On Sept. 1, 1995, construction workers found a battered body wrapped in a blue tarp and blanket in a downtown Vancouver alley. The victim was just 28 years old. Crime Stoppers needs your help…do you know who murdered Chantel Gillade?
At the time of her murder, Chantel, who was born Robert was going through gender re-assignment surgery. She was known to police and worked in Vancouver’s sex trade industry, identifying as a woman.
Chantel’s life was taken away from her in 1995, eight years after she left her hometown in Ontario.
Another sex trade worker says Chantel was picked up at around 4 a.m. on Sept. 1, 1995, at Davie and Seymour. Later that morning her body was discovered at a construction worksite behind 826 Homer Street.
The man was driving a black pickup truck, believed to have been a 1989 Chevrolet, with tinted windows and a distinctive red stripe painted on the side of the canopy.
“The driver of the vehicle was described as a white male in his early 40s, stocky build also called heavy set with a double chin. He had dark brown collar lengthened hair with a receding hairline,” said the Vancouver Police department’s former spokesperson Anne Drennan.
At the time of her death, Chantel was 5’11 and approximately 150 pounds. She was wearing a black double-breasted blazer, a black mini skirt, black stockings and black heels.
Chantel deserves justice. Someone out there might remember that distinctive black truck and its canopy.
It’s hard to know what piece of information may aid in bringing Chantel’s killer to justice. If you have information call police or if you wish to remain anonymous visit BC Crime Stoppers dot com or call 1-800-222-8477.