Cynthia was an Inuk women. We do not know much about her but honour her life and legacy. She was brutally beaten at her boyfriend’s apartment on rue De Bullion and left to go to the Midway Bar to seek assistance, but she was denied entry because she was intoxicated and was a sex worker. She was found naked by paramedics and later died in hospital on January 4, 2005. Cynthia’s boyfriend was interviewed, but no arrest was ever made. At the time, the Executive Director of the Native Friendship Centre blamed other Inuit for stripping Cynthia naked and robbing her after she was dead. We REJECT this horrible, disgusting, and dehumanizing rhetoric. We know that it is other Inuit on the streets who look after one another when there is no one else. We also know that the presence of a naked victim can be an indicator of a sexual homicide. Cynthia was a sex worker and Inuk, and for this reason, we demand that her case be reviewed in conjunction with the others.

Nunia was originally from Kangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay). Many of the older women remember Nunia fondly, particularly for her quiet nature. She was found hanging in an apartment on Tupper St on November 11, 2011. The apartment door was left open, and the state of decomposition of her body meant that she had been dead for some time. Nunia was known to associate with the serial predator in Cabot Square. In an interview with journalist Selena Ross, the Cabot Square Serial Predator admitted to Ross that both Sharon and Siasi’s deaths were similar to Nunia’s.

Siasi was originally from Puvirnituq. She was very small in stature but had a big personality. Siasi was found dead by hanging from an apartment balcony on Chomedy St on August 29, 2017. On the night that she died, Siasi went to police for assistance in fear for her life. Several hours later, she was found dead. Initially, her death was ruled a suicide, but after extensive community pressure, police declared that she died a “violent” death and opened an investigation, though they failed to follow-up on basic investigative tips, such as speaking to the bartenders working on the night she died.

Sharon was originally from Puvirnituq. Sharon was known for her protective nature, and was one of few women who stood up to the Cabot Square Serial Predator. Sharon died just two days after Siasi, in the apartment of her “boyfriend” at the time. Reportedly, Sharon knew what happened to Siasi and was going to come forward with the information, and was murdered as a result of this. Her death was ruled a suicide.

Donna was originally from Iqaluit, Nunavut. She was known around Berri-UQAM and Chinatown. She was last seen in December 2018, but was not reported missing until March 2019. Due to the fact that Donna is Inuk and was involved in the sex trade, we are requesting the police investigate her disappearance alongside the other deaths.

Tess was described by many of the women as being an extremely bright person, as if there was a light in her. She had recently reconnected with her biological mother and was very happy to have her mother in her life. Tess was last seen by her mother leaving with a man. Tess was found hanging in an apartment stairwell from a scarf on January 17, 2019, and her death was ruled a suicide. When one of Tess’s family members learned of this, they asked “who put Tanya there?”

In the height of the pandemic, in October 2019, the body of Alice was found in the stairwell of an apartment building known for crack dealing, not far from where Siasi and Tess were found. The woman was with two other people, not identified in the coroner’s report, so it is unclear who they were. The two bumped into a resident of the building, who was on their way home, and they asked this person to call 911. This passerby noted to police that the two other people were holding syringes in their hands. When the police and ambulance arrived, they immediately identified the woman, who was known to frequent the Cabot Square area. However, upon their arrival to the scene, Alice’s body was already in a state of rigor mortis and she had been dead for several hours, likely since early that morning.

it says that one afternoon in January 2023, Jillian was using drugs with an unspecified person at an apartment in Montreal, when she suddenly passed out, and the person contacted 911. Naloxone, an anti-opiate which temporarily reverses an opioid overdose, was administered twice, but it is not clear by whom. Emergency services quickly arrived and were able to temporarily resuscitate her, but she later died in hospital. The coroners report specifies that no signs of violence were present, and a toxicology analysis was ordered. Lethal concentrations of fentanyl were found, along with the presence of cocaine and bromazepam, a benzodiazepine, which according to the coroner, was used to treat anxiety, though it is unclear how this determination was made. Prior to her death, Jillian had tried to break up with a well-known drug dealer.

Shortly after Jillian’s death, Sophia began dating her boyfriend, not knowing what had happened to Jillian. She found out, and wanted to come forward about what happened to Jillian. But before she could do this, she was intentionally given a tainted supply of drugs by her boyfriend, causing her to overdose and die. No investigation was ever conducted.

Much like Jillian, Ashley had been dating a prominent dealer in an area slightly outside of Cabot Square. Much like Jillian, Ashley also wanted to get away from him. In addition to the violence, surveillance, fear, and control that Jillian had to endure from her ex, Ashley had experienced all of this, and was also being trafficked by her boyfriend. Ashley had been trying to get away from her boyfriend, and it is rumoured that she wanted to go to the police about him. It is unclear whether or not she ever actually spoke with police, or filed a report, but what is clear is that Ashley felt deeply unsafe, wanted to get away, and at minimum, had a desire to speak with police and this was known by others. But the next day, Ashley and a group of other unhoused people were using drugs as a group, and one after the other, people began overdosing and falling unconscious. Naloxone was administered, and all but two died: Ashley, and another Indigenous woman, Celeste. Ashley was supposed to the intended target of the tainted supply, but she wound up sharing her supply, which caused a mass overdose. Ashley did die, while Celeste was also a collateral, indirect victim.

Melanie was originally from Nunavut and was often looking out for her family on the streets. She was found hanging by an electrical wire from the apartment of her boyfriend in July 2023. In 2020, Melanie’s boyfriend was murdered in front of her. Although the Cabot Square Serial Predator was incarcerated at the time of Melanie’s death, we feel that her killer was abiding by a dangerous belief that it is possible to kill Inuit women and then stage their death as a suicide around Cabot Square. It is for this reason that we call for Melanie’s death to be investigated with the other cases.

In April 2024, Ellen’s partially nude body was found behind an abandoned building. A coroner ruled that Ellen had likely died due to complications from a prior illness, however, she was also found to have a diastatic fracture of the sagittal suture of the skull, and there was noted to be broken glass around where her body was found. Th research is consistent, in that a fracture of the skull like Ellen’s only occurs under significant force.

There are dozens of other women who have died suspiciously over the years in and around Cabot Square. The police have failed to investigate in all of these deaths, while community organizations have failed to adequately intervene to prevent further deaths from occurring. Note that where there is a *, this indicates a pseudonym in order to protect the victim’s identity