Rori Hache
The terrible death of Rori Hache and the subsequent arrest of Adam Strong have rivetted residents of Durham Region. - Submitted photo
OSHAWA ? It?s a crime that has rocked the community to its core: the killing of a young woman who vanished off the streets of Oshawa, followed by the arrest of a man in whose home her remains were found.
The terrible death of Rori Hache and the subsequent arrest of Adam Strong have rivetted residents of Durham Region.
Hache, just 18, was last seen in downtown Oshawa in late August 2017. Hopes for her safe return were dashed when it was confirmed that a torso found in the waters of Oshawa Harbour in September was that of the missing woman.
Then, in late December, another series of shocks: Durham police, called to a basement apartment in downtown Oshawa, found a woman?s remains. Testing revealed those remains to be of Hache.
It?s a tragedy for the community. All homicides are. But when have we ever seen one like this?
? Homicide Detective Darren Short
Strong, 45, who has been in custody since his arrest, is charged with indecent interference with a dead body. So far, no charge has been laid for the murder of Hache.
Following Strong?s arrest, Durham police took control of his McMillan Drive apartment. For a month, forensics investigators combed through it, removing a large quantity of property and evidence that is being analyzed at the Centre for Forensic Sciences (CFS) in Toronto.
?I?ve heard many people say that?s the longest search at a residence in (Durham police) history,? said homicide Det. Darren Short, the lead investigator on the file. ?We gathered a substantial amount of items from the residence.?
Some of those items were submitted to the CFS for immediate analysis, while others will be examined later. ?We have met with CFS and prioritized what should go now,? said Short.
The investigation thus far has revealed no evidence of any victims other than Hache.
?There?s no indication we?ve come across of any other victims,? said Short. ?That?s based on the information we have now.?
In the days immediately following Strong?s arrest and since then, there has been significant discussion of the case on social media platforms. Among them is a true crime-style Facebook page on which members have taken it upon themselves to do their own sleuthing, digging into details about Strong and people associated with him. At one point, contributors to one page even implicated another man, who lives near Strong?s house and who had previous social media links to Hache, as a potential accomplice.
All of this speculation has taken place in a virtual vacuum of real and dependable information. Since Strong?s arrest, Durham police have released almost no information about the case, other than the most basic details.
?A lot of the stuff I?ve read (online) is not factually based,? Short observed. ?It?s theory and speculation.?
But, investigators aren?t about to counter the rumour mill by revealing all they know, said homicide Det. Sgt. Mitch Martin. Durham police are notoriously tight-lipped about major crime investigations, revealing as little as possible via the media. This is primarily to protect the integrity of investigations, Martin explained. Such ?hold back? information ? details about a crime that would be known only to police and perpetrators ? can be invaluable when it comes to proving a case in court.
?A lack of comment does not mean a lack of knowledge,? Martin said. ?For the most part, there is not a benefit in us sharing information with the public. We try these guys in court.?
Virtually from the moment there was confirmation that the remains found in Strong?s residence were those of Hache, the community has waited for the other shoe to drop. When would a murder charge be laid?
But, to secure a murder conviction, prosecutors must convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused either meant to cause a victim?s death, or committed bodily harm they knew was likely to cause death, but were reckless as to whether death ensued or not.
?We?re confident we know what happened after (Hache?s death); that?s out there,? said Short. ?It?s what happened before that we?re trying to determine. And you need evidence to support that. That?s where we?re at.?
Martin said investigators ? and the community ? have to be patient as the investigation follows its course. A great deal of the outcome of the investigation may depend on forensic evidence, and that takes time to analyze, he noted.
?We don?t have to rush,? Martin said. ?Mr. Strong is in custody. He?s not a danger to the community. It allows us to analyze the evidence collected from the house. We could get a major clue at the end.?
The impact of Hache?s death is not lost on the investigative team. That is evident, to an extent, in the willingness of people who may not always co-operate with the police to assist to the extent they can.
?Everyone we?ve talked to has been forthcoming,? said Martin. ?This is a young girl who went missing off our streets. The team is non-stop, and we will continue working this until we get the charge.?
A team of 12 is working full-time on the Hache file, Short said. Police still want to hear from anyone with information, particularly those who had contact with either Hache or Strong about the time she went missing.
The circumstances of the case compel the team to pursue every possible lead in hopes of a positive outcome, said Short.
?It?s a tragedy for the community,? he said. ?All homicides are.
?But, when have we ever seen one like this??
OSHAWA -- A public memorial service was held on December 9, 2017 for Rori Hache, an 18-year-old Oshawa woman who was murdered. Her torso was found in the waters of Oshawa harbour in September. The eulogy was delivered by her aunt Reverend Teresa Guindon. A photo was on display during the service. - Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland
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