In 1975, eight names were written in red ink on the homicide board—murder investigations that police could not close. Detectives had suspicions and gut feelings, but not enough evidence to bring charges. Now, in 2026, these cases remain unsolved, their victims' faces still on the Toronto Police Service website.
The victims were male and female, young and old. Nearly all were white, and it is likely their killers were as well. Toronto has changed dramatically since then—erased, rebuilt, and erased again.
A Different Era of Homicide
In 1975, most murders were domestic situations that exploded into violence. There was rarely any doubt about who the killer was. Today, homicide has become a grab bag, often involving drugs and gangs. That was not the case half a century ago.
Det. Sgt. Steve Smith of the Toronto Police cold case unit noted, "We have seen a lot of changes in the GTA over the last 50 years. The population has increased dramatically, and the demographics have changed. As the city grew, the murder rate grew with it. While there were fewer homicides 50 years ago, we also did not have the access to the science and technology that we do now."
The Victims and Their Stories
Arthur Harold Walkley, 51, a part-time lecturer at the University of Toronto, was stabbed to death in his Borden Street apartment on February 18, 1975. Some cite his murder as the beginning of the age of fear in the LGBTQ community. Walkley was found naked and stabbed four times. His wallet was missing, and his credit card was used multiple times in Moncton by a man in his 20s with a slight build.
Tracey Ann Bruney, five years old, was found 15 kilometers from her home on May 14, 1975. Officers discovered her in Marie Curtis Park, in a pond, suffering from medical trauma. She was pronounced dead on arrival. Detectives said she attended St. Clare Separate School but never showed up for class that day. The school is far from where she was found.
Mariam Debra Peters, 16, was stabbed 16 times at the St. Patrick's TTC station on November 7, 1975. Two nurses found her, and she held on for four days before dying in hospital. A person of interest was identified, but there was not enough evidence for an arrest.
Underworld Settlements
Police suspected underworld enforcer Ian Rosenburg in the execution-style murder of Kenneth John Worth, 17, on June 24, 1975. Worth had fallen into bad company, including a mob-linked jewel theft ring. The slaying of Joseph Sarraino, 31, on September 19, 1975, was also marked as a mob settling of accounts. Sarraino was found behind a gas station on Royal York Road, suffering from gunshot wounds.
Other unsolved cases from 1975 include Allan Lup Hung Chan, 22, shot to death in an underground garage on October 7; Osher Shlass, 56, found dead at his Quality Kosher Meat Market from blunt trauma on November 20; and Frederick John Fontaine, 31, discovered battered at the old St. Charles Tavern, dying in hospital on July 15.
For the friends and families of the dead, 50 years may have passed, but the pain has not.
