On a November night in 1997, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to meet a group of teenagers near Craigflower Bridge in British Columbia. She never came home.

What followed was not a single moment of violence, but a slow escalation shaped by rumor, exclusion, group dynamics, and bystander silence. Dozens of people witnessed parts of what happened. Many assumed someone else would intervene. No one did.

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New episodes of Northern Dark are released weekly.

Episode Notes

Basic case overview & context • Wikipedia — Murder of Reena Virk (timeline, perpetrators, aftermath) Murder of Reena Virk — Wikipedia

Canadian encyclopedia entry • The Canadian Encyclopedia — Reena Virk murder overview (summary & impact) Murder of Reena Virk — The Canadian Encyclopedia

Profiles of the perpetrators • Yahoo News Canada — Where Reena Virk’s killers are now (context on Ellard & Glowatski) Where Reena Virk’s killers are now (Yahoo)

Historical coverage & analysis • Time — True story behind Under the Bridge (Hulu adaptation context) ‘Under the Bridge’: True Story Behind Hulu Crime Drama

Series coverage & follow-ups • CBC News (video) — Day parole revoked for Reena Virk’s killer (2025) CBC News: Day parole revoked for killer

Long-form background & culture • People.com — What happened to Reena Virk (cast, details, and HBO adaptation context) What Happened to Reena Virk (People)

Tonight on Northern Dark, we continue our examination of men who vanished without a trace in Canada.

In Part 2 of Missing Without a Trace, we focus on three men who disappeared in the British Columbia wilderness — places where people hike, trail run, and explore every day.

This episode examines the disappearances of:

• Gordon Sagoo, who vanished during a summer hike in the Chilliwack backcountry
• Timothy Marc Delahaye, last seen near Cultus Lake while heading toward a Buddhist retreat
• Kristofer Shawn Couture, whose vehicle was found abandoned at a trailhead months before his family even knew he was missing

In each case, extensive searches were carried out. Search and Rescue teams deployed. Police investigated. And yet — no belongings, no remains, and no clear explanation was ever found.

These men were not isolated, not inexperienced, and not trying to disappear. They were planning to return home.

Part 1 examined disappearances from resort towns. Part 2 asks an even harder question: how do people vanish from busy trails and well-traveled wilderness — without leaving anything behind?

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New episodes of Northern Dark are released weekly.

Episode Notes

Gordon Sagoo

• Family of missing hiker Gordon Sagoo plead for help — Global News
• Search continues near Chilliwack for missing hiker Gordon Sagoo — CBC News
• Family of missing hiker staying strong during search — CBC News
• Chilliwack Search and Rescue statements on Baby Munday Peak search — CBC News
• Gordon Sagoo memorial fundraiser — British Columbia Search and Rescue Association

Timothy Marc Delahaye

• B.C. mom pleads for help finding son last seen a month ago — The Progress / Maple Ridge News
• Chilliwack RCMP renew calls to locate man missing since 2019 — CityNews Vancouver
• Renewed request to locate missing man and his belongings — RCMP
• Whatever happened to Timothy Delahaye? Six years later — Paul J. Henderson

Kristofer Shawn Couture

• Missing Chilliwack man last seen leaving Royal Columbian Hospital — Global News
• Edmonton man missing after vehicle found abandoned at B.C. trailhead — Global News
• Missing man’s mom still hopeful years after car found at B.C. trail — Nanaimo News Bulletin
• Chilliwack RCMP seek information on cold cases involving missing people — The Progress
• RCMP missing person profile: Kristofer Shawn Couture — BC RCMP Archives

Contact Information & Tip Lines

If you have information related to any of the cases discussed, please contact:

• Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611
• Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (anonymous)

In Part One of this two-part episode, we examine three Canadian disappearances where people vanished from places meant to be safe — resort villages, park towns, and public walkways — leaving no confirmed route, no belongings, and no answers. Not to speculate, but to understand what happens when searches reach their limits.

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New episodes of Northern Dark are released weekly.

Episode Notes

Ryan Shtuka

• The weight of silence: Ryan Shtuka missing in Sun Peaks — CBC News
• Sun Peaks ski resort worker missing — CBC News
• Into Thin Air: Ryan Shtuka — CFJC Today
• “We still feel like it’s Groundhog Day”: Ryan Shtuka’s mom reflects on seven-year anniversary — Castanet Kamloops

Liam Toman

• Ontario man missing after trip to Mont-Tremblant — CBC News
• Family seeks answers after Ontario man disappears in Mont-Tremblant — CTV News Montreal
• Ontario man missing in Mont-Tremblant during ski trip — Global News
• Missing person bulletin: Liam Toman — Sûreté du Québec

Ben McDonald

• Search continues for missing man in Waterton Lakes National Park — CBC News
• Man missing in Waterton Lakes National Park — Global News
• Search underway for missing man in Waterton Lakes — Lethbridge Herald
• Parks Canada assists in search for missing visitor — Parks Canada / RCMP release

Contact Information & Tip Lines

If you have information related to any of the cases discussed, please contact the appropriate authorities.

Ryan Shtuka – Sun Peaks, British Columbia

• Kamloops RCMP
• Crime Stoppers (Anonymous): 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)
• Online tips: BC Crime Stoppers

Liam Toman – Mont-Tremblant, Quebec

• Sûreté du Québec (SQ)
• Crime Stoppers (Anonymous, Canada-wide): 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)

Ben McDonald – Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

• Parks Canada / RCMP
• Crime Stoppers (Anonymous): 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)

Standard Northern Dark Close (RSS Footer)

If you have any information, even something that feels small or insignificant, please consider reaching out. What seems unimportant now may matter more than you realize.

On December 27, 2024, Toronto Police announced that DNA had linked three historic homicides to a single suspect — Kenneth Smith — decades after the crimes, and years after his death. In this episode, we examine how investigators revisited long-cold evidence, why police were careful with what they released, and what it means for families when answers arrive without a trial. It’s a case where science moved forward, but justice could not.

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Episode Notes

Toronto Police Service identifies deceased suspect in three historical homicides Toronto Police Service https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/64777/

TPS update on historical homicides linked through DNA and genetic genealogy CBC News – Toronto https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tps-update-historical-homicides-9.7012021

Their murders baffled police for decades: Who were the Toronto women Kenneth Smith is linked to? Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/their-murders-baffled-police-for-decades-who-were-the-toronto-women-that-kenneth-smith-is/article_4e11d315-594b-4f74-abb9-df7288361b5a.html

Did you know a serial killer lived in Windsor after escaping justice? Windsor Star https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/did-you-know-a-serial-killer-man-lived-in-windsor-after-escaping-justice-for-several-murders

In January 1995, 23-year-old Melanie Carpenter vanished while working alone at a tanning salon in Surrey, British Columbia. Later that day, surveillance footage captured a man using her debit card, leading police to identify a parolee as their suspect. Before an arrest could be made, he died by suicide, leaving the case without a trial or verdict. Melanie’s body was later found in Fraser Canyon, and her death was ruled a homicide. Nearly three decades later, her case still raises difficult questions about parole, supervision, and what justice looks like when answers are never tested in court.

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Episode Notes

The Killing of Melanie Carpenter — Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Melanie_Carpenter

Killing of Melanie Carpenter — Grokipedia https://grokipedia.com/page/Killing_of_Melanie_Carpenter

Maclean’s Magazine (January 30, 1995) — Murder in the Giant Mine https://web.archive.org/web/20181124105745/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1995/1/30/murder-in-the-giant-mine

House of Commons Debates (Hansard), 35th Parliament, 1st Session — Public Safety & Parole Discussions (1995)https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/35-1/house/sitting-153/hansardhttps://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/35-1/house/sitting-156/hansard

Tonight on Northern Dark, we examine the unsolved deaths of billionaire pharmaceutical executive Barry Sherman and his wife Honey Sherman, found inside their North York home in December 2017. Early assumptions spread fast, but as investigators and experts looked closer, the details raised harder questions — about the scene, the timeline, and what didn’t fit.

Years later, the home is gone, the investigation remains open, and no one has been charged. This is a story about power, uncertainty, and the unsettling reality that even the most high-profile cases can remain unfinished.

Listen and subscribe for more Canadian true crime from Northern Dark.

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Episode Notes

1. Wikipedia (Barry Sherman): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Sherman
2. Toronto Police (archived news release): https://web.archive.org/web/20171218112158/http://torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/39905
3. CBC (court-documents reporting, 2021): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/barry-honey-sherman-murder-2021-1.5860527
4. Forbes (Donovan book excerpt, 2019): https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesdigitalcovers/2019/11/25/honey-and-barry-sherman-billionaire-murders-kevin-donovan-book-excerpt/
5. SuccessStory bio profile: https://successstory.com/people/bernard-c-sherman

A young woman is found murdered behind a Dartmouth apartment building in 1995. Police quickly zero in on her ex-partner, Glen Assoun — but the truth behind this case is far more complicated. Missing files, alternate suspects, and a dangerous serial killer in Halifax raise a haunting question: did the system pursue the wrong man?

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Episode Notes

Primary Investigations & Long-Form Reporting

1. Halifax Examiner – Dead Wrong (Part 1) https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/investigation/dead-wrong/
2. Halifax Examiner – Dead Wrong (Part 2) https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/investigation/dead-wrong-part-2/
3. CBC News – Glen Assoun granted freedom after wrongful conviction https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/glen-assoun-justice-supreme-court-1.5038635
4. CBC News – Serial killer Michael McGray once considered a strong suspect https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/michael-mcgray-serial-killer-brenda-way-glen-assoun-1.5209623
5. Innocence Canada – The Case of Glen Assoun https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/cases/glen-assoun/
6. Innocence Canada – Public Case Summaries https://www.innocencecanada.com
7. Global News – Wrongfully convicted man laid to rest in Nova Scotia https://globalnews.ca/news/11245324/wrongfully-convicted-man-halifax-laid-rest/
8. Global News – Daughter seeks answers after wrongful conviction https://globalnews.ca/news/10172551/glen-assoun-daughter-wrongful-conviction-probe/
9. Alberta/Nova Scotia oversight investigation into handling of Assoun files https://nanaimonewsnow.com/2025/10/16/alberta-watchdog-will-investigate-n-s-police-handling-of-wrongful-murder-conviction/

Tonight on Northern Dark, we revisit the murder of 14-year-old Dana Bradley — a case that shook Newfoundland in 1981 and remains unsolved more than forty years later.We walk through her disappearance, the discovery, the investigation, the false confession, and the modern forensic efforts still underway today.

#TrueCrime #Canada #NorthernDark

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Sources Used

1. CBC News Newfoundland & Labrador – Comprehensive reporting on the Dana Bradley case (1981–2023)
2. The Telegram (St. John’s) – Archival news coverage from 1981 onward
3. CBC Archives – National coverage and anniversary features on the case
4. CTV News Atlantic – Retrospectives and updates on renewed forensic efforts
5. Global News – Reporting on the false confession and case developments
6. Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) – Public statements and appeals regarding the ongoing investigation
7. RCMP Atlantic Division – Statements on cooperation, forensics, and cold-case protocols
8. National Centre for Missing Persons & Unidentified Remains – Case summary and historical context
9. CBC Radio – Longform interviews and community reflections on Dana Bradley’s impact
10. Public reporting on Canadian forensic advancements and cold-case DNA testing (2000–2010)