An investigation into a Hamilton, Ont., woman’s 2018 disappearance is now being treated as a homicide, Grey Bruce OPP say.
Monica Chisar’s remains were found in Southgate Township, Ont., on Christmas Eve 2019 in the area of Southgate Road 10, east of Highway 6.
“They discovered what they believed to be human remains. They immediately contacted police.”
Following a forensic exam, investigators say they identified the remains to be those of Chisar’s and determined that she was murdered.
Chisar was reported missing by her family at the end of September 2018.
She was last seen by a friend in Hamilton just over two months prior on July 11, 2018. Chisar was dropped off in a parking lot at Barton Street East and Parkdale Street North just after midnight.
“Monica didn’t have an extensive history in Hamilton but did have a wide circle of associates in the Greater Toronto Area and in Kitchener,” Sgt. Jim Callender of the Hamilton Police Service said in the video on Twitter.
“Monica was known to be a traveller and had just returned home from Europe prior to her disappearance. It wasn’t usual for her to suspend her social media activities, which led to her family being concerned for her well-being and reported her missing in September 2018.”
In 2019, the Hamilton Police Service Major Crime Unit took over the investigation into Chisar’s disappearance due to the possibility of foul play.
At the time of her disappearance, Chisar was 29 years old and described to be five-foot-seven in height and 170 pounds, with green eyes and shoulder-length reddish brown hair. She was known to spend time in the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener and Hamilton.
Now, the OPP Grey Bruce crime unit and forensic identification services are investigating the murder under the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, along with the Hamilton Police Service Major Crime Unit.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the OPP at 1-855-677-4636 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
— With files from Rick Zamperin