SYDNEY, N.S. -- Police in Cape Breton have released new information to the public in hopes of solving the homicide of a young woman whose body was found in a hockey bag earlier this year.
The bag containing the remains of 21-year-old Laura Catherine Jessome was discovered floating along the Mira River near Marion Bridge, N.S., on May 25.
Officers now say they are trying to find the owner of a blue backpack containing a pair of hockey gloves that was found in the same area.
Desiree Vassallo, a spokeswoman for the Cape Breton Regional Police, said investigators have also concluded that Jessome was last seen on May 2 in the New Aberdeen area of Glace Bay.
Police say she was carrying two suitcases, a laundry basket and small bags containing her clothing and personal belongings, which they are still trying to locate.
Jessome's case was added Monday to the province's Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program, which offers up to $150,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Her case will also be included among two other high-profile homicides as part of a new awareness campaign and tip line that police in Cape Breton have launched.
The campaign includes television ads and posters featuring photos of Jessome as well as homicide victims Brett Elizabeth McKinnon and Harold (Buster) Slaunwhite.
McKinnon went missing in June 2006 and her remains were found in November 2008 in a popular trail area outside Glace Bay.
Police say the 21-year-old was killed shortly after she went missing, contrary to previous reports that she may have been spotted in Ontario between 2006 and 2008.
Slaunwhite was found slain in his home in Dominion in September 2006.
Investigators are hoping to speak with anyone who attended two house parties near the 83-year-old's man home on the night before his death.
