Police to reveal suspect profile in Orangeville homicide case

Share

Police working on an unsolved homicide in Orangeville took the unusual step of calling in experts from several other police agencies – including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation – to develop a profile of their suspect.

The results of the three-day police summit on the killing of Sonia Varaschin, a 42-year-old nurse, will be made public Thursday morning in a press conference at an Orangeville hotel.

The profile of her alleged killer is to contain descriptions of his actions and demeanour at the time of the homicide and when her body was found, to help the public identify him.

The meeting was held between behavioural science experts at the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP and the FBI, as well as senior homicide investigators from the Toronto, Ottawa and York Region forces.

"I would suggest it's somewhat unprecedented in recent years," said OPP Constable Peter Leon of the large meeting.

The FBI's storied Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia is well-known for its work developing detailed profiles of serial killers.

Investigators have not identified a suspect or made any arrests since Ms. Varaschin vanished from her Orangeville home late in August. Blood was found in the home and in her car, which was abandoned downtown.

Her body was recovered a few days later in a wooded area outside of town.

While police have released precise descriptions of the footwear worn by their suspect in the case, they have revealed no other advances in the investigation since, but said they are still carefully analysing forensic evidence for clues.

Officers are also investigating an assault on a 44-year-old woman attacked in her home just north of Orangeville last week. While they stress that no links have been identified between the two incidents, investigators working on the cases will compare notes.