Cold North

THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF JUDY GERALDINE PARKS

On the early evening of July 10, 1976, a fourteen-year-old girl named Judy Geraldine Parks left her home at 2 Keating Road in the Armdale neighbourhood of Halifax, Nova Scotia [1, 2]. It was the last time anyone would see her alive. When she failed to return, her worried family reported her missing the very next day, sparking an anxious search that would hang over the community for months [1,2].

The worst fears of her family and investigators were realized nearly three months later, on October 9, 1976. A passerby discovered Judy's badly decomposed remains in a heavily wooded area just off Highway 103, near Timberlea [1, 2]. Investigators noted that her body had been partially covered up, a deliberate attempt by her killer to conceal the crime scene [1]. Her death was quickly ruled a homicide, but despite decades of investigation, public appeals, and shifting forensic eras, the identity of her killer remains a mystery [2, 4].

Over the years, the case has deeply impacted the community and the investigators assigned to it. Retired police officer Murray Brown, who took over the file shortly after Judy's body was found, carried a photograph of the teenage girl in his wallet for years, nestled right next to pictures of his own daughters [3]. Brown later revealed that investigators believed Judy may have been abducted from St. Margaret's Bay Road [3]. He admitted that police developed strong theories regarding who was responsible, even stating in a later interview that he believed they knew who did it, though they lacked the definitive, actionable evidence required to bring formal charges before a court [3].

Today, the investigation is kept alive by the RCMP-HRP Integrated Cold Case Unit [2]. Detectives remain in periodic contact with the Parks family, holding onto the hope that modern scientific breakthroughs might finally break the decades-long stalemate [2]. Law enforcement experts point to Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) as the primary tool left for cases of this vintage, provided that usable micrograms of DNA were properly preserved from the 1976 crime scene [2].

To incentivize anyone holding long-guarded secrets, Judy's case has been entered into the Nova Scotia Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program [1]. The provincial government offers a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading directly to the arrest and conviction of those responsible [1]. Authorities continue to urge anyone with information - even details that seemed completely minor or insignificant in the summer of 1976 - to come forward and finally bring closure to a family that has waited fifty years for justice [1, 2].

References:

[1] Nova Scotia Department of Justice. "PARKS, Judy Geraldine - Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes." Government of Nova Scotia.

[2] Dicks, Bill. "14-year-old Halifax girl's murder remains unsolved 50 years later." CTV News Atlantic, July 10, 2026.

[3]Colbert, Yvonne / CBC News. "Unsolved cases haunt retired police." CBC News, October 18, 2015.

[4] Stoodley, Chris. "Police continue investigating Judy Geraldine Parks' murder. CityNews Halifax, October 10, 2021.

Photo courtesy of CTV News

STRUCTURAL BACKLOGS DELAY TRIAL FOR NEW BRUNSWICK MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING SPOUSE

A judge and jury trial has been scheduled for early 2028 for Alex Beers, a southeast New Brunswick man accused of killing his common-law spouse several years ago. Beers, 42, appeared briefly in Moncton's Court of King's Bench on July 6, 2026, where a timeline was established for the multi-week criminal trial (Magee, 2026).

Beers stands accused of first-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Hyde Jochelman. The criminal indictment alleges the offences took place between November 18, 2020, and October 27, 2021, in Saint-Paul, a rural community situated approximately 30 kilometres north of Moncton (Magee, 2026). Alongside the murder charge, Beers faces counts of unlawful confinement and failing to provide the necessities of life during that same window of time (Hull, 2026; Walton, 2026).

The judicial process comes after a lengthy and multi-layered police investigation. On October 27, 2021, members of the Richibucto RCMP detachment responded to a residence in Saint-Paul following a report of a sudden death, where they discovered Jochelman's body (Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP], 2026). Police initially treated the file as a sudden death.

However, between 2022 and 2024, new information and evidence emerged that prompted investigators to re-evaluate the circumstances. The New Brunswick RCMP assembled a dedicated team of senior investigators, ultimately concluding that Jochelman's death was a homicide (RCMP, 2026). Police have described Jochelman as a vulnerable person who relied on others for basic care, noting that her cause of death was complex with multiple contributing factors (Walton, 2026). On February 10, 2026, police arrested Beers at a residence in Moncton, formally charging him the following day (Hull, 2026).

During the scheduling hearing, Justice Christa Bourque locked in the dates for the legal proceedings. Voir dires - pre-trial hearings held to determine the admissibility of specific evidence - are scheduled to run from November 15 to 27, 2027 (Magee, 2026). The official jury trial is slated to follow months later, running from January 10 to February 18, 2028 (Magee, 2026).

While Crown prosecutor Cathleen Trafton accepted the timeline, defence attorney Gilles Lemieux remarked that the dates were "awfully far away" (Magee, 2026). Justice Bourque acknowledged the lengthy wait but explained that Moncton's Court of King's Bench is managing back-to-back jury trials with only two sitting judges available. The local bench has been short-staffed since a vacancy arose when Justice Robert Dysart was elevated to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal (Magee, 2026).

The 2028 dates place the case right up against the strict time limits established by the Supreme Court of Canada's landmark R. v. Jordan (2016) ruling. The Jordan framework dictates a 20-month maximum ceiling for cases tried in superior courts between the initial laying of charges and the actual conclusion of a trial, aimed at protecting a defendant's constitutional right to be tried within a reasonable timeframe (R. v. Jordan, 2016). Because Beers was formally charged on February 11, 2026, his legal ceiling expires in August 2028 (Magee, 2026). Court officials noted that the scheduled February 2028 conclusion sits narrowly within the legally compliant window (Magee, 2026).

Prior to the 2028 trial block, a five-day preliminary inquiry is scheduled to take place from November 16 to 20, where the provincial court will review the core evidence to formally bind the matter over to the higher court (Walton, 2026).

References:
- Hull, J. (2026, February 11). Moncton man charged with first-degree murder in connection with woman's 2021 death. CTV News Atlantic.

- Magee, S. (2026, July 6). 2028 jury trial set for southeast N.B. man accused of killing spouse. CBC News.

-R. v. Jordan, 2016 SCC 27, [2016] 1 S.C.R. 631.

- Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (2026, February 11). 41-year-old man charged in connection with 2021 homicide. Government of Canada.

- Walton, V. (2026, June 8). Preliminary inquiry dates set for N.B. man who allegedly killed spouse in 2021. CBC News.

PROCEDURAL SHIFT IN NEW BRUNSWICK HOMICIDE CASE: Calvin Burns-Smith Opts for Judge-Alone Trial

A significant shift has occurred in the upcoming trial of Calvin Burns-Smith, the Musquash, New Brunswick man accused of murdering 26-year-old Sarah Teakles. During a pre-trial conference at Saint John's Court of King's Bench, Burns-Smith re-elected his mode of trial, opting to bypass a traditional jury in favour of a trial by judge alone (MacKinnon, 2026). The decision, made over a phone appearance, was under an automatic publication ban until the presiding judge, Justice Kathryn Gregory, lifted the restrictions on July 10, 2026, noting that a common-law ban was no longer necessary since a jury would no longer need to be insulated from pre-trial information (MacKinnon, 2026).

The case began on April 15, 2025, when the St. George detachment of the RCMP received a report that Sarah Teakles, a mother of two from the Saint John suburb of Rothesay, had gone missing (Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP], 2025). She had last been seen a day prior in Musquash, a community located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of Saint John (MacKinnon, 2025).

Following a brief search, the RCMP Major Crime Unit took carriage of the file. On April 17, 2025, investigators located Teakles's vehicle in Maces Bay, a small coastal community in Charlotte County (RCMP, 2025). Shortly thereafter, with the assistance of Police Dog Services, search teams discovered her body nearby (RCMP, 2025). While authorities have confirmed that the Major Crime Unit investigated the homicide through the lens of intimate partner violence - noting that Teakles and Burns-Smith had an on-and-off relationship - her official cause of death has not been released to the public (MacKinnon, 2025).

At the time her remains were discovered, Burns-Smith was already in the custody of the Saint John Police Force on separate, unrelated charges of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm to another woman (Bates, 2026b). The RCMP formally arrested him on April 21, 2025, connecting him directly to Teakles's death (RCMP, 2025).

The legal path leading to the current trial format has been complex, involving upgraded charges and systemic scheduling issues.

Burns-Smith was initially charged with manslaughter and committing an indignity to human remains (MacKinnon, 2025).

Following further investigation, the Crown withdrew the manslaughter charge and upgraded the count to second-degree murder (Bates, 2025).

The prosecution filed a direct indictment on January 16, 2026 (Bates, 2026b). This maneuver effectively bypassed the preliminary inquiry stage, moving the case directly to the Court of King's Bench for trial.

Burns-Smith's recent switch to a judge-alone format is expected to streamline the proceedings significantly. Crown prosecutor Elaina Campbell stated that removing a jury from the equation could shorten the anticipated seven-week trial down to six weeks and eliminate the need for lengthy voir dires (pre-trial hearings to determine the admissibility of evidence) (MacKinnon, 2026).

The defence, led by lawyer Brian Munro, had previously voiced serious concerns regarding Jordan-ceiling delays (Bates, 2026b). Under Canadian law, a defendant has the constitutional right to be tried within 30 months of their initial higher-court appearance. Because court backlogs in Saint John initially pushed tentative jury dates out toward late 2027, the defence aggressively lobbied for an earlier block (bates, 2026b). Following these adjustments, the judge-alone trial is officially scheduled to begin on may 3, 2027 (MacKinnon, 2026).

Apart from the murder trial, Burns-Smith is still facing two counts of uttering threats from April 2025. A separate trial date for those charges is expected to be finalized on August 4, 2026, after an earlier June date was postponed (MacKinnon, 2026).

References:
-Bates, A. (2025, August 6). New murder charge in connection with Rothesay woman's death. CHCO TV / Telegraph Journal.

-Bates, A. (2026b, February 18). Man accused of killing Rothesay woman to face jury trial in 2027. CHCO TV / Telegraph Journal.

-MacKinnon, B. (2025, July 14). Man accused of manslaughter, indignity to remains of Rothesay woman elects jury trial. CBC News.

- MacKinnon, B. (2026, July 10). Man accused of murder, indignity to remains of Rothesay woman opts for judge-alone trial. CBC News.

- Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (2025, April 24). 31-year-old man charged in connection with death of 26-year-old woman. Government of Canada.

IMAGE COURTESY OF CBC NEWS

Solemn Procession Honours Prince Edward Island Paramedics and Patient Killed in Tragic New Brunswick Crash

A profound sense of grief has enveloped the Maritime first-responder community following a devastating head-on collision in southeast New Brunswick that claimed the lives of two Prince Edward Island paramedics and a patient in their care.

On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, an ambulance operated by Island EMS was travelling westbound on Route 16 in the rural community of Melrose, New Brunswick - approximately 12 kilometres southwest of the Confederation Bridge - when it collided head-on with an eastbound transport truck just after 9:00 a.m. (Frankel, 2026; Nguyen, 2026).

The impact killed all three occupants of the ambulance at the scene. The victims have been identified as 56-year-old paramedic Mike McKenzie of Warren Grove, PEI, who was driving the emergency vehicle; 23-year-old paramedic Jenna Croucher of Nine Mile Creek, PEI; and 77-year-old Anne Martell of Montague, PEI, the patient being transported in the back of the vehicle (Jerrett, 2026; Nguyen, 2026). The driver of the transport truck survived the collision and was hospitalized with serious, non-life-threatening injuries (Frankel, 2026).

The tragedy has sent shockwaves through Prince Edward Island, a tight-knit province where emergency medical personnel are widely known across communities. PEI Premier Rob Lantz expressed the collective heartbreak of the province, stating that the lost paramedics had dedicated their careers to answering the call whenever citizens needed them most (Frankel, 2026). Laurae Kloschinsky, the interim CEO of Health PEI, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the vital role, courage, and compassion both paramedics brought to the healthcare system daily while extending deep sympathies to the family of Anne Martell (Jerrett, 2026).

In the wake of the crash, the structural dangers of Route 16 during the peak summer tourist season have resurfaced. Locals and municipal leaders, including Strait Shores Mayor Annamarie Boyd, noted that the heavily congested stretch of highway near Port Elgin is prone to severe traffic and frequent accidents, describing it as a notoriously difficult road to navigate (Jerrett, 2026).

Today, July 10, 2026, first responders organized a formal highway procession to return the bodies of MacKenzie and Croucher to Prince Edward Island (Nguyen, 2026). Departing from Saint John, New Brunswick, around 1:00 p.m., the line of emergency vehicles made its way across New Brunswick before crossing the Confederation Bridge.

The public was asked by the PEI RCMP to stand safely along the roadsides rather than joining the vehicle lineup, ensuring a respectful and safe journey as the procession moved through New Glasgow toward its final destination in Souris (Nguyen, 2026).

Demonstrating the strong bond within Maritime emergency services, more than 120 paramedics from New Brunswick automatically volunteered to be issued temporary courtesy licenses to work on Prince Edward Island (Global News, 2026). This mobilization ensures that local PEI emergency workers will have the opportunity to step away from their shifts to grieve and attend upcoming memorials for their fallen colleagues. The precise mechanical causes of the collision remain under investigation by the RCMP (Frankel, 2026; Jerrett, 2026).

References:
- Frankel, J. (2026, July 8 ). Two Canadian paramedics, patient killed in ambulance crash. JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services.
- Global News. (2026, July 10 ). N.B. paramedics volunteer to replace PEI colleagues grieving after fatal collision.
- Jerrett, A. (2026, July 7 ). Two PEI paramedics, patient dead after ambulance collides with transport truck in NB. CTV News Atlantic.
- Nguyen, T. (2026, July 10 ). Procession Friday to bring home PEI paramedics who died in NB crash. CBC News.

THE LAST EX*****ON IN SAINT JOHN: The 1955 Murder Case of Clifford Edward Ayles

The capital murder conviction of Clifford Edward Ayles stands as a significant historical event in the legal history of Atlantic Canada. Ayles was convicted of a fatal stabbing during an attempted payroll robbery in Saint John, New Brunswick, in October 1955. His subsequent hanging on November 6, 1956, marked the final time capital punishment was carried out in the city of Saint John before Canada completely abolished the death penalty for civil crimes in 1976.

In October 1955, 26-year-old Clifford Edward Ayles targeted David Allison Graves in Saint John during a targeted payroll robbery. During the encounter, Ayles stabbed Graves to death in his effort to secure the funds.

Following the homicide, Ayles fled Canada to evade law enforcement. He managed to travel deep into the United States, reaching Arizona before his location was discovered by investigators. He was subsequently arrested by American authorities and extradited back to New Brunswick to face trial for capital murder.

During the judicial proceedings, the prosecution relied on critical eyewitness identification. A key legal issue arose regarding how the suspect was identified before the trial. In the subsequent appellate review, R. v. Ayles (1956), the court examined the pretrial procedures where a witness identified Ayles as a former patient of the Saint John Tuberculosis Hospital.

The defense challenged the propriety of how photographs were shown to the witness prior to a formal lineup. However, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal determined that showing the photographs did not improperly taint the testimony, as it was strictly used to ascertain the name of an intruder whom the witness already recognized from the hospital (R. v. Ayles, 1956; Law Reform Commission of Canada, 1983).

Following his conviction, Ayles was sentenced to death by hanging. Because capital cases automatically underwent review by the federal Department of Justice, a campaign was launched to secure executive clemency for the young man.

Petitions and formal letters were sent to the federal government imploring cabinet officials to commute the sentence based on Ayles’s severe cognitive limitations. Contemporary documentation sent to Ottawa described his condition as “imbecility” and argued against ex*****on on the grounds of mental defect (Boudreau, 2020). However, because no formal legal defense of insanity had been pleaded or proven during the actual courtroom trial, the federal cabinet declined to intervene.

Clifford Edward Ayles was executed by hanging on November 6, 1956, at Gallows Hill in Saint John, remaining the last individual executed in the municipality’s history.

References:

- Boudreau, M. (2020). “He was always a mental defective”: Psychiatric conversations and the ex*****on of Bennie Swim in New Brunswick, 1922. Journal of New Brunswick Studies, 12(1), 4-25.

- Law Reform Commission of Canada. (1983). Pretrial eyewitness identification procedures (Study Paper). Ministry of Supply and Services Canada.

- R. v. Ayles, 119 C.C.C. 38 (N.B. C.A. 1956).

THE BETHEL STORE MURDER: The 1925 Trial of Alfred Arsenault

In May 1925, the small community of Bethel, located near St. George in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, became the scene of a brutal crime when 70-year-old storekeeper Alpheus Hanselpacker (alternatively spelled Hanselpecker) was murdered. A 17-year-old youth named Alfred Arsenault was subsequently arrested, tried, and convicted for the killing.

On May 8, 1925, a local resident, Sergeant Roix, noticed a key left hanging in the front door of Hanselpacker’s shop. Sensing something was wrong, Roix investigated the exterior of the property and discovered Hanselpacker’s body lying face down in a pool of blood approximately 10 feet from the building (Saint Croix Courier, Sept. 17, 1925).

Dr. H.I. Taylor, the coroner of St. George, conducted a postmortem examination and found multiple severe wounds to the victim’s skull. Dr. Taylor later testified that any single one of these blunt-force injuries would have been sufficient to cause death (Saint Croix Courier, Sept. 17, 1925).

Suspicion quickly fell upon 17-year-old Alfred Arsenault, who was arrested and held in custody for four months leading up to his trial. The trial opened in September 1925 at the Circuit Court in St. Andrews before Mr. Justice Byrne (Saint Croix Courier, Sept. 17, 1925).

The legal teams involved prominent figures of the New Brunswick bar.

The Crown was represented by J.B. McNair, who would later become the Premier of New Brunswick.

The defense was represented by E.R. McDonald of Shediac.

A critical piece of forensic evidence presented by the prosecution came from Dr. H.L. Abramson, the provincial pathologist and bacteriologist based in Saint John. Dr. Abramson testified that he discovered clear traces of human blood on pieces of fabric removed from Arsenault’s coat (Saint Croix Courier, Sept. 17, 1925).

Following a multi-week session heavily focused on the criminal proceedings, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. On Friday, September 18, 1925, Mr. Justice Byrne sentenced Arsenault to be executed by hanging on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1926 (Saint Croix Courier, Sept. 24, 1925). Contemporary newspaper accounts noted that the teenager “did not change countenance” upon hearing his death sentence.

Because of Arsenault’s young age, his case file was forwarded to the federal Department of Justice for executive clemency review, a standard practice for capital punishment cases in Canada during that era (Library and Archives Canada). The Governor General ultimately intervened, and Arsenault’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He served his sentence at the Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick (WikiTree).

References:

- Library and Archives Canada. Persons Sentenced to Death in Canada, 1867-1976: An Inventory of Case Files in the Fonds of the Department of Justice.

- Saint Croix Courier. (1925, September 17). “Murder of A. Hanselpacker - St. George, NB: Verdict of guilty readily reached.”

- Saint Croix Courier. (1925, September 24). “The circuit court closed long session: Alfred Arsenault found guilty.”

- WikiTree. Persons Sentenced to Death in New Brunswick (Capital Punishment Records). Entry for Alfred Arsenault (Commuted to Life in Dorchester Pen).

IMAGE: Old Dorchester Jail (Global News, 2017)

The New Brunswick RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit has charged a 40-year-old man from Burton, N.B., with accessing Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material.

The investigation began in December 2025 when the New Brunswick Internet Child Exploitation Unit was notified by the New Brunswick Major Crime Unit that Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material had been located on a device in relation to a separate investigation that started in April 2024.

On April 22, 2026, members of the Internet Child Exploitation Unit, arrested the 40-year-old man in relation to the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material investigation. He was placed on strict conditions pending a future court appearance on September 22, 2026. The 40-year-old man remained in custody related to other charges.

On June 29, 2026, 40-year-old Jared Josiah Smith was charged with accessing Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material in the Fredericton Provincial Court.

The New Brunswick RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation Unit includes members from the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force.

If you are a victim, or have any information related to similar crimes, please contact your local police. If you have information that may assist an investigation and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.

The investigation is ongoing.

https://rcmp.ca/en/nb/news/2026/06/4354504

A SHOT IN THE TRACKS: The 1908 Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Murder and the Ex*****on of Tony Arosha

In the early 20th century, Canada was a nation aggressively expanding its frontiers, fueled heavily by the backbone of immigrant labour and the physical laying of transcontinental steel. But the remote railway camps were often volatile environments, isolated from traditional community structures and characterized by severe economic pressures. It was within this transient, high-stakes environment that a brief, violent encounter in December 1908 culminated in the ex*****on of one of New Brunswick’s youngest condemned men: 19-year-old Tony (Antonio) Arosha.

In December 1908, work was progressing rapidly on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway - a massive infrastructure project designed to open up Canada’s interior and connect the East Coast to the Pacific. Hundreds of labourers, many of whom were newly arrived European immigrants, lived and worked in temporary settlements strung along the developing line through New Brunswick.

Among these laborers were Tony Arosha, a 19-year-old Italian immigrant, and his compatriot, Leon Sepeppil (sometimes recorded in historical briefs as Seppepll). Driven by the intent of robbery, the two men targeted Edward Green along a section of the Grand Trunk Pacific railway line in New Brunswick. The encounter quickly turned fatal when Green was shot and killed.

The suspects were quickly tracked down by local authorities. In a frontier economy where wages were often carried in cash and the wilderness offered easy avenues for flight, railway robberies were viewed with extreme severity by the state. Arosha and Sepeppil were apprehended, swiftly tried, and found guilty of capital murder in early 1909 (University of New Brunswick, n.d.).

Because the murder took place within the geographical jurisdiction of Victoria County, the legal proceedings and subsequent punishment were meted out locally. At the time, Canadian ex*****ons were carried out by hanging at county gaols (jails), rather than centralized provincial penitentiaries.

On May 4, 1909, Tony Arosha and Leon Sepeppil were led to the gallows at the Common Gaol in Andover (the shire town of Victoria County), New Brunswick. The mental and physical toll of the impending ex*****on on the teenage Arosha was severe; contemporary newspaper records noted that the 19-year-old completely fainted from terror just as the ex*****oner, John Radclive, placed the noose around his neck (Victoria Daily Times, 1909).

The trapdoors were sprung, and the double ex*****on was carried out simultaneously. Arosha’s death marked a grim chapter in the province’s judicial history, cementing him as one of the youngest individuals ever executed by the state in New Brunswick.

Looking back at the case of Tony Arosha through a modern criminological lens reveals several systemic realities of early 20th-century Canadian justice that differ drastically from the contemporary legal system.

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway construction relied heavily on underpaid, non-English-speaking migrant workers who faced immense social isolation. Historians note that ethnic minorities in these camps often lived under extreme duress, with minimal access to legal counsel, social support networks, or translators when accused of crimes. While the motive of robbery in the Green murder is clear, the lightning-fast trajectory from arrest to gallows highlights a judicial system that prioritized rapid deterrence over thorough appellate review.

In 1909, the window between a crime, a conviction, and an ex*****on was remarkably short. Green was murdered in December 1908; by May 1909, both Arosha and Sepeppil had been tried, sentenced, and hanged. Modern capital cases (in jurisdictions where the death penalty still exists) often take a decade or more to exhaust appeals. In Edwardian Canada, justice for capital crimes was swift, absolute, and heavily localized, leaving virtually no time to investigate mitigating factors such as Arosha’s youth.

The mention of the ex*****oner, Radclive, provides further historical context. John Radclive was Canada’s first official, federally recognized hangman. Trained in the British “long drop” method - which aimed to break the neck instantly rather than cause slow strangulation - Radclive officiated over 60 ex*****ons across Canada. Despite his technical approach, the psychological reality of his profession frequently resulted in gruesome scenes, such as the teenage Arosha collapsing on the scaffold from sheer shock.

Today, the Common Gaol in Victoria County stands as a quiet historic site, but its soil holds the legacy of an era when a desperate railway robbery could cost a teenager his life in a matter of months.

References
University of New Brunswick. (n.d.). Capital Punishment in New Brunswick: Historical Overview. Justice System | Crime and Punishment Projects. Faculty of Arts, UNB Saint John.

Victoria Daily Times. (1909, May 4). Arosha fainted when the noose was put around his neck. Radclieff [Radclive] officiated. Victoria, B.C. Archives via Wikimedia Commons.

WikiTree. (2023). Persons Sentenced to Death in New Brunswick: Historical Registry. Space: Persons Sentenced to Death in New Brunswick.

PHOTO: Victoria County Common Gaol (where the hanging took place." Still operates as an active courthouse to this day,

She checked into her hotel in St. John’s after a long trip across Canada, telling no one that anything was wrong. The next day, she took a taxi to meet someone near Topsail Road—and after that moment, 21-year-old Jessica Heppner was never seen again.

Jessica Heppner was last confirmed in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, in May 2015, during what was supposed to be a short visit before continuing her travels. What happened after she left her hotel room would later become a case defined by missing timelines, unanswered movements, and unexplained digital traces.

MISSING PERSON (COLD CASE)

• Jessica Heppner
• Age at disappearance: 21
• From: Ontario, Canada
📅 Missing Since: May 26, 2015
📍 Last Seen: Topsail Road area, Paradise, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Jessica had arrived in St. John’s on May 25, 2015, and checked into the Sheraton Hotel. She initially planned to stay for one night but extended her reservation for an additional day. On May 26, she left the hotel by taxi to meet a friend near Topsail Road in Paradise. That is the last confirmed point of her movements.

The taxi driver and the person she met that day were both later interviewed by police and were not considered suspects in her disappearance. After that meeting, Jessica never returned to her hotel.

When investigators searched her room, they found her luggage, identification, and laptop still inside. Nothing suggested a planned departure. No clear evidence explained why she never came back.

In the days following her disappearance, a man who identified himself as Norbert Kasza contacted authorities from Ontario, claiming he had been traveling with Jessica and became concerned when she did not arrive for planned arrangements. He later declined an in-person interview and reportedly continued traveling out of Canada. Police also noted conflicting information from people around him regarding whether he even knew Jessica.

As the investigation continued, authorities confirmed there were no records of Jessica leaving Newfoundland by air, though they did not rule out other possible means of departure. Then, weeks later, a prepaid phone believed to belong to Jessica was reportedly used in Ontario. Months after that, a prepaid credit card linked to her was used in Germany.

Each new detail deepened the mystery rather than solving it—placing fragments of her presence across places she was never officially recorded as reaching.

Despite extensive investigation, no arrests have been made, no suspects have been publicly identified, and Jessica has never been located.

Today, more than a decade later, her disappearance remains unsolved. Investigators still search for the moment where her confirmed movements stopped—and what happened in the silence that followed.

Please don’t scroll past this case. Someone may remember a taxi, a conversation, a hotel sighting, or a detail that once seemed meaningless. Even one piece of information could help complete the timeline that still has no ending.

If you have any information regarding Jessica Heppner, please contact your local police service or Crime Stoppers.