The family of a murdered Nova Scotia woman is still searching for answers and justice 11 years after her remains were found in a shallow grave in Kings County.
Leah Conrad still remembers Oct. 5, 2006 - the day her mother disappeared in Lower Wolfville, N.S.
“I went to school as usual. I was at Kingstec at the time,” recalls Leah. “Looking back, I wish I had of known that was going to be the last time that I would ever see her.”
Seven weeks later, on Nov. 22, 2006, a hunter found Conrad’s remains in a shallow grave near Melanson Road, roughly 8 kilometres from her home.
At the time, police couldn’t establish a timeline for when she had been killed, but improved forensic testing would eventually change that.
“They did have further forensic evidence come forward that did pinpoint a precise timeframe for when her body was put in the shallow grave, which was a matter of hours [on Oct. 5],” says Leah.
At the time, Conrad’s husband told investigators she had gone for a walk and never came home. Kevin Conrad was arrested in connection with the case in 2007. He was released without charges.
No other arrests have been made, but police say the investigation remains active, and it’s never too late to come forward with information.
“It’s about people telling us that they know and people decide time has passed, circumstances have changed, and maybe they’re not scared for their safety anymore, or they’ve decided they have to do the right thing,” says Nova RCMP Insp. Lynn Young.
Conrad’s case is also part of the Nova Scotia Justice Department’s Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program, which offers up to $150,000 for information that leads to a conviction.
“There’s families that don’t have closure, that don’t have answers, and as police, we want to solve these crimes,” says Young.
Conrad’s family is among those seeking closure and Leah remains hopeful their questions will be answered one day. Until then, she holds onto the memories of a mother whose life revolved around her children.
“She was a really wonderful mom … she was very supportive of things we wanted to do. Growing up with three other siblings, we didn’t always have a lot, but we never felt like we went without. She might have gone without, but we didn’t,” she says.
“It’s really sad to think that I don’t get to make any more memories with her, and that there’s somebody who took her from us. She didn’t die of cancer. She didn’t get killed in a car accident. Somebody murdered her and they don’t deserve to be free.”
Anyone with information about Conrad’s case is asked to contact the RCMP or the Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program at 1-888-710-9090.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Priya Sam
