Four years ago this month, two people were murdered within a span of six days at opposite ends of the city and police are still no closer to finding the culprits responsible for the homicides.
After all that time and despite rewards posted in both cases, there are no breaks to report to the families of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry and Michael Ciro Nestoruk, according to the Vancouver Police Department and the RCMP-led Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, or IHIT.
This is definitely not a cold case and we ask them to hold out hope, said Sgt. Jennifer Pound, spokesperson for IHIT, regarding the Ladner-Beaudry investigation.
Ladner-Beaudry, 53, died April 3 while running on a sunny afternoon in Pacific Spirit Regional Park. A hiker discovered her body on a trail near the intersection of West 41st and Camosun.
Nestoruk, 41, a disabled homeless man in a wheelchair, was found dead April 9 on the grounds of Carleton elementary school at Kingsway and Joyce. The one-time wheelchair basketball and tennis player was battling an addiction to heroin and cocaine, according to the VPD.
A reward of $30,000 was posted by the Ladner-Beaudry family and the Vancouver Police Board approved a $10,000 reward in the Nestoruk homicide.
Police dont believe the two homicides are connected.
Though the Ladner-Beaudry murder occurred in Vancouver, the RCMP is responsible for investigating crimes in the park. In 2011, the RCMP said the number of persons of interest in the Ladner-Beaudry case had grown to more than 300, with 110 either conclusively or tentatively eliminated.
Pound said police still have many people to interview but noted some are not cooperative and it makes it difficult to remove them from a list of potential suspects.
Pound joined Ladner-Beaudrys sister Nancy Edmonds and brother Peter Ladner at the park on the fourth-year anniversary of the homicide in an effort to renew the publics interest in the case.
For all we know, there may already be other women who have been attacked, even killed, by Wendys murderer, Ladner told reporters. There may be other people also suffering today, somewhere near here, or somewhere far away, unknown to us, because this case has not been solved. That is the danger that has to be eliminated.
In the majority of homicide investigations, Pound said, investigators are able to establish a motive and have a good idea of who committed the crime.
She said the Ladner-Beaudry homicide is one of those five per cent cases where we dont have a motive which makes it very difficult to speak to whether its random.
Const. Brian Montague, a VPD media liaison officer, said he spoke to the departments major crime section about the Nestoruk homicide but unfortunately there are no details or additional information that we can share at this time.
Meanwhile, the VPD announced Friday that Matthew Anthony-Cook, 27, has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of 59-year-old Michael Charles Gregory after a fight Feb. 9 at Commercial Drive and Venables Street.
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