samantha lived with her mother during her pregnancy (wasn't that in the 8 minute video with the parents?).

Here is the article.
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/j...s-son-coeur-etait-plus-grand-que-le-monde.php

I can translate if need be

*EDIT* Here is a rough translation of the pertinent info...

Wendy McLeod had custody (no mention of legal custody) of one of the children for a four month period while NF and SH were separated. After giving birth to the first child in the summer of 2011, SH just had turned 18. As the months and years passed her relationship with HF was difficult. SH was supported that matriarchal figures in her life such as her mother and grandmother.

The article also says that she was one of four children, difficult childhood and her father left home and the mother raised her on her own. So that answers the question about the father.

 

[Mountaingazer]

I know it was reported that Samantha stayed with her grandmother for four months during her recent pregnancy. I don't think we know if this was because she needed extra care or possibly because she and NF were on the outs at the time.

I also see people posting that the older child of Samantha and NF spent four months being cared for by the grandmother. I did a search for this but came up empty. I would imagine it might have been reported on FB or in the french media. I don't pay much attention to FB because it is usually just rumors and as far as the translation of the french media articles I have learned that isn't very reliable either.

Can anyone point me in the direction where it says that the young daughter was cared for by the grandmother for four months?

TIA

I think it started with a mention that the three year old had lived with grandma for four months and people took it as grandma had custody at the time. I think in reality the four months comes from the time Samantha stayed there and probably had her daughter living there as well. I don't know for sure though, just seems to be the simplest explanation.

 

[Mountaingazer]

Here is the article.
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/j...s-son-coeur-etait-plus-grand-que-le-monde.php

I can translate if need be

*EDIT* Here is a rough translation of the pertinent info...

Wendy McLeod had custody (no mention of legal custody) of one of the children for a four month period while NF and SH were separated. After giving birth to the first child in the summer of 2011, SH just had turned 18. As the months and years passed her relationship with HF was difficult. SH was supported that matriarchal figures in her life such as her mother and grandmother.

The article also says that she was one of four children, difficult childhood and her father left home and the mother raised her on her own. So that answers the question about the father.

Ahhh! Thank you for finding this!

 

[Cardiac]

Ahhh! Thank you for finding this!

No problem. And and I agree that it seems more of a case of an 18 year old mother asking the grandmother for help and to look after a newborn, especially if the father was not always in the picture. I am not a lawyer nor a expert on legal matters, but I am sceptical that a court would give the grandmother sole legal guardianship of the child for a four month period.

 

[Joe Friday]

I think to say she was out being a party girl is a bit much when she apparently seldom was away from her children. Having a drink with a friend once in a while is not partying. And nowhere does it say that NF actually had custody of the children at any point, it said he was trying to get custody which as most pointed out he was just likely trying to get joint custody back.
I think people need to realize that there is no valid defence for what NF did, and that painting SH as a partier or claiming she had other romantic interests when you have NO proof is really not alright. I understand this is a sleuthing site but have some respect.

Sorry you don't agree with my opinion.

My opinion that Samantha may have been a party girl was from three or four years ago after she gave birth to her oldest child. This is perhaps why NF was the one who was the primary caregiver at that time, which has been reported in MSM. Perhaps Samantha was apparently seldom away from her children recently, but three or four years ago it might have been a different story that her relatives are not revealing.

As far as if Samantha was partying that night. She was described as "quite drunk" by her cousin Amanda (first post in thread and quoted and bold below) or incoherently drunk as I have seen other post when she left the party. Being "quite drunk" or incoherently drunk is not just having a few drinks with friends in my opinion. By the way, the "quite drunk" part was later changed to "having a few drinks at a friend's" in updated versions of the article.


Montrealer, if you have first hand knowledge of Samantha I encourage you to become a verified member on this case so you can inform us all of her party habits and how often she was with or away from her children from years past. Until then we can only go by what is posted in MSM which is the fact that NF and the grandmother cared for the now four year old for some time while Samantha was apparently not. What she was doing at this time is anyone's opinion.

And welcome to WebSleuths.

ETA link to article: http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/mon...anished-after-leaving-friend-s-home-1.3144560

Samantha Higgins, missing mother, vanished after leaving friend's home

The distraught family of a young Montreal mother who has been missing for two days is asking for anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward.

Samantha Higgins, 22, went missing overnight from July 6 to 7 after leaving a friend's home at the corner of Newman Boulevard and Lise Street in LaSalle.

Amanda McKernan, a member of Higgins's extended family, said the young woman was having a few drinks at a friend's home on the night of July 6.

Samantha Higgins
Samantha Higgins's cousin Amanda says she hadn't been out since giving birth 10 weeks ago, and that she was quite drunk when she left her friend's home. (Courtesy)

Higgins spoke with her boyfriend of seven years by phone around 1:10 a.m. on July 7, said McKernan, who said the time stamp was still in boyfriend Nick's call log. She said she would be home soon.

Higgins and her boyfriend had recently become engaged and have two children together — a four-year-old girl and 10-week-old boy.

She was last seen wearing a pink dress. She is described as a white woman with light brown hair and blue eyes. She is five-feet-two-inches tall and 150 pounds.

Higgins grew up in Pointe St-Charles, where her family still lives.

Anyone with information can call Montreal police's confidential tip line Info-Crime at 514-393-1133.

View attachment 77883View attachment 77884

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...anished-after-leaving-friend-s-home-1.3144560

 

[montrealer]

I didn't say that I knew her first hand, I said that it's a stretch to give her these titles and that you're being disrespectful. How she was three years ago doesn't have much to do with her behaviour that night. And once again, I don't see where it states that nick was the primary care giver at any time. I've seen one article that claimed he picked his daughter up on time, and others that said they didn't use the help of daycares. There is inconsistency in some of the articles as well as flat out mistakes such as some stating the 10 week old was 10 years old.
And to have an opinion isn't the same as speculating as to someone's behaviour when you aren't aware. The parents and family didn't need to give answers to the public about the relationship, as people have said they were likely told to stay neutral. The only people they needed to tell Samantha's business to was the police (which I'm sure they did) they didn't need to **** all over her relationship on a public Facebook page.
And also to speculate that someone is a meth user is pretty rude, I don't understand how people can say these things about a family who just went through something so awful.

 

[Joe Friday]

No problem. And and I agree that it seems more of a case of an 18 year old mother asking the grandmother for help and to look after a newborn, especially if the father was not always in the picture. I am not a lawyer nor a expert on legal matters, but I am sceptical that a court would give the grandmother sole legal guardianship of the child for a four month period.

Does anyone know who watched the oldest daughter first, NF or the grandmother?

 

[LadyL]

unless it was necessary if Sam had to go away somewhere?

No problem. And and I agree that it seems more of a case of an 18 year old mother asking the grandmother for help and to look after a newborn, especially if the father was not always in the picture. I am not a lawyer nor a expert on legal matters, but I am sceptical that a court would give the grandmother sole legal guardianship of the child for a four month period.

 

[Joe Friday]

I didn't say that I knew her first hand, I said that it's a stretch to give her these titles and that you're being disrespectful. How she was three years ago doesn't have much to do with her behaviour that night. And once again, I don't see where it states that nick was the primary care giver at any time. I've seen one article that claimed he picked his daughter up on time, and others that said they didn't use the help of daycares. There is inconsistency in some of the articles as well as flat out mistakes such as some stating the 10 week old was 10 years old.
And to have an opinion isn't the same as speculating as to someone's behaviour when you aren't aware. The parents and family didn't need to give answers to the public about the relationship, as people have said they were likely told to stay neutral. The only people they needed to tell Samantha's business to was the police (which I'm sure they did) they didn't need to **** all over her relationship on a public Facebook page.
And also to speculate that someone is a meth user is pretty rude, I don't understand how people can say these things about a family who just went through something so awful.

BBM

Unless the translation is wrong:

In December 2013, when he received his sentence, Fontanelli has taken over. He did not reject his child. On the contrary, it is he who takes care of her 2 year old daughter full time.

http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/j...li-de-voleur-repenti-a-suspect-de-meurtre.php

 

[LadyL]

if someone is not used to drinking, they can become drunk quickly

I get tipsy from one drink - two, I'm slurring, three, I'm on the floor - add just one shot & I would be easily incoherent

anyway, there is nothing to indicate she was a 'party girl' - we don't know what her personal circumstances were then and even if we did, it doesn't matter

she's the victim and we should steer clear of labelling her or casting aspersions on her family IMO

Sorry you don't agree with my opinion.

My opinion that Samantha may have been a party girl was from three or four years ago after she gave birth to her oldest child. This is perhaps why NF was the one who was the primary caregiver at that time, which has been reported in MSM. Perhaps Samantha was apparently seldom away from her children recently, but three or four years ago it might have been a different story that her relatives are not revealing.

As far as if Samantha was partying that night. She was described as "quite drunk" by her cousin Amanda (first post in thread and quoted and bold below) or incoherently drunk as I have seen other post when she left the party. Being "quite drunk" or incoherently drunk is not just having a few drinks with friends in my opinion. By the way, the "quite drunk" part was later changed to "having a few drinks at a friend's" in updated versions of the article.

 

[LadyL]

unless it was necessary if Sam had to go away somewhere?

quoting myself to say also maybe it would be necessary for income purposes? to be eligible for certain benefits or health insurance?

 

[Cardiac]

Not likely... Where would she go? And the province of Quebec is very generous to young single mothers as far as resources and benefits go.

 

[rileysmom]

Quebec may be very generous but we also have high taxes quebec sales tax is 9.975% and then the gst at 5% we are one of the highest taxed in Canada.

 

[matou]

Interview with Vanessa Higgins:

http://globalnews.ca/news/2116193/e...ters-fiance-is-the-main-suspect-in-her-death/

 

[~n/t~]

BBM

Unless the translation is wrong:

Translation is correct.