B.C. woman found dead near Rockwood, Ont., in 2005 was seen at Midland mall, Mississauga truck stop: police

A B.C. woman found dead near Rockwood, Ont., in 2005 likely visited a mall in Midland and a Mississauga truck stop in the weeks before her death, police have revealed as they appeal for fresh leads in the cold case.

Tammy Eileen Penner was identified in 2024 as a missing 41-year-old from Chilliwack, B.C., after police turned to sophisticated DNA testing.

Her body was found under a Woods-brand sleeping bag at the rest area off Highway 7 between Guelph and Rockwood on Aug. 28, 2005.

It appeared she had been dragged a short distance into the woods about a month before the remains were found, police said. She wasn't carrying identification or wearing any jewelry but it's believed her clothing — a pair of black shorts, a beige tank top, white underwear and a peach-coloured bra — was purchased in the Montreal area.

• Body found in southern Ontario in 2005 identified as B.C. woman using sophisticated DNA testing

In a release Thursday, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shared new information about the last times Penner was seen.

During her journey from B.C., Penner visited Mountainview Mall in Midland, Ont., on Thursday, June 30, 2005, OPP said. On or around Saturday July 30, 2005, a transport truck driver may have dropped her off at a now-closed Husky Truck Stop on Highway 401 and Dixie Road in Mississauga.

"Tammy was seen near a cream- or beige-coloured transport truck shortly after being dropped off. She may have been wearing a beige tank top with black corduroy fabric shorts, carrying a blue sleeping bag," the release said.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen Penner during this time or has information about her movements back then to contact the Wellington County OPP.

"Many questions remain unanswered," Det. Insp. Randy Gaynor said in the release.

"We're asking anyone who remembers seeing Tammy to please come forward, no matter how insignificant the information may seem. Her family has waiting many years for answers and our investigation team remains committed to uncovering the truth and providing them with resolution."

Penner was reported missing to the RCMP on Feb. 7, 2005. Before disappearing, she had lived in Chilliwack and Abbotsford.

The cause of death remains undetermined but is considered suspicious, Gaynor said. It appears that before her death, she had a broken left cheek, nose and left eye socket, which had healed, police said.

Texas lab offers 'certainty from crime scenes'

The last big lead in the case came in August 2024 with sophisticated DNA testing by Texas forensic lab Othram uncovered Penner's identity.

At the time, David Mittelman, Othram's chief executive officer, described the technology as a unique system.

• This U.S. forensic lab helped ID the body of a woman 19 years after it was found near Guelph, Ont.

"We build technology that allows investigators to get certainty from crime scenes and from these kind of other forensics cases, some of which may involve human remains," he told CBC News.

Othram says it can link DNA to anybody and can identify someone many years later, working with tools — such as a cheek swab — that aren't normally encountered in consumer DNA testing. 

Years ago, the Rockwood Knights of Columbus set up a memorial at the rest area where Penner's body was found, and a member of the public maintains it to this day.