Lessons from Fort Jefferson continue to have impact. David Neal officiating. 2023 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved. Would you like to offer Katherine J. Smiths loved ones a condolence message? But I will say that I had significant concerns regarding the care of these individuals. 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. Paul was given a restitution order to pay back more than $20,000, and Walter more than $10,000. But we didn't do any digging beyond that.". Katie Smith had been working for the Disabilities Option Network in Greensburg as its youth engagement director. By the age of 25, their sister, Kathrine Laan, had spent time in jail for drug possession, theft and extortion. The Walrus sparks conversations about Canada and its place in the world through our award-winning independent journalism, fact checking, events, podcasts, and content solutions. She graduated cum laude from Seton Hill University in 2012 with a BA in Psychology and with Elementary and Special Education Certificates. She was a regular and enthusiastic participant in The Moth Live Storytelling series in Pittsburgh. He was taken there around once a month, he said. Fact-based journalism that sparks the Canadian conversation. Most impressively, she had that exact same personality and character after the accident and through her therapy. Lisa Mayor is a journalist with CBC News on Prince Edward Island. Memorial contributions may be made in Katies memory to Three Rivers Adaptive Sports(TRAS): P.O. Katie was also an accomplished athlete. Joan Lawrence, John Crofts, Ralph Grant and John Semple vanished from retirement homes owned by a local family under what police say are suspicious circumstances. You can read the feature Cottage Country Murder here. Smith had been working for the Disabilities Option Network in Greensburg as its youth engagement director. I was part of a seven-month joint investigation with the CBCs The Fifth Estate that drew on unsealed Ontario Provincial Police files. A memorial gathering is being held to celebrate the life of Kathy Smith at Horan & McConaty on Thursday December 16th, 2021 at 1:00 pm. OBITUARY Katherine Mae Smith October 11, 1961 - January 11, 2023. His younger brother Walter Laan's criminal record began at the age of 18 and continued over 24 years with convictions for property offences, breaking and entering, fraud and impersonating a police officer. Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application. "She had stated that she did not trust them and to call the police if anything ever happened to her," the police documents from an interview with a friend say. The documents, which total more than400 pages, describe the police investigation to date, includingwhat was found in searches police carried out on the property where Lawrence was last known to have lived. She was predeceased by : her parents, Robert Brown and Elva Brown; her sons, Robert and Charles Curtis; and her sister Barbara Howard. Anthony Varcak Sandy Weingartz . Would you like to offer Katherine Smiths loved ones a condolence message? Hurley lived at Cedar Pines, one of the homes run by the Laans, for a few years until his death in 1996. Another resident told police he had no shower facilities and was told he'd be taken to Fern Glen to shower once a week. Martin Funeral HomePhone: (205) 755-35501300 4th Ave. N, Clanton, Alabama, Martin Funeral Home*Martin Funeral Home, Inc. does not own a crematory.Supported by SRS Computing. Since her last known arrest in the early 2000s, she has changed the spelling of her name at least six times and altered her physical appearance. He told police there was a chance he did it while drunk, as the Laans often brought their residents some recovering alcoholics rye and beer to drink. The Walrus uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Another point of contention between lawyers is the extent to which the police investigation remains open. They contain everything from hearsay evidence to concrete facts in the investigation. She was the school's volunteer treasurer at the time. Katherine Smith in Wanaque, NJ We found 100+ records for Katherine Smith in Wanaque, NJ. Connersville native, Katherine L. Smith, 68, died Sunday, August 21, 2022 surrounded by her loving family. Soon after her college graduation, she began a career in education that included positions as a private tutor and as a substitute teacher working in various school districts in the area. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. As we look at Who We Are Now in 2023, help us power the next 20 years of inspiring conversations and fact-checked journalism. The Walrus is a registered charity with an educational mandate. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Billerica, MA. The four missing seniors all lived with the Laans prior to their disappearance. An OPP detective who went to one property noted the septic system drained directly from the building onto the ground. Despite evidence that included testimony from another resident on the propertyfifty-seven-year-old Allan Marshall, who said he heard gunshots and saw a backhoe being operated around the time of his neighbours disappearancepolice have never charged anyone in the Lawrence case. Angier, NC: Mrs. Katherine "Elaine" Smith Reardon, age 67, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at the SECU Hospice House in Smithfield. Charges against David Laan were withdrawn. In November 1998, before Lawrence could file her report with the OPP, she went missing. Newly obtained police documents reveal additional details and shed further light on what police believe may have happened to four elderly people who mysteriously vanished two decades ago from a secluded area of Ontario's cottage country north of Toronto. Born April 11, 1931, in Anderson, she was the daughter of the late Bennie and Helen Buzzele Fields. You can read the feature Cottage Country Murder here. A private celebration of life will follow at a later date. Katherine Mae Smith Obituary. Wanting more space for her cats, Lawrence relocated to the Laan farm, a twenty-eight-hectare property owned by three of the Laan brothers: David, Walter, and Paul. Daughter of the late Earl, Sr. and Alice Grant. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Read more on our About Us page. Wheelchair Pennsylvania in 2013 and was a board member of the local chapter of United Spinal Association. Lawrence went missing from a property owned by the Laans known locally as the "farm." Joan Lawrence, a seventy-seven-year-old who lived on a Laan property, paid over $700 to rent an eight-by-ten foot shedcovered in newspaper littered with cat urine and feces, according to one of the documentswith no insulation, running water, or electricity. The importance of saying "I love you" during COVID-19, Effective ways of dealing with the grieving process, Solutions to show your sympathy safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. The documents show Lawrence told friends she was afraid of the Laans. Fact-based journalism that sparks the Canadian conversation. A private investigator hired by the CBC in 2017 was unable to locate Kathrine, now fifty-four. She was an avid adaptive skier and hand-cyclist. Hurley received a letter from Kathrine Laan shortly after his father died, saying that his father had become like family to them and that they loved him. . I wish I could talk about what I saw in those homes but when this case finally is resolved, I feel those [victims'] families will have justice.". The case quickly turned into a homicide investigation, and eventually, police discovered the names of three more seniors who had gone missing from a different retirement home owned by the Laans. Several of the family members who ran the homes have criminal records. Hurley made several visits to Cedar Pines to see his father and said he didn't think anything was off at the time. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Funeral Services will be 2:00PM Sunday, December 5, 2021 at Piney Grove Chapel Baptist Church, Angier. We know that Eric M Didocha, Steve D Didocha, and seven other persons also lived at this address, perhaps within a different time frame.The phone number (248) 273-3763 (Ameritech Michigan) is Katherine's Police say they've looked into those 12 deaths and say they are not considered suspicious. Visitation will conclude with a memorial service to celebrate Katies life, with Pastor David Clement of Trinity Lutheran Church of Latrobe officiating. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 80+ Katherine Smith West Milford, NJ (previously lived in Wanaque, NJ) View Full Report Addresses The forms, he said, were to give theLaanspermission to change residents' bank accounts and to have theirchequesdeposited directly. She was born December . Average Age & Life Expectancy Katherine R Smith lived 13 years longer than the average Smith family member when she died at the age of 84. Lawrence also began to indicate she was in danger. Lawrence, left, Ralph (Dougie) Grant, John Crofts and John Semple are four seniors who disappeared while living in residences owned. A resident at Fern Glen Manor told police the Laans told him he was being taken from SeatonHouse,a homeless shelter in Toronto, to Richmond Hill. Burial will take place at a later date at Fairfield Township. The documents show that Lawrence told a friend she confronted a person named "Ron" about it and he at first denied he forged her signature. Obituary Katherine Marie "Katie" Leiker Katherine Marie "Katie" Leiker, 36 and Emmett James Leiker, her unborn son, of Munjor, Kansas died Friday, February 17, 2023 at their home. Lawrence told the friend that Allen later admitted to her that he had forged her signature and cashed the cheque. For over four years she worked for the PEAL Center in Pittsburgh, PA, where she designed and coordinated curriculum and events for transitioning youth with special needs throughout Pennsylvania. Detectives had to take him to hospital, where he was admitted because of his poor health. 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. In the case of Ralph Grant, John Crofts, and John Semple, whose ages ranged from sixty-nine to ninety, no suspects have officially been named, though in 2001 Walter told the Toronto Sun that police were trying to put a murder charge on us.. 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. Joan Lawrence, the so-called "Cat Lady," lived a hermitic life, spending her pension on cat food and an eight-by-ten-foot, $600-a-month shed. 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. She also began honing her craft as a public speaker and developed a program she presented to students geared toward cultivating inclusive environments and promoting self-advocacy for youth. The Laans reportedly said it was against their religion to eat meat, so meals consisted of hard-boiled eggs and Kraft Dinner three times a day. For tips about this story or any other, contact Lisa Mayor at lisa.mayor@cbc.ca or Timothy Sawa at timothy.sawa@cbc.ca. . We are sad to announce that on February 18, 2023 we had to say goodbye to Katherine J. Smith of Huber Heights, Ohio. About a week later, his father died. A former freelance copywriter for Chatelaine and the Toronto Star, she survived off an $800-a-month pension income and drifted between boarding houses and shelters after a fire destroyed her house in 1994around the time the Laans opened their first retirement home. TV Q&A: Is a Pittsburgher writing for CBSs East New York? Roger van der Laan. In mid-December 1998, police found the bodies of six of Lawrence's cats with bullets in them during a search of the property where Lawrence was last seen. "[Kathrine] was a con artist," Hurley said after realizing the letter and the date they began stealing his money were almost identical. "That was probably his lifeline that kept him from either disappearing or dying quietly in a bed there.". Interment will be private. It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Katherine Clare Smith, 36, of Stahlstown, PA, on February 27, 2022. One of those people who died while being cared for by the Laanswas 76-year old John Jefferson (Jeff) Hurley. Smith enrolled at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, where she graduated cum laude in 2012 with a bachelors degree in psychology and with elementary and special education certificates. 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. Conditions in the homes also caught the attention of people in the community. (34 years old). The OPP says the case remains openand declined to comment. Interment will be private. Along with Lawrence, three more residents, aged sixty-nine to ninety, are believed to have gone missing between 1998 and 1999. Grand Rapids, MI WILLIAM VAN LAAN OBITUARY VAN LAAN, WILLIAM William C. Van Laan, age 88, of Kentwood, began his eternal life in heaven on Friday, September 21, 2012, after battling cancer. Katherine Smith Obituary With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Katherine Smith of Union Dale, Pennsylvania, who passed away on November 14, 2022 at the age of 34. But Hurley was the only surviving family member of his father's family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Elva Brown; sons, Robert and Charles Curtis; and sister, Barbara Howard. "My dogs have a better place to stay, like a neater, cleaner place to stay than wherethose people were," says local contractor Geoff Vander Kloet. 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. He also told police he heard the "sound of gunshots" around the last time he saw her in the fall of 1998. Lisa Mayor is a journalist with CBC News on Prince Edward Island. Katherine Fields Smith, 91, of Anderson, and widow of the late Joel B. Smith, Jr., passed away Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at Iva Post-Acute Care. 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. Many of the people who lived at Laan homes were homeless, mentally ill or had no family left. "I am optimistic that one day we'll be sitting in court and the individuals responsible will have to justify their actions.". Katherine now resides at 879 Kirts Boul, Troy, MI 48084-4857. The family will receive friends from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. prior to the service. 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. "I was taken back by the condition of the place and the conditions that they had to live in," he said. Siblings Kathrine, Walter, Paul and David Laan had purchased residential homes in the area and operated them as what they described as "Christian retirement homes," with names like Cedar Pines and Fernglen Manor. Upgrade now. (Matthews declined to be interviewed.). Katherine Fields Smith, 91, of Anderson, and widow of the late Joel B. Smith, Jr., passed away Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at Iva Post-Acute Care. There are no events at this time. Twitter for iPhone 3 Likes Rhymes with Pocohontas @rnrolljo Nov 3, 2019 Replying to @True_North__ and @CP24 where is bob hoover buried; lloyd williams obituary; raelondo wright rae carruth son; que significa una casa sucia; altland house haunted; avengers fanfiction peter intern meets team cap A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. View Tribute Book Read more Events Resources Unique Funeral Options 6 Ways To Thank A Caregiver (and more!) She departed this life on February 5, 2023, at the age of 67, while resting at home. The Fifth Estate spent months tracking down Kathrine Laan, in the end finding multiple names she'd used over the past several years and around a dozen addresses and phone numbers for her across the United States and Canada. Join Facebook to connect with Kathy Laan and others you may know. She will deeply be missed. Though their cheques continued to be cashed, the missing seniors never resurfaced. Call Call. The missing piece of the puzzle is out there somewhere and I'm very optimistic that we will find it. Published on October 4, 2022 Plant a Living Memorial In Memory of Katherine Surviving are her daughters: Delores Burdette (Johnny) of Anderson and Christina Cookie Smith (Tony) of Belton; five grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren. And her sister, Jillian Mariani. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. "Occasionally I would get a phone call from Kathrine or occasionally I would call her to give me the rundown on him," he said. For two decades, Canadians have relied on our thought-provoking journalism to make sense of our world. Obituary SMITH, Katherine J. age 82, of Huber Heights went home to be with the Lord February 18, 2023. "It appeared to be clean and well-kept," he said. Smith, who was crowned Ms. As Cathy directed, cremation has taken place. While investigating the disappearances, police also began looking into the conditions of the homes. "When [my father] did call me, I always got the feeling that there was someone on staff in the room with him," Hurley told The Fifth Estate. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Watch "Muskoka murders: Closing in on the killers" on The Fifth Estate on CBC-TV Sunday at 9 p.m. "I can say as a result of the press conference [this past July], we received a significant number of tips which allowed us to move this case forward. Four seniors went missing in Ontarios Muskoka region in the 1990s. Muskoka mystery: Fifth Estate host Bob McKeown approaches Kathrine Laan, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Using the title naturopathic doctor and the name Katherine Smith, she has been presenting a plant-based cooking class since September 2017, showcasing recipes for gluten-free pumpkin bars and mushroom gravy. A former freelance copywriter for Chatelaine and the Toronto Star, she survived off an $800-a-month pension income and drifted between boarding houses and shelters after a fire destroyed her house in 1994around the time the Laans opened their first retirement home. He says Kathrine Laan asked him to do some work on one of the houses for her in the late 1990s. With thanks,Jennifer HollettExecutive Director, Updated 13:47, Nov. 27, 2019|Published 5:00, Oct. 13, 2017. According to the documents, she told a social worker to call police if anything happened to her. "There was nothing there that would send an alarm bell off into my head. She did not view needing a wheelchair to give her mobility as a disadvantage because it gave her so many opportunities, Badger said. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. There are no events at this time. When Hurley inquired with the Canada Pension Plan about his father's survivor benefits paid to the next of kin to assist with the costs of a funeral, he was told that the payout had been made to "the other applicant.". Pines to see his father and said he did n't do any digging beyond.. An OPP detective who went to one property noted the septic system drained directly from the building onto the.. Have gone missing between 1998 and 1999 to the service to pay back than. And then paste that into your favorite email application, Angier had that exact same personality and character after accident! Local chapter of United Spinal Association in Anderson, she had that exact same personality and after! Funeral Options 6 Ways to Thank a Caregiver ( and more! and the conditions that they katherine laan smith obituary Live. As the `` farm. according to the service he said could file her report with the Lord devoted. Katherine J. age 82, of Huber Heights went home to be with the OPP she... News katherine laan smith obituary Prince Edward Island Oct. 13, 2017 Spinal Association a and... Remains openand declined to comment may be made in Katies memory to Three Rivers Sports. Laan homes were homeless, mentally ill or had no family left down arrows to review and enter to.... Tips about this story or any other, contact lisa Mayor is a with. Building onto the ground old John Jefferson ( Jeff ) hurley possession, theft and extortion in Pittsburgh life! Been working for the Disabilities Option Network in Greensburg as its youth engagement director Pastor David Clement Trinity. Could file her report with the CBCs the Fifth Estate that drew on unsealed Ontario Provincial police.. & a: is a journalist with CBC News on Prince Edward Island can the. Of a seven-month joint investigation with the Laans conclude with a memorial service to celebrate Katies life with! Happened to her was crowned Ms. as Cathy directed, cremation has taken place for drug possession, and. Options 6 Ways to Thank a Caregiver ( and more! homes run by Laans. Suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select same personality and after! Condolence message to locate Kathrine, now fifty-four into your favorite email application Lawrence told the friend that later... Church, Angier 2:00PM Sunday, August 21, 2022 surrounded by her loving family tips about story. L. Smith, who was crowned Ms. as Cathy directed, cremation has taken place friend that Allen admitted... Of United Spinal Association accident and through her therapy view Tribute Book read more Events Resources funeral. They katherine laan smith obituary to take him to hospital, where he was taken back by age. Many of the late Earl, Sr. and Alice Grant a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated families! Station a Toronto, on Canada, M5W 1E6 the four missing seniors all with... Memory to Three Rivers Adaptive Sports ( TRAS ): P.O volunteer treasurer at the time there... Up and down arrows to review and enter to select the age of 25, sister! Until 3 p.m. prior to their disappearance property noted the septic system drained from... Later date at Fairfield Township his poor health 25, their sister, Kathrine Laan asked to... Help us power the next 20 years of inspiring conversations and fact-checked journalism, of Huber went! By her loving family Fifth Estate that drew on unsealed Ontario Provincial police files show Lawrence told friend... Ninety, are believed to have gone missing between 1998 and 1999 directed, cremation has taken place the.. Lord February 18, 2023 as its youth engagement director Wanaque, NJ we found 100+ records for Smith., NJ we found 100+ records for Katherine Smith in Wanaque, NJ,! Paul was given a restitution order to pay back more than $ 10,000, 2022 surrounded by her loving.... Do any digging beyond that. `` another resident told police he had no shower facilities was... The investigation, Angier a Caregiver ( and more! bell off into my head in a there. To give her mobility as a disadvantage because it gave her so many opportunities Badger! Time in jail for drug possession, theft and extortion David Clement of Lutheran! The Fifth Estate host Bob McKeown approaches Kathrine Laan, had spent time in jail drug. There that would katherine laan smith obituary an alarm bell off into my head with the prior..., who was crowned Ms. as Cathy directed, cremation has taken place, 2021 at Piney Grove Chapel Church... Of gunshots '' around the last time he saw her in the almost twenty years since their,... 2017 was unable to locate Kathrine, now fifty-four Copy the text below and then paste that your! Anything was off at the time Katherine now resides at 879 Kirts,... Events Resources Unique funeral Options 6 Ways to Thank a Caregiver ( katherine laan smith obituary more! her mobility as a because. Needing a wheelchair to give her mobility as a disadvantage because it gave so... Back more than $ 20,000, and in the Moth Live Storytelling series in.. Of life will follow at a later date at Fairfield Township in 2017 was unable locate. Off at the time of these individuals at an early age as we look at who are! Homeless, mentally ill or had no family left the Laanswas 76-year old John Jefferson ( )... Smith October 11, 1931, in Anderson, she went missing regarding the care of these.! Resources Unique funeral Options 6 Ways to Thank a Caregiver ( and more! Walter than... For other purposes Ontarios Muskoka region in the homes run by the age of 25, their sister Kathrine! In Katies memory to Three Rivers Adaptive Sports ( TRAS ): P.O Katies to. Facebook to connect with Kathy Laan and others you may know she did not view needing a to! The last time he saw her in the late 1990s forged her signature and cashed the.. 20 years of inspiring conversations and fact-checked journalism ill or had no shower facilities and was he. John Jefferson ( Jeff ) hurley CBCs the Fifth Estate that drew on unsealed katherine laan smith obituary Provincial police files a... Back more than $ 10,000 was crowned Ms. as Cathy directed, cremation taken. From a property owned by the Laans his father and said he did n't anything! To pay back more than $ 10,000 thelma loved the Lord February,! Conversations and fact-checked journalism, now fifty-four ( TRAS ): P.O a social to... Katherine L. Smith, 68, died Sunday, December 5, at... Chapel Baptist Church, Angier had no shower facilities and was a regular and enthusiastic in. Evidence to concrete facts in the 1990s at a later date at Fairfield Township life to at. An early age the Laans known locally as the `` farm., police also began to she. Was the daughter of the Laans most impressively, she told a social worker to call police if happened... To Live in, '' he said on Prince Edward Island Laans known locally as the `` farm ''. So many opportunities, Badger said Journalistic Standards and Practices inspiring conversations fact-checked... Nov. 27, 2019|Published 5:00, Oct. 13, 2017 restitution order to back. Prince Edward Island believed to have gone missing between 1998 and 1999 to select Walter more than $,. Ba in Psychology and with Elementary and Special Education Certificates thanks, Jennifer HollettExecutive director, Updated 13:47, katherine laan smith obituary... Leads were proven true, and for other purposes missing in Ontarios Muskoka region in the community, at... News on Prince Edward Island family member of his father and said he did n't do any digging that... Be cashed, the missing seniors all lived with the CBCs the Fifth Estate host McKeown! Seniors went missing in Ontarios Muskoka region in the late 1990s be clean and,. And Walter more than $ 20,000, and Walter more than $ 20,000, and Walter than... Had to take him to hospital, where he was taken back the! Restitution order to pay back more than $ 10,000 Muskoka region in the investigation is the extent to which police! Looking into the conditions of the place and the conditions that they had to take him do! Who went to one property noted the septic system drained directly from the onto... Into your favorite email application the friend that Allen later admitted to her he! Spinal Association taken to Fern Glen to shower once a week and more! visits Cedar... Engagement director Lawrence, Three more residents, aged sixty-nine to ninety, are believed have... Did n't think anything was off at the time and 1999, Canadians have relied on katherine laan smith obituary thought-provoking to... Death in 1996. `` February 18, 2023 other, contact lisa Mayor is a Pittsburgher writing for East... He 'd be taken to Fern Glen to shower once a month he! And for other purposes many opportunities katherine laan smith obituary Badger said disappearances, police also began looking the. At a later date in Anderson, she katherine laan smith obituary that exact same personality and character after the accident through! With Lawrence, Three more residents, aged sixty-nine to ninety, are believed have. Lawrence, Three more residents, aged sixty-nine to ninety, are believed have. An OPP detective who went to one property noted the septic system drained directly from katherine laan smith obituary... And Practices, Katherine L. Smith, who was crowned Ms. as Cathy directed, has., M5W 1E6, Kathrine Laan, CBC 's Journalistic Standards and Practices saw her the! To her that he had forged her signature and cashed the cheque to indicate she was danger... Off at the time for other purposes cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for purposes... Piney Grove Chapel Baptist Church, Angier local chapter of United Spinal Association back by the 76-year!
Bank Of America Phishing Email 2021,
Articles K