Murder victim was seven months pregnant
Family and friends of three slain Six Nations members plead for tips from public
OHSWEKEN — Trevor Miller can barely speak before succumbing to sobs, holding up a framed picture of his sister Melissa, seven months pregnant when she was found dead in a field far away from home.
“I’m losing a nephew I never even met ... so please, somebody,” he says.
The bodies of Melissa Miller, 37, her 33-year-old cousin Alan Porter and his “inseparable friend” 32-year-old Michael Jamieson were found together in a remote field more than 100 kilometres from Six Nations of the Grand River.
Ontario Provincial Police and Oneida Nation of the Thames Police made the grim discovery in a field off Bodkin Road near Jones Drive in Middlesex County around 10 a.m. on Nov. 4.
Police were acting on a tip about an abandoned vehicle and bodies there, said OPP Insp. Peter Liptrott, the major case manager in charge of the investigation.
At a news conference in the gym at Six Nations’ social services building on Thursday, Liptrott confirmed a 2006 grey Chevrolet Silverado pickup had been stolen, but he wouldn’t say from where or how long ago. Nor would he say how the trio died or where exactly they were found in relation to that stolen truck.
He sat with the families, Six Nations Police and community members, as each pleaded with the public for information to help solve the killings. It’s a case that has devastated the close-knit community — crimes made more traumatic by the silence of those who have refused to tell police what they know.
“There is somebody out there who knows,” pleaded Rock Hill, who spoke for the Porter and Jamieson families.
“We are a people of justice and law and order ... we have to get back to that.”
Liptrott wouldn’t comment on the significance of why the trio may have been found so far away from home. But the scene is on the same road where another Six Nations man, Douglas Hill, was discovered in August 2017. His body was found farther down Bodkin Road in Oneida territory.
There were four people charged in that case: a teen charged with second-degree murder and three adults charged with accessory after the fact. But those charges were withdrawn last month.
Hill and Melissa Miller were in a relationship before his death.
When asked whether there was a connection between the murders, Six Nations Deputy Chief Darren Montour said he couldn’t comment on anything that could compromise the investigation, but added the incidents “may or may not be related.”
Police are trying to piece together a timeline of the victims’ last movements, including anyone who may have seen a grey pickup truck in Six Nations, Middlesex County or anywhere in between.
Liptrott wouldn’t say when investigators believe the victims were killed, but Miller’s obituary says she died Nov. 2 — two days before the tragic discovery. Her obituary names five of her children
and “the late Baby Boy.”
Both Porter and Jamieson were also fathers.
Liptrott confirmed the vehicle would have been in Six Nations “days before” the bodies were found.
Six Nations police received a call from Miller’s mom the day after the bodies were discovered, saying she hadn’t been seen. When OPP called about the bodies, Montour shared this information.
OPP, led by Liptrott, are devoting significant resources to the case and are working closely with Six Nations Police. Montour said the community should expect to see a lot of OPP in the First Nations territory as they work to bring peace to the families.
A tip line was opened, where police say they will follow up on all information.
A tip led police this week to search a cornfield on 7th Line. Montour confirmed it was “an evidence search in relation to this matter” but wouldn’t say what they were searching for or if they found anything.
All of the dead had families, were parents, were part of the community. In Six Nations, everyone is connected. Even Montour said he grew up with, and at times worked with, the victims’ families.
“We’re all one people,” he said. In the Haudenosaunee culture, “a baby is the most precious gift,” Montour said. The community’s children deserve a safe community.
“It’s devastating,” said SherriLyn Hill Pierce, a District 3 councillor in Six Nations. “Not just families are suffering, (there is) a ripple effect on community.”
The Six Nations Elected Council is offering services to the families and communities.
“I want to make it clear to the families and community members that you are cared for, and we want to assure that you have a safe space,” she said.
Anyone with information is asked call the dedicated, toll-free tip line 1-844-677-5050, Six Nations Police at 519-445-2811, or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.