On December 18, 2022, a mass shooting event inside Bellaria Tower II in Vaughan, Ontario left five people dead. Francesco Villi, a 73-year-old resident of the Bellaria condominium at 9235 Jane Street, carried out the attack after years of escalating legal disputes with the condo board. Within minutes, five residents were killed: Rita Camilleri, Vittorio Panza, Russell Manock, Helen “Lorraine” Manock, and Naveed Dada. Doreen Di Nino survived her injuries. In this episode, we examine the timeline ...
Mar 06, 2026•46 min•Ep. 142
In this episode, we examine the 1984 murder of 13-year-old Candace Derksen in Winnipeg. Candace vanished on her way home from school in November of that year. Weeks later, her body was discovered in a storage shed, bound and left in the cold. We trace the investigation, the arrest and trial, and the acquittal that continues to shape how this case is remembered. Along the way, we look at how the murder impacted the Derksen family, the Winnipeg community, and the broader conversation around eviden...
Feb 19, 2026•1 hr 3 min
In the summer of 2020, 20-year-old Shane Eric James Smith vanished in Calgary. He was last seen on June 6, and within days police believed he had been shot and killed by a friend at a southeast Calgary residence. In the weeks that followed, the Calgary Police Service charged Ian Charles Abercrombie with homicide, and two others with offences related to the handling of Shane’s body, which has never been recovered . Abercrombie later pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death and indignit...
Feb 05, 2026•53 min•Ep. 141
In this previously TNTC+ episode, we sit down with Gillian Millam, former Metropolitan Police officer from the U.K. and current Executive Director of British Columbia Crime Stoppers. Gillian began working with Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers in 2015 and went on to coordinate one of the province’s most successful programs before stepping into her current provincial role. We discuss how the program operates, how it has changed over time, and how it fits into community safety across British Columbi...
Jan 29, 2026•1 hr 22 min
In July 1976, a young gas station attendant named Michael Carmen was shot and killed during a late-night robbery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His death seemed destined to become another unsolved case in a city struggling with rising crime and few witnesses willing to speak. But one Canadian-born detective, Greg MacAleese, refused to let it fade away. What began as his search for answers would lead to the creation of Crime Stoppers , an idea that would change community policing around the world. I...
Jan 22, 2026•41 min•Ep. 140
In this previously TNTC+ exclusive episode, we dive into the homicide case of Shabir Niazi out of Ajax Ontario. Shabir Niazi, who was 22 years old at the time, was found shot to death in the garage of a home on Roosevelt Avenue. The case drew significant attention due to a series of legal proceedings, including debates over the admissibility of certain evidence and the handling of Crime Stoppers tips. These procedural complexities, involving informer privilege and the integrity of tips provided ...
Jan 08, 2026•57 min•Ep. 139
On this Christmas Day episode of True North True Crime, we’re joined by Madelayne Klein and Jordan Bonaparte from The Canadian Gothic for a year-end roundtable. Together, we reflect on the cases from 2025 that stayed with us, the shifts and trends we’ve seen across the true crime space, and how emerging tools like AI are beginning to influence storytelling and journalism. We also look ahead to what’s coming in 2026 and the stories we’ll be paying close attention to in the year ahead. Whether you...
Dec 25, 2025•1 hr 19 min
It was a quiet Monday afternoon in Burnaby, British Columbia, when police were called to a residential street near Alpha Secondary School. A passerby had noticed a parked vehicle and looked inside — making a discovery that would devastate two families and spark a complex investigation. The bodies of 31-year-old Keisha Garie and 30-year-old Umair Kasim of Coquitlam were found inside that vehicle. They had been reported missing only days earlier. Within hours, the Integrated Homicide Investigation...
Dec 11, 2025•46 min•Ep. 138
On October 3rd, 1984, nine-year-old Christine Jessop disappeared from her home in Queensville, Ontario. Her case became one of the most highly scrutinized investigations in Canadian history, marked by a wrongful conviction, decades of unanswered questions, and a search for justice that stretched across generations. In this episode, we revisit Christine’s story and speak with Jo Virgo, Executive Producer of The Christine Jessop Story on Crave, about how her team approached retelling this case acc...
Nov 27, 2025•53 min•Ep. 137
This episode was originally a TNTC+ bonus episode. In April 2006, a 20-year-old man drove from Nova Scotia to Maine with a chilling plan. Armed with names and addresses from the state’s sex offender registry, he hunted down two men, Joseph Gray and William Elliott, in a series of calculated attacks. What compelled this seemingly ordinary young man to cross borders and commit such violent crimes? In this episode, we explore the events leading up to the murders, the controversy surrounding public ...
Nov 13, 2025•35 min•Ep. 136
In this previously TNTC+ bonus episode, we're taking you inside a world few people truly understand — the work of cadaver search dogs and their handlers. We’re joined by Jason McMillan, Vice President and K9 Handler with Canadian Cadaver Canines — a volunteer-based team that assists in searches for missing persons across Canada. Jason and his cadaver dog, Osiris, bring compassion, skill, and unwavering dedication to every case they work on, from wilderness recoveries to historic investigations. ...
Nov 10, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 135
On a cold December night in 1962, two men were led through the echoing halls of Toronto’s Don Jail. Beneath their feet, a trapdoor waited. Minutes later, Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin became the last people ever executed in Canadian history. In this special Halloween episode, we step back into that chilling night — and the crimes that brought both men to the gallows. Through archival records, press accounts, and historical context, we explore how Lucas and Turpin’s deaths marked not only the en...
Oct 30, 2025•32 min•Ep. 134
Seven-year-old Wayne Mallette vanished on the deserted grounds of Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition on September 15, 1956. Within days, police zeroed in on 14-year-old Ron Moffatt, extracting a confession during a parent- and lawyer-free interrogation and securing a juvenile conviction—while the real predator, Peter Woodcock, remained free to kill again. In this episode, we trace the investigation, the tunnel vision that led to a wrongful conviction, and the 1957 courtroom turn that cleared...
Oct 16, 2025•59 min•Ep. 133
On the night of October 12, 1983, 17-year-old Donna Jean Awcock was babysitting for a neighbour in London, Ontario. When her shift ended, she set out for a short walk — but she never made it home. The next morning, October 13, Donna’s body was found near the Thames River by the Fanshawe Dam. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. For forty years, her case has remained unsolved. In this episode, we explore Donna’s life, the night she disappeared, and the investigation that followed. We al...
Oct 02, 2025•44 min•Ep. 132
In January 2024, 52-year-old Mathew McGrath went missing from Carleton Place, Ontario. For four months his family searched desperately, until his body was discovered in the Mississippi River that May. The coroner ruled his cause of death as drowning, but the manner was left undetermined. Police stated no foul play was suspected and considered the case closed. For Mathew’s sister Melissa, the search for answers has never ended. In this episode, she shares memories of her brother’s life and her on...
Sep 18, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 131
It was the early hours of August 3rd, 2001, in Edmonton, Alberta, when fire crews responded to a dumpster blaze behind a central apartment building. Once the flames were out, they made a horrifying discovery — the burned remains of a young woman. For nearly two weeks, investigators worked to find out who she was. They canvassed hundreds of apartments and narrowed their search to a short list of missing women. Dental records would confirm the victim was 18-year-old Patricia Calahasen. What police...
Sep 04, 2025•53 min•Ep. 130
In October 2008, 21-year-old Dylan Koshman disappeared from south Edmonton after a late-night argument with his cousins. He left the house wearing only jeans and a t-shirt—and without his phone, wallet, or jacket—never to be seen again. Initially treated as a missing-person case, the investigation was later reclassified as a homicide. Dylan’s wallet was recovered from a neighboring yard, but no other trace of him has been found. Years later, the case remains unresolved, classified by police as s...
Aug 21, 2025•41 min•Ep. 129
👉 Content warning: this episode contains audio of gunfire. On June 28, 2022, a quiet day at a Bank of Montreal in Saanich, British Columbia, exploded into chaos when two heavily armed men stormed the building, triggering a deadly shootout with police. In the midst of gunfire, six officers put their lives on the line, displaying extraordinary bravery as they fought to protect innocent lives and bring the situation under control. But who were these men, and what drove them to such extreme violenc...
Aug 16, 2025•43 min•Ep. 128
In June 1959, 12-year-old Lynne Harper disappeared from the small community of Clinton, Ontario. Two days later, her body was found in a wooded area near a rural concession road. What followed was one of the most infamous wrongful convictions in Canadian history. Steven Truscott, a 14-year-old classmate, was arrested, charged with Lynne’s murder, and sentenced to death — all within weeks. For decades, Steven fought to clear his name, facing a justice system that refused to admit its mistakes. Hi...
Aug 07, 2025•46 min•Ep. 127
After Malcolm Madsen vanished in Puerto Vallarta, his daughter Brooke began a relentless effort to uncover the truth. In Part 2 of our coverage, we trace how the case progressed within Mexico’s legal system. With key evidence—including GPS data and surveillance footage—Brooke pushes forward despite systemic obstacles. We are once again joined by journalist and filmmaker Robert Osborne, author and director of Malcom Is Missing , as we examine the investigation, multiple arrests, and the difficult...
Jul 24, 2025•50 min•Ep. 126
This is part one of a two-part series on the disappearance of Malcom Madsen. Malcom was a 68-year-old Canadian man who went missing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in October 2018. In this episode, we look at who Malcom was, his life in Mexico, and the night he was last seen. We’re joined by journalist and filmmaker Robert Osborne, who has investigated the case for both a book and the 2022 CBC documentary Malcom Is Missing . Malcom’s daughter, Brooke Mullins, has spent years investigating her father...
Jul 10, 2025•51 min•Ep. 125
On November 26, 2023, 23-year-old Byron Watson left his auntie’s home on Lonsdale Street in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. He told his family he’d be back later that day — but he never returned. Byron, a member of the Nekaneet Cree Nation, was a well-known presence in the small community of Maple Creek. He worked at the local livestock auction barn, supported his brother at hockey games, and was planning to return to work in the oil fields that January. There was nothing unusual about the day he van...
Jun 26, 2025•58 min•Ep. 124
In March 2006, 21-year-old Jessie Foster who was from Kamloops BC, vanished from North Las Vegas under circumstances that point to a disturbing pattern of trafficking and violence against women. Nearly two decades later, her case remains unsolved—but her story is far from forgotten. In this episode, we partnered with Jessie's mother, Glendene Grant, whose tireless advocacy has kept Jessie’s name alive in the public eye. Glendene shares insight into Jessie’s life, the red flags that surfaced befo...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 123
This week on True North True Crime, we're stepping outside our usual format to offer a rare look behind the badge. Sergeant Chris Voller of the National Police Federation joins us for a candid conversation about the realities of frontline policing in 2025. Representing over 20,000 RCMP members across Canada, Chris sheds light on the challenges officers face—from under-resourcing and public perception to mental health and media narratives. We explore the evolving demands of the job, the strain of...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 46 min
In Part One, we shared Aspen Pallot’s vibrant life and the devastating impact of intimate partner violence. Now, in Part Two, we follow her family’s painful journey through the Canadian justice system—a process that felt cold, slow, and disconnected. The trial hinged on intent: was Solaris Dey guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter? In the end, he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to just two years in custody. Then, in March 2024, Aspen’s family was retraumatized when Solaris w...
May 22, 2025•52 min•Ep. 121
This week on True North True Crime, we’re joined by Jordan from The Nighttime Podcast to examine the troubling and still-unfolding case of Lily and Jack Sullivan, two young siblings who vanished from their rural property in Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia, on the morning of May 2, 2025. According to their parents, six-year-old Lily and four-year-old Jack may have wandered off while the couple was napping with their 16-month-old child inside the home. A massive search was launched, involving helic...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 122
Aspen Pallot was 19 years old when she was murdered by her boyfriend, 22-year-old Solaris Day, on October 3, 2018, in Richmond, British Columbia. In this first episode of a two-part series, we focus on Aspen’s life—who she was, how she loved, and the deep bond she shared with her family. Aspen’s loved ones stood by her as she navigated a relationship that had become increasingly heavy. They extended care and compassion not just to Aspen, but also to Solaris—a young man who would ultimately cause...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 120
On October 28, 2023, beloved actor Matthew Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home. Initially reported as an accidental drowning, new evidence has emerged that suggests something far more sinister. In this episode, we examine the circumstances surrounding Perry’s final days, the details from multiple indictments, and the people now facing criminal charges in connection with his death. Perry was open about his struggles with addiction and spent much of his later life trying to help others fi...
May 01, 2025•51 min•Ep. 119
Juanita “Winnie” Migwans, a 31-year-old Indigenous woman from M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island, has been missing since October 4, 2024. She was last seen walking along Riverside Drive in M’Chigeeng. She disappeated without her phone, identification, or personal belongings . Her sudden disappearance has left her family and community deeply concerned. Migwans is described as 5'6" tall, weighing approximately 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes . She was last seen wearing a light...
Apr 17, 2025•46 min•Ep. 118
On October 3, 1996, 42-year-old Audrey Desjardins finished her night shift at a fruit packing plant in St. Davids, Ontario. After dropping off a friend in Welland, she vanished without a trace—along with her red Ford Crown Victoria. Despite extensive searches, including multiple dives in regional waterways, neither Audrey nor her vehicle has ever been found. Nearly three decades later, her case remains one of Niagara’s most haunting mysteries. In this episode, we explore the details of her disap...
Apr 03, 2025•46 min•Ep. 117
