OPP hopes new 3D portrait helps ID Nation River Lady
Warning: Some of the images in this article are of a graphic nature and may be disturbing to readers
An OPP forensic artist has created a 3D facial reconstruction of the Nation River Lady, the name given to the victim at the centre of a 42-year-old cold case, in hopes someone will recognize who she was and help them solve the lingering homicide investigation.
A local farmer discovered the remains of the woman floating in the Nation River near the Highway 417 bridge, just south of Casselman, Ont., back in May 1975.
"When we do the 3D reconstructions, there is a level of subjectivity," said Duncan May, the forensic artist who built the model. "What we're always trying to do is achieve a likeness [so] that someone who would have known her in life may recognize her."
Police have also released photos of the items found with the woman's body.
Police said her hands and feet were bound with neckties: a blue tie with small Canada flag emblems, a blue striped silk tie and a red tie with yellow patterns.
Her body was wrapped in two pieces of green cloth and two towels, one with an Irish toast written on it, the other with a flower pattern.
She was wearing a navy-blue body suit which had a collar, buttons down the front, long sleeves and snaps that secured in the crotch area, police said.
A J-Cloth, TV cable and a curtain rod runner were also with her body, said OPP.
She had an appendix operation scar and wore partial upper and lower dentures.
The woman was described as Caucasian, between the ages of 25 and 50 years old, between five foot two inches and five foot eight inches tall with an average build, weighing approximately 100 pounds, and with brown hair that was dyed a reddish blond.
'Maybe this will bring this to a close'
The reconstruction took about 60 hours, Duncan said, and was a group effort with provincial forensic anthropologists.
The OPP officers involved in the case said they hope the reconstruction can provide some clarity as to who the woman was.
"Hopefully today, with this 3D representation, we can bring some people forward with information that will give us the identity of this lady," said Const. Guy Prévost.
"Maybe this will bring this to a close."
Anyone with information that could help identity the woman or to find the person or persons responsible for her homicide are asked to contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or the Nation River Lady dedicated tipline at 613-591-2296.
The Government of Ontario is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the homicide investigation.