Marking the 28th anniversary of an Indigenous woman’s death near London, Ont., her family and OPP continue to install billboards in various locations in an effort to help investigators solve her homicide.
On Aug. 30, 1994, Sonya Cywink’s body was discovered at the Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site of Canada, located near Iona in Elgin County, southwest of the City of London.
Originally from Whitefish River First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Cywink has been living in the east end of the city and was last seen alive near the intersection of Dundas and Lyle streets at approximately 2 a.m. on Aug. 26, 1994.
She was 31 years old and pregnant when she was killed.
According to OPP, a billboard has been installed in east London, near the intersection of Dundas Street and Nightingale Avenue, close to where she was last seen alive. A second billboard will be erected at a later date at a location to be determined.
“Someone out there knows something about this case,” said OPP Detective Inspector Randy Gaynor. “We urge anyone with information to step forward and help bring this investigation to a successful conclusion. We certainly want to solve this homicide and bring the person(s) responsible to justice for Sonya and her family.”
Cywink’s family are offering an additional $10,000 to the existing $50,000 reward from the Government of Ontario for information about the investigation.