UPDATED: $150,000 reward now being offered in Mary Ann Lamrock homicide

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com



The Department of Justice and local RCMP are hoping an increase in the reward being offered in the lingering mystery of who murdered Yarmouth County resident Mary Ann Lamrock 18 years ago will prompt someone to come forward with information that could solve the case.

The reward in the case, which is part of the Department of Justice’s Rewards for Unsolved Crimes Program – has grown from $50,000 to $150,000.

Lamrock was reported missing on March 7, 1990. She was last seen leaving her driveway of her residence on March 6. She was known to walk along roadways and would frequently hitchhike to get to her destinations.

For nearly two years she was listed as a missing persons, although any hope or expectation of finding her alive had long since vanished, along with the former East Pubnico resident.

Her remains were discovered by a group of rabbit hunters on Jan. 29, 1992, in woods near the intersection of the Scott Road and the Oak Park Road, south of Highway 103. An autopsy determined she had been stabbed repeatedly.

Stalled about sums up where things stand with the Lamrock case. While the RCMP receive the odd tip(s) about the case each year, none has lead to a real break in the case.

Asked whether he thinks realistically the case will ever be solved, Corporal Dana Parsons of the Southwest Major Crime Unit hopes so, although he admits with each passing year the possibility of solving the case looks more grim. But a cold case is not a closed case.

“We get a few minor tips that come, we’re working on a couple now, but nothing concrete or earth shattering,” he says. “My feeling is that it was either one, possible two people who have kept it dear to their hearts.”

The investigator also suggests players in this case – perhaps those who had information, maybe those who could have been suspects – have died. Their deaths yielded no deathbed confessions, he says.

On the other hand, if it was a transient person who was responsible for Lamrock’s murder, that might be harder to crack.

“These are guys who would do something like that, but who would also keep it to themselves, therefore there’s no witnesses and nobody to come forward,” Parsons says.

A self-professed, and then convicted, serial killer with ties to Yarmouth who pleaded guilty to another dated homicide in southwestern Nova Scotia, which had occurred five years before Lamrock’s, was in jail when Lamrock was killed, so he’s been ruled out too.

“You’ve got to work with what you’ve got, which is almost nothing,” says Cpl. Parsons.

Any person with information regarding the person(s) responsible for the murder of Mary Ann LAMROCK should call the Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program at 1-888-710-9090. The $150,000 reward is payable in Canadian funds and will be apportioned as deemed just by the Minister of Justice for the Province of Nova Scotia. Employees of law enforcement and correctional agencies are not eligible to collect this reward.

Unlike the Crime Stoppers program, the rewards program does not work on anonymity. People are expected to provide their name and contact information and they may be called to testify in court.

The Lamrock case is just one of 51 cases in the program, whose rewards have grown to $150,000. The Department of Justice, which runs the program, says the goal of the program and the reason for the reward increases is partly to achieve a safer province.

"Our main objective with this program is to help solve these crimes and, in doing so, bring some peace to families of victims," said Justice Minister Cecil Clarke. "Although $50,000 is a significant sum, we realize that increasing the reward amount may provide further incentive for people to come forward."

The Department of Justice is also eliminating program expiry dates for cases. Police agencies across the province will not have to resubmit for a case to remain in the program, it will remain indefinitely, until the police agency of jurisdiction asks to have it removed.

"Solving these major crimes is essential to ensuring the public maintains its faith in the criminal justice system", said Supt. Blair McKnight, the RCMP Officer in charge of Criminal Operations in Nova Scotia. "We hope this increased commitment by the Department of Justice leads to information being revealed that causes criminals to be held accountable for the pain they have caused."

So far, although a number of individuals have called the Department of Justice with information about cases in the program, none of the tips has lead to an arrest in any of them.

The Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program was launched in October 2006. Details of cases in the program can be found at www.gov.ns.ca

People with information about a major unsolved crime are invited to call, toll-free, 1-888-710-9090.





(Also see related story: Investigator says more awareness needed about rewards program on Yarmouth County site of NovaNewsNow.com)