LETHBRIDGE — Police are bringing attention to three cold cases involving the disappearance of four people in the Lethbridge community, three of whom have not been seen since the 1980s.
Case No. 1: Julie Ann Derouin
Derouin was last seen on New Year’s Day 1980 at the age of 23, but she wasn’t reported missing until June 1983. In their search, police briefly examined reports that said she may have relocated to Ontario, or moved back to B.C. where she was an associate with the Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club, while it was still active.
In 1985 police obtained a warrant and searched the home where it was believed she was living with her boyfriend; there was no trace of her there.
Since then, police have conducted dozens of interviews, but are simply not able to determine whether Derouin’s disappearance was intentional on her part, or whether she was the victim of foul play.
Case No. 2: Anna Emma Hakze and Kym Yvonne Hakze
Two sisters, 14 years apart, have not been seen since they were with family in Edmonton in the mid-1980s. Anna was 43 at the time and estranged from the Hakze family. She was having some financial trouble, but she and 29-year-old Kym, who was on good terms with the family, were inseparable. In 2003 their mother reported them missing after the pair reportedly disappeared together. Police have had a number of leads since, but there have been no confirmed sightings of Anna or Kim since the disappearance more than two decades ago. Similar to the Derouin case, police have yet to determine whether the disappearance is intentional or the result of something else.
Case No. 3: Theodore Murray Milde
Milde was reported missing Feb. 18, 1993, after a friend found a note and Milde’s keys in his mailbox. In the note, Milde said his vehicle could be found on 28 Street North, just outside the city limits, where police promptly located it. Footprints in the snow led to the coulees, causing police to search the area for weeks, only to come back with nothing. Police said evidence points to a suicide, but investigations have yet to confirm that, since Milde’s body has still not been found.
Police are urging the four individuals to alert them if they are still alive. If they wish, their location will not be released.
Anyone who has information is asked to contact police at 403-328-4444 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at www.tipsubmit.com.
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