Timeline: The search for a ‘cold-blooded killer’

Michele Varaschin will have an empty seat at her family’s dinner table this Christmas.

Her daughter, Sonia Varaschin, was murdered in August, her body found dumped in a wooded area 12 km from her Orangeville home. The case is still ongoing.

On Thursday, police called whoever was responsible a “cold-blooded killer.” Global News takes a look back at the search for Varaschin’s killer.

Aug. 30, 2010: Varaschin does not show up at the Mississauga pharmaceutical company where she worked. Her family reports her missing.

Her blood-stained white Toyota Corolla is discovered later in the day in a laneway behind Orangeville Town Hall. Police also find a trail of blood in and around her Spring Street townhouse.

Sept 3, 2010: Police say Varaschin was likely attacked in her home by someone who knew her, and her bedding — a beige, fitted sheet and a similar-coloured comforter — was used for the "disposal of biological evidence or the bedding was a convenient way of concealing her body from the house."

OPP Detective Inspector Mark Pritchard immediately suggests it might be better to describe the removal of "her person" rather than body.

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Sept. 5, 2010: A resident out for a walk shortly before 9 a.m. calls police after discovering human remains in a wooded area near the intersection of Beech Grove Sideroad and Mountainview Road in Caledon, about 12 kilometres from Ms. Varaschin’s residence.

Sept. 7, 2010: The office of the coroner completes an autopsy on the body and confirms it is Sonia Varaschin. Police officially declare her death a homicide.

Sept. 9, 2010: Authorities announce they are looking for someone with size 10 or 11 boots, with an intimate knowledge of Orangeville.

Police release pictures of men’s boots made by Wind River and Dakota, which are sold exclusively at Mark’s Work Wearhouse, and urge members of the public to come forward if they have any information.

Sample pairs of boots are on display during the announcement, their soles turned towards the cameras.

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Dec. 7, 2010: A 44-year-old woman is attacked in her home in the town of Mono, just 20 minutes from Varaschin’s residence.

A family member finds the woman in a garage that was converted in to a studio.

She is taken to an Orangeville hospital before being airlifted to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto in critical condition.

Dec. 9, 2010: Police check for links between Varaschin’s murder and the attack on a woman in her home in Mono two days before.

Police say they are treating the two incidents as separate, but will compare notes to determine if there is a connection.

Dec. 10, 2010: Police say there is no link between the two cases in Orangeville.

Dec. 16, 2010: Police release a suspect profile in Varaschin’s case. They say the "cold-blooded killer" responsible for her slaying may have moved away from the community or at least kept to himself following the crime.

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With files from Postmedia News