CANADA Canada - Sonia Varaschin, 42, Orangeville, 29 Aug 2010 - #3

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  • #701
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CTV News Toronto
Published Monday, August 30, 2021 1:04PM EDT
 
  • #702
Aug 30 2021 rbbm.
'Someone has the key' to solving brutal murder of Ontario nurse 11 years ago
''Police previously said they recovered DNA evidence believed to belong to the killer, but so far there has been no match.''

"Investigators continue to seek the one piece of information that will lead to an arrest," the Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Monday. "Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is asked to contact the OPP."

"Eleven years later, someone has the key."
 
  • #703
dotr said:
Aug 30 2021 rbbm.
'Someone has the key' to solving brutal murder of Ontario nurse 11 years ago
''Police previously said they recovered DNA evidence believed to belong to the killer, but so far there has been no match.''

"Investigators continue to seek the one piece of information that will lead to an arrest," the Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Monday. "Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is asked to contact the OPP."

"Eleven years later, someone has the key."
Click to expand...
If police were allowed per law, to take DNA from everyone, who got arrested for some misdemeanor, they would be more successful in solving an evil murder, IMO.
 
  • #704
  • #705
Thank you for starting that thread, dotr!
 
  • #706
Track said:
Copied from WS Toronto Crimes thread: “On November 9th, 1993, 39-year-old Catherine [Irene] Clark was beaten and strangled to death in her eighth-floor apartment at 200 Wellesley St. in downtown Toronto. Security guards discovered her body sprawled on her bed. Police believed she knew her killer and admitted him to her apartment. Clark, an unemployed registered nurse, frequently used telephone and newspaper dating services, and the theory is her killer was a date with whom she had a violent altercation.”
Click to expand...
ETA Started thread for murdered nurse assistant, noting she sometimes searched for love through a telephone dating service... fwiw, imo, speculation.
CANADA - Canada- Catherine Irene CLARK, 40, Nurse, beat & strangled, Toronto (Wellesley St.)9 Nov 1993 *DNA*

Nov 3 2021 rbbm.
HUNTER: Cops target quartet of unsolved St. James Town murders | Toronto Sun
''Cops are focused on clearing a series of unsolved murders in densely populated St. James Town in the downtown area.''

“A large number of the outstanding November homicides have ties to the downtown area of the city and specifically 51 Division,” TPS cold case chief boss Det. Sgt. Stephen Smith told The Toronto Sun .

“We know there are members of the community who can identify these killers. We are asking people to assist us in bringing justice to the victims’ families.”

''Dr. Norman Lowes, 64, was murdered on Nov. 22, 1990, around 6:50 p.m. inside his office at 600 Sherbourne St. When officers arrived, they found him suffering from stab wounds and he died at the scene. Smith said the murder was “vicious”.

Thirty-one years later, there are still no answers but Smith told The Sun cops have DNA.

''Nursing assistant Catherine Clark, 39, was lonely and looking for love. She subscribed to a telephone dating service and placed ads in the personal sections of the city’s newspapers in her quest for companionship, sometimes using the name “Lee.”

On Nov. 9, 1993, she was found by a friend, strangled to death in her 200 Wellesley St. E. Detectives suspected she knew her killer and likely invited him into her apartment the night of the murder.

Once inside, things went sour and cops believe the killer beat Clark before she was strangled. Investigators have the killer’s DNA.''
 
  • #707
dotr said:
ETA Started thread for murdered nurse assistant, noting she sometimes searched for love through a telephone dating service... fwiw, imo, speculation.
CANADA - Canada- Catherine Irene CLARK, 40, Nurse, beat & strangled, Toronto (Wellesley St.)9 Nov 1993 *DNA*

Nov 3 2021 rbbm.
HUNTER: Cops target quartet of unsolved St. James Town murders | Toronto Sun
''Cops are focused on clearing a series of unsolved murders in densely populated St. James Town in the downtown area.''

“A large number of the outstanding November homicides have ties to the downtown area of the city and specifically 51 Division,” TPS cold case chief boss Det. Sgt. Stephen Smith told The Toronto Sun .

“We know there are members of the community who can identify these killers. We are asking people to assist us in bringing justice to the victims’ families.”

''Dr. Norman Lowes, 64, was murdered on Nov. 22, 1990, around 6:50 p.m. inside his office at 600 Sherbourne St. When officers arrived, they found him suffering from stab wounds and he died at the scene. Smith said the murder was “vicious”.

Thirty-one years later, there are still no answers but Smith told The Sun cops have DNA.

''Nursing assistant Catherine Clark, 39, was lonely and looking for love. She subscribed to a telephone dating service and placed ads in the personal sections of the city’s newspapers in her quest for companionship, sometimes using the name “Lee.”

On Nov. 9, 1993, she was found by a friend, strangled to death in her 200 Wellesley St. E. Detectives suspected she knew her killer and likely invited him into her apartment the night of the murder.

Once inside, things went sour and cops believe the killer beat Clark before she was strangled. Investigators have the killer’s DNA.''
Click to expand...
Oh how good to know that there are other, older, similar cases to Sonias' which are also unsolved :( And they have DNA! Now what?
 
  • #708
re-post rbbm.
Investigators still working to crack Sonia Varaschin murder a decade later
Aug 2020
''Over the years her family has noted her love of hiking, skiing, and biking, and they say before she was murdered she seemed happy.''

''A size 10 or 11 boot print from a pair of WindRiver or Dakota boots, sold at Mark’s Work Warehouse, was thought to be the key to solving her murder. DNA evidence also collected from the multiple crime scenes yielded no match, which Glassford says could be due to the killer not having their DNA tested before.

Months after the homicide case began, investigators brought out a profile of a “cold blooded killer.”

Since then, investigators have been tight lipped on releasing too much information and evidence to the public. How Varaschin was killed has even been kept from her family. This evidence is what is known as holdback information.

“There’s only certain people who know about that information,” said Glassford. “There’s us and then there’s the killer.”

Looking through the evidence and locations of her car and body Glassford says that it tells them something about the killer. The possibility of familiarity of the county, a targeting of Sonia, and even their willingness to take a risk.

“When you think about the chain of events, where the risk of being caught is very high, to me that is a huge risk and it’s like why go to that extent, those are huge questions.”
 
  • #709
As I posted on Audrey Gleave's thread just before the holiday, I've been watching a number of reality crime shows lately -- especially cold cases; while the number of unsolved murders is depressing, it's heartening to see how many of these are cracked, if many years later, either by technological advancements related to evidence OR by a simple tip or seemingly casual detail given by the public, often but not only when "fresh eyes" in LE review witness statements or (re-)interview anew. I won't give examples but there are many where some seemingly minute detail from a witness's recollection actually propels LE in a new direction to explore and eventually build and close the case. (There are also, of course, as we all know, many examples of folks coming forward later with significant info because a relationship has ended, they have developed less or more fear in relation to the perp, they may have more economic or other security to make disclosure easier, they may have concerns for their kids or other family members, may be ill or facing their own mortality, their conscience may simply make it impossible to remain quiet any longer, etc. So they finally tell what they know, which could have brought justice sometimes decades earlier.... Clearly this is different than feeling uncertain about whether info you have can be helpful or not.) Anyway. I know there are some uber-obvious questions/details related to Sonia's case (sorry for how facile these may appear below) as in many crimes: did someone in the area, close to the area, or who knew the area and/or who knew Sonia, or of her, or who could have had some contact with her or been watching her, perhaps buy new (size 10 or 11) boots after the murder/have a pair "disappear" ? Were they regular shoppers at Mark's WW? Were they seen cleaning their car/clothes shortly after the murder - and something struck you about that at the time? Were they, as LE originally intimated, familiar with the rural roads in Caledon (Beechgrove Rd area) either because of "recreation, occupation or illegal activities" (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/nurse-s-rare-murder-pored-over-at-summit-1.890183) where Sonia was found? Is there some question as to their whereabouts on the eve, night, and/or early morn of Aug 30/31 2010? Etc. Of course I know a yes to any/all of these Qs does not a murderer make!! It might perhaps rather be a lingering sense that something is "off" when reflecting on these normal things that's salient. I'm not sure I wholly believe in intuition or what "trusting your gut" actually invokes. But many folks talk about how what they "feel" as a sense rather than what they "know" by reason (of course, I think those two things are inextricable).... So perhaps more importantly: what are the LESS obvious details/questions that could be substantively meaningful in the case? Often we can't know (especially with the "holdback" info LE might keep. We don't even know the murder weapon / exactly Sonia's manner of death.) So how might small details we might have help if we don't KNOW they have some connection? Hmmmm. Is there something small you keep thinking about, that "niggles"? It might not matter why. On Audrey's thread I posted v. briefly about one terrible murder case (it involved a family killed while camping) where a woman wanted to tell police she knew of a man who had inquired about how to sell a van with a bullet hole in it. Her husband wasn't sure the info was relevant. She reminded him of the detail just before LE left their house after a re-invigorated door-to-door canvas.... It turns out that was the single detail that led LE in the direction of a suspect who may otherwise never have been on the radar -- and they were able to build a case, and conviction, from there.

I guess the instruction we have is that if there is some bit of info or detail you keep coming back to -- or forgot, but it reappears to you -- CALL IT IN.

LE will sort if it's useful info or not. The sheer number of tips, and sorting/assessing what is ir/relevant, must be a remarkably daunting task for police, I know. Sometimes it simply comes down to a combo of skill, perseverance, and coincidence/luck....

From CTV News Aug 2021
"'Someone has the key' to solving brutal murder of Ontario nurse 11 years ago
Quote:
"Investigators continue to seek the one piece of information that will lead to an arrest," the Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Monday. "Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is asked to contact the OPP."

"Eleven years later, someone has the key."
Unquote.
 
Last edited:
  • #710
Apologies; I'm often editing for typos AFTER I post <oops>. Dates should read Aug 29/30, above, and I would have liked to have shouted out to dotr's post before mine at the holdback section. Sorry. The system isn't letting me go in again to correct -- lol, I think the site is telling me I've rambled on enough :)
 
  • #711
Woman abducted from her Wasaga Beach home by three suspects

A 37-year-old woman was abducted yesterday from her home in Wasaga Beach. She is 5"3" tall, slim build with black, shoulder-length hair.

OPP says the suspects are three black men who fled in a white SUV.

Police say the men are considered armed and dangerous.

Photos of Elnaz Hajtamiri are provided at the link. She has a passing resemblance to Sonia.
 
  • #712
2soccermom said:
As I posted on Audrey Gleave's thread just before the holiday, I've been watching a number of reality crime shows lately -- especially cold cases; while the number of unsolved murders is depressing, it's heartening to see how many of these are cracked, if many years later, either by technological advancements related to evidence OR by a simple tip or seemingly casual detail given by the public, often but not only when "fresh eyes" in LE review witness statements or (re-)interview anew. I won't give examples but there are many where some seemingly minute detail from a witness's recollection actually propels LE in a new direction to explore and eventually build and close the case. (There are also, of course, as we all know, many examples of folks coming forward later with significant info because a relationship has ended, they have developed less or more fear in relation to the perp, they may have more economic or other security to make disclosure easier, they may have concerns for their kids or other family members, may be ill or facing their own mortality, their conscience may simply make it impossible to remain quiet any longer, etc. So they finally tell what they know, which could have brought justice sometimes decades earlier.... Clearly this is different than feeling uncertain about whether info you have can be helpful or not.) Anyway. I know there are some uber-obvious questions/details related to Sonia's case (sorry for how facile these may appear below) as in many crimes: did someone in the area, close to the area, or who knew the area and/or who knew Sonia, or of her, or who could have had some contact with her or been watching her, perhaps buy new (size 10 or 11) boots after the murder/have a pair "disappear" ? Were they regular shoppers at Mark's WW? Were they seen cleaning their car/clothes shortly after the murder - and something struck you about that at the time? Were they, as LE originally intimated, familiar with the rural roads in Caledon (Beechgrove Rd area) either because of "recreation, occupation or illegal activities" (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/nurse-s-rare-murder-pored-over-at-summit-1.890183) where Sonia was found? Is there some question as to their whereabouts on the eve, night, and/or early morn of Aug 30/31 2010? Etc. Of course I know a yes to any/all of these Qs does not a murderer make!! It might perhaps rather be a lingering sense that something is "off" when reflecting on these normal things that's salient. I'm not sure I wholly believe in intuition or what "trusting your gut" actually invokes. But many folks talk about how what they "feel" as a sense rather than what they "know" by reason (of course, I think those two things are inextricable).... So perhaps more importantly: what are the LESS obvious details/questions that could be substantively meaningful in the case? Often we can't know (especially with the "holdback" info LE might keep. We don't even know the murder weapon / exactly Sonia's manner of death.) So how might small details we might have help if we don't KNOW they have some connection? Hmmmm. Is there something small you keep thinking about, that "niggles"? It might not matter why. On Audrey's thread I posted v. briefly about one terrible murder case (it involved a family killed while camping) where a woman wanted to tell police she knew of a man who had inquired about how to sell a van with a bullet hole in it. Her husband wasn't sure the info was relevant. She reminded him of the detail just before LE left their house after a re-invigorated door-to-door canvas.... It turns out that was the single detail that led LE in the direction of a suspect who may otherwise never have been on the radar -- and they were able to build a case, and conviction, from there.

I guess the instruction we have is that if there is some bit of info or detail you keep coming back to -- or forgot, but it reappears to you -- CALL IT IN.

LE will sort if it's useful info or not. The sheer number of tips, and sorting/assessing what is ir/relevant, must be a remarkably daunting task for police, I know. Sometimes it simply comes down to a combo of skill, perseverance, and coincidence/luck....

From CTV News Aug 2021
"'Someone has the key' to solving brutal murder of Ontario nurse 11 years ago
Quote:
"Investigators continue to seek the one piece of information that will lead to an arrest," the Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Monday. "Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is asked to contact the OPP."

"Eleven years later, someone has the key."
Unquote.
Click to expand...

It could be something as simple as a kitchen knife that went missing after a domestic partner went fishing. Something like that could make all the difference.
 
  • #713
Gina20 said:
Woman abducted from her Wasaga Beach home by three suspects

A 37-year-old woman was abducted yesterday from her home in Wasaga Beach. She is 5"3" tall, slim build with black, shoulder-length hair.

OPP says the suspects are three black men who fled in a white SUV.

Police say the men are considered armed and dangerous.

Photos of Elnaz Hajtamiri are provided at the link. She has a passing resemblance to Sonia.
Click to expand...

Even though each case is unique, this is the third story I've heard this week of a woman going missing from her home :(

@Gina20 good point. The murder weapon went somewhere. So did the work boots. Whoever killed Sonia, I am thinking that person must not have had too many eyes on them. After all this time, I'd hoped LE were still tracing that work boot but it's been over 10 years.
 
  • #714
  • #715
Sheart said:
Yah, I think that's them. Young guys? More than 1 person killed her. Did she work at a camp for kids.??
Click to expand...
Welcome to Ws Sheart!
Sonia VARASCHIN | Obituary | Toronto Sun (remembering.ca)
''memorial donations in memory of Sonia may be made to any of the following organizations: Camp Couchiching, Headwaters Health Care Centre Auxiliary - Teddy Bears' Picnic, or the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing - C.A.D.S. Ontario.''
 
  • #716
  • #717
  • #718
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #719
I used the map ruler - 4KM (2.5 miles) from SV recovery location to Exotic Animal recovery location as the crow flies.

Each stretch of the 4 sides of geography are apx 3KM (1.8 miles).

This is NOT far at all - not in rural Ontario! People would walk and certainly drive this easily and in 5 minutes or less. Also via ATV etc.

I HOPE LE reviews the exotic pet store purchases, for that number of snakes, somebody has stopped purchasing, and an alligator....well...people know about this!
 

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