True North True Crime

In this previously TNTC+ bonus episode, we're taking you inside a world few people truly understand — the work of cadaver search dogs and their handlers.We’re joined by Jason McMillan, Vice President and K9 Handler with Canadian Cadaver Canines — a volunteer-based team that assists in searches for missing persons across Canada. Jason and his cadaver dog, Osiris, bring compassion, skill, and unwavering dedication to every case they work on, from wilderness recoveries to historic investigations.This is part of our ongoing conversation series exploring the many roles involved in the search for the missing. In this thoughtful and eye-opening interview, we learn about the science, training, and emotional weight of this work — and the powerful bond between handler and dog.To learn more or support the organization, visit canadiancadavercanines.ca--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

On a cold December night in 1962, two men were led through the echoing halls of Toronto’s Don Jail. Beneath their feet, a trapdoor waited. Minutes later, Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin became the last people ever executed in Canadian history.In this special Halloween episode, we step back into that chilling night — and the crimes that brought both men to the gallows.Through archival records, press accounts, and historical context, we explore how Lucas and Turpin’s deaths marked not only the end of two lives, but the end of capital punishment in Canada.This is the story of justice, mercy, and the night the noose fell for the last time.--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

Seven-year-old Wayne Mallette vanished on the deserted grounds of Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition on September 15, 1956. Within days, police zeroed in on 14-year-old Ron Moffatt, extracting a confession during a parent- and lawyer-free interrogation and securing a juvenile conviction—while the real predator, Peter Woodcock, remained free to kill again. In this episode, we trace the investigation, the tunnel vision that led to a wrongful conviction, and the 1957 courtroom turn that cleared Moffatt. We’re joined by journalist and author Nate Hendley, whose book The Boy on the Bicycle documents the case and its legacy in Canadian justice: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-boy-on-the-bicycle-a-forgotten-case-of-wrongful-conviction-in-toronto/9781988274515.html--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

On the night of October 12, 1983, 17-year-old Donna Jean Awcock was babysitting for a neighbour in London, Ontario. When her shift ended, she set out for a short walk — but she never made it home.The next morning, October 13, Donna’s body was found near the Thames River by the Fanshawe Dam. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. For forty years, her case has remained unsolved.In this episode, we explore Donna’s life, the night she disappeared, and the investigation that followed. We also place her case within the pattern of unsolved murders that haunted London, Ontario, during the 1970s and 80s — a city some criminologists later called the “serial killer capital of Canada.”If you have any information about the murder of Donna Jean Awcock, please contact the Ontario Provincial Police or Crime Stoppers.--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

In January 2024, 52-year-old Mathew McGrath went missing from Carleton Place, Ontario. For four months his family searched desperately, until his body was discovered in the Mississippi River that May. The coroner ruled his cause of death as drowning, but the manner was left undetermined. Police stated no foul play was suspected and considered the case closed.For Mathew’s sister Melissa, the search for answers has never ended. In this episode, she shares memories of her brother’s life and her ongoing concerns about the contradictions and unresolved questions that surround his disappearance and death.If you have any information about Mathew’s case, please contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or share what you know anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).👉 Support the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556134750715--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

It was the early hours of August 3rd, 2001, in Edmonton, Alberta, when fire crews responded to a dumpster blaze behind a central apartment building. Once the flames were out, they made a horrifying discovery — the burned remains of a young woman.For nearly two weeks, investigators worked to find out who she was. They canvassed hundreds of apartments and narrowed their search to a short list of missing women. Dental records would confirm the victim was 18-year-old Patricia Calahasen.What police uncovered next was a story of trust betrayed, a violent assault, and a desperate attempt to destroy the evidence. The person responsible was just 17 years old. But for Patricia’s family, the fight for justice has lasted decades.--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

In October 2008, 21-year-old Dylan Koshman disappeared from south Edmonton after a late-night argument with his cousins. He left the house wearing only jeans and a t-shirt—and without his phone, wallet, or jacket—never to be seen again. Initially treated as a missing-person case, the investigation was later reclassified as a homicide. Dylan’s wallet was recovered from a neighboring yard, but no other trace of him has been found. Years later, the case remains unresolved, classified by police as suspended, with no charges laid.--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

👉 Content warning: this episode contains audio of gunfire.On June 28, 2022, a quiet day at a Bank of Montreal in Saanich, British Columbia, exploded into chaos when two heavily armed men stormed the building, triggering a deadly shootout with police. In the midst of gunfire, six officers put their lives on the line, displaying extraordinary bravery as they fought to protect innocent lives and bring the situation under control. But who were these men, and what drove them to such extreme violence? In this episode, we explore the harrowing details of the Saanich bank heist and the heroic actions of law enforcement that prevented an even greater tragedy.--Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tntcpodFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime

In June 1959, 12-year-old Lynne Harper disappeared from the small community of Clinton, Ontario. Two days later, her body was found in a wooded area near a rural concession road. What followed was one of the most infamous wrongful convictions in Canadian history.Steven Truscott, a 14-year-old classmate, was arrested, charged with Lynne’s murder, and sentenced to death — all within weeks. For decades, Steven fought to clear his name, facing a justice system that refused to admit its mistakes. His case became a landmark example of wrongful conviction, influencing public opinion, legal reform, and how Canada handles cases involving young offenders.In this episode, we revisit the murder of Lynne Harper and the conviction that changed the life of Steven Truscott. We’ll explore the flawed investigation, the trial’s key evidence, and how Steven’s fight for justice unfolded over nearly half a century.For a deeper look into this case, we recommend the book Until You Are Dead by Julian Sher: https://www.amazon.ca/Until-You-Are-Dead-Truscotts/dp/0676973817--This podcast is recorded on the territories of the Coast Salish people.Music Composed by: Sayer Roberts - https://soundcloud.com/user-135673977 // shorturl.at/mFPZ0Subscribe to TNTC+ on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/TNTCJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/tntcpodMerch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/true-north-true-crime?ref_id=24376Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntcpod/Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenorthtruecrime