What happened 10 years ago is still a mystery.
On Aug. 28, 2005 in a small roadside picnic/rest area on Highway 7 between Guelph and Rockwood, the remains of an unidentified woman were found.
Details surrounding “Jane Doe’s” identity and death remain a mystery to this day.
“We are no further ahead in the investigation than we were 10 years ago,” said OPP detective Heidi Stewart. “We have gone far and wide looking for information but have found nothing.”
Stewart, speaking at a memorial service at the site on Aug. 23, added “somebody somewhere has a conscience; that may help to solve the case.”
Father Mark Morley of Sacred Heart Parish in Rockwood offered a dedication and Francis Olaer, warden for District 105 of the Knights of Columbus, said a few words at the ceremony.
Knights of Columbus members in Rockwood have looked after the site in the small park since the 2008 dedication of a memorial stone that invites people to “pray for the soul” of the unidentified woman.
“For somebody just to be dumped like that is horrible … The people in the community, they wonder, they feel for her,” Lorna told the Advertiser.
“It’s a smaller community … and people have been touched by it.”
Fred, past Grand Knight of the Rockwood Knights of Columbus, explained the idea for a memorial service was brought to the local council by former member Ralph Harper.
“We thought it was important to do something,” said Fred.
There is still a $50,000 reward offered to anyone who can provide information that could identify Jane Doe, a white woman between the ages of 25 and 45. She was 5 feet, 4 inches tall and had brown hair.
While details surrounding her death are not known, police suspect foul play was involved because the woman’s body was dragged about 10 metres into a bush and covered with a sleeping bag. Police traced portions of the woman’s clothes to Quebec, but a DNA sample and an investigation into a dental plate worn by the woman turned up nothing.
“Ten years ago something happened to this woman and 10 years later justice has not been served,” said Olaer.
Fred and Lorna Hawkins, who live not far from the Highway 7 site, said Sunday’s ceremony was very important for local residents.
