Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Katherine J. Smith to show support. 1615 St. Philip Street New Orleans, LA KATHERINE GRANT OBITUARY Katherine Marie Grant was called to rest on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. Detectives had to take him to hospital, where he was admitted because of his poor health. Katherine, the only daughter of James "B" and Pauline Jenkins, was born on August 30, 1953. In 1996, his father fell ill and was moved to hospital in Huntsville. "Many people, in historic investigations, don't come forward in the beginning because they're scared, and as time goes on, often times, they believe that the police must have the information. They also confirm, for the first time, that police believed at least one of the missing seniors was killed and that a member of the Laan family was responsible. She had an impeccable sense of humor. None of the Laans, or their uncle, Ron Allen, reported their residents as missing. She was also full of sarcasm, wit, was habitually late, and we loved her even more for it. A spokeswoman with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario, Margot White, confirmed in an email that no one by the name of Katherine Smith or Kathrine Smith is registered as a member of the college. The Walrus uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. While investigating the disappearances, police also began looking into the conditions of the homes. KATHERINE MARIE LEIKER Katherine Marie "Katie" Leiker, 36 and Emmett James Leiker, her unborn son, of Munjor, Kansas died Friday, February 17, 2023 at their home. Your sweet mother was truly a Godly woman with a huge heart. Conditions in the homes also caught the attention of people in the community. With thanks,Jennifer HollettExecutive Director, Updated 13:47, Nov. 27, 2019|Published 5:00, Oct. 13, 2017. OPP say they think the Laans sought out people who had no family or friends to look out for them. Before arriving on the Island, she worked in Toronto as an investigative journalist with CBC's The Fifth Estate, where she received two Canadian Screen Awards, a Michener Award and a National Radio Television Digital News Association Award. She loved the many cats with whom she lived through her life and will be missed dearly by her cat Scruffy. You can read the feature Cottage Country Murder here. Memorial contributions may be made in Smiths memory to Three Rivers Adaptive Sports, P.O. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Muskoka mystery: Missing senior killed to stop her from reporting 'mistreatment, neglect,' police said | CBC News Loaded. There is no photo or video of Katherine J. Smith.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. Family linked to disappearance of seniors fights release of police documents. Box 38235, Pittsburgh PA 15216 and www.traspa.org and the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers www.steelwheelers.com. Martin Funeral Home Phone: (205) 755-3550 1300 4th Ave . In November 1998, the OPP began investigating the disappearance of Joan Lawrence, a seventy-seven-year-old Huntsville resident known as the Cat Lady, who lived on a farm property owned by the Laans. Katie was a storyteller and story collector, dedicated to telling her own to inspire others, and invested in those of strangers and friends alike. She battled. Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source. Writing on behalf of his clients, Manishen says information about the case should remain private until the police investigation is closed. Citing legal examples in which judges ruled against journalists seeking similar access, Manishen argues that the publication of stories containing inadmissible or irrelevant details about his clients that could prejudice prospective jurors and infringe on their right to a fair trial. She is also survived by other relatives and friends. They said Lawrence told them she paid $600 per month to rent the shed. Manishens filing is in response to an application first made by The Walrus and CBC News, which hosts The Fifth Estate, to get at the warrants, which the Crown attorneys office is also opposing. OPP Det. She was the school's volunteer treasurer at the time. February 18, 2023 View Tribute Book Read more Events Resources Unique Funeral Options 6 Ways To Thank A Caregiver (and more!) The documents state that Kathrine bugged Lawrence to move into Cedar Pines, a residence Kathrine had purchased west of Huntsville. He says Kathrine Laan asked him to do some work on one of the houses for her in the late 1990s. For two decades, Canadians have relied on our thought-provoking journalism to make sense of our world. (Lisa Mayor/CBC) Police believed an elderly woman who disappeared in Ontario's cottage country two decades ago was killed to "prevent her from reporting frauds, thefts, mistreatment and neglect. Upgrade now. The Walrus is a registered charity with an educational mandate. The documents show Lawrence told friends she was afraid of the Laans. Police say they've looked into those 12 deaths and say they are not considered suspicious. Lawrence, known locally as The Cat Lady because she lived in a small, rundown garden shed with 30 or so cats, went missing from a home operated by the Laan family. None of the Laans, or their uncle, Ron Allen, reported their residents as missing. Burial will take place at a later date at Fairfield Township. Among them is Kathrine Laan, the sister and niece of Lawrences landlords. The portions of the search warrants that remain under seal will be challenged by The Walrus/CBC in a hearing later this month. As such, this individual is not authorized to call herself a naturopath or use the title of doctor, nor is she entitled to practise as a naturopath in Ontario.. Ron Allens age and whereabouts are unknown. One resident told police he noticed that he wasn't receiving any of his cheques in the mail as he normally did, and that he didn't remember signing any documents allowing the Laans access to his money. That property, about 13 kilometres southwest of Huntsville,was owned by three members of theLaanfamily. Insp. Hurley said police called him two years after his father died around 1998, when their investigation began but didn't offer him any new information. Sharon Kay Darling, age 83, of Owosso, MI, passed away Monday, February 20, 2023, at Medilodge, East Lansing. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. Lessons from Fort Jefferson continue to have impact. Anthony Varcak Sandy Weingartz . She was predeceased by : her parents, Robert Brown and Elva Brown; her sons, Robert and Charles Curtis; and her sister Barbara Howard. San Francisco Bay. She was born December . Mrs. Thelma Louise Cooper Muldrow was born in Florence, South Carolina on February 19, 1955, to the late Robert Christopher Cooper, Sr. and the late Alberta Alexander Cooper. . Part of a seven-month joint investigation with CBCs The Fifth Estate, the feature delved into recently unsealed police files to try to answer a question that has obsessed detectives for nearly two decades: What happened to four seniors who went missing in Ontarios Muskoka area in the 1990s? In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Benny Joel Smith; and brothers, Ronald and Larry Fields. Smith was a board member of the local chapter of United Spinal Association and the Stoneybrook Foundation, which operates a therapeutic riding center in Acme. The missing piece of the puzzle is out there somewhere and I'm very optimistic that we will find it. "They were the ones that were always there when I went.". Hurley lived at Cedar Pines, one of the homes run by the Laans, for a few years until his death in 1996. It was later in the investigation that the OPP would learn 12 more people died while being cared for by the Laans making that 16 in total over about seven years. Online Geometry Tutors After high school, Katie attended Penn State University and was enrolled in their nursing program until 2007. Police spent nearly three years searching for bodies, clues and answers, but none of the four have been seen since and none of their bodies have been found. For the stories, The Walrus and The Fifth Estate have petitioned an Ontario court judge to unseal several search warrants executed in the early months of the investigation. Muskoka mystery: Family linked to disappearance of seniors fights release of police documents, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Her sister, Jane Benedict, and, her nephew, Michael Benedict. A criminal defence attorney representing the Laan siblings, as well as their uncle, Ron Allen, has responded. Paul was given a restitution order to pay back more than $20,000, and Walter more than $10,000. Rob Matthews told The Fifth Estate the case is moving forward in a substantial way after they received a "significant" number of tips and information following a news conference this summer and media attention to the case. She attended the Valley School of Ligonier from kindergarten through ninth grade and then Mount Pleasant Area High School from where she graduated in 2003. In July 2007, Katie became a quadriplegic after suffering a spinal cord injury in a car accident. Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application. To date, no one has been charged in relation to the disappearances, but the four Muskoka missing had one thing in common: their landlords, David, Walter, and Paul Laan. Many of the people who lived at Laan homes were homeless, mentally ill or had no family left. Katie also served as a mentor to both peers and students. She graduated cum laude from Seton Hill University in 2012 with a BA in Psychology and with Elementary and Special Education Certificates. In a strange twist, Matthews, who was investigating the Laans retirement homes before Lawrences disappearance, was said by David and Walter to be responsible for relocating the missing seniors. Donations can be made in her honor to The Red Door Community. (Matthews declined to be interviewed.). Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. April 4, 1940 - Smith was such a happy person, said Barb Zablotney of Windber, a 2018 Ms. She was sentenced to nine months in custody. Badger had handed her Ms. Pennsylvania crown to Smith. Court documents obtained by The Fifth Estate show that Hurley's father was one of 12 people police say the Laans were stealing money from after they died and in Hurley's case, cashing his pension cheques for four years after he died. m, 41 Matt twelfth Kraal mroit. One of the first residents who spoke to police said he only had rice and pasta to eat and was paying $700 per month tolive at FernGlen. Zablotney said that she and Smith were both told they were limited in what they could do, so they found a new way to do things in their life. None of the leads were proven true, and in the almost twenty years since their disappearance, the missing seniors have never resurfaced. Thelma loved the Lord and devoted her life to Christ at an early age. 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