Police hold out hope on 8-year-old homicide
Eight years after a 76-year-old St. Catharines woman was left to die tied up in her burning home, Niagara Regional Police continue to search for her killer.
Police issued a media release Saturday — the anniversary of the Aug. 4, 2010, fire at 11 Oakwood Ave. that claimed the life of Livia Beirnes — appealing for information that could help finally bring an end to Niagara’s only unsolved homicide investigation since 2010.
That evening, neighbours saw flames and heard Beirnes calling for help from within the house. Neighbours ran to help, and asked Beirnes if she could make her way to a door or window. She told them she was tied to a pole in the basement and couldn’t get out.
Firefighters and emergency workers responded to the fire at about 8:50 p.m., freed Beirnes from her restraints and brought her to hospital. She died a day later.
“Someone, somewhere has important information about this horrific and senseless crime,” NRP chief Bryan MacCulloch wrote on Twitter after the media release was issued.
Det. Sgt. Jamie Munro remains hopeful that the killer will be brought to justice.
He recalled working on one case, where an arrest was made on the 10th anniversary of the crime being committed.
“It’s really difficult on the family when cases drag on. Our hope is always to identify the persons responsible as soon as possible,” he said. “But there’s always hope for sure that these cases will be solved because information can come to light very quickly.”
Munro said police have done a great deal of investigative work on the case since 2010, while the police services board has ensured detectives have all the personnel and resources they’ve asked for.
“And that support is going to continue for our investigative team,” he added.
He said, typically, lengthy
investigations are concluded within a year. But this case has proven to be a difficult one to crack.
“The tips actually haven’t been as forthcoming as they have with other cases, and that could be just because of where the incident occurred or how many witnesses potentially there were,” he said.
“So we’re making an appeal again just for any information someone might have, big or small.”
In February 2017 police offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death.
While announcing the reward, Munro said the fire was one of five that occurred in the area between May 2009 and April 2011, and police believe the fires “are connected, and that the person or persons responsible have ties to this neighbourhood.”
Munro said Saturday that although police have no hard evidence linking the neighbouring fires to the crime, he also cannot rule out a connection.
“It’s something that has been on our minds all along,” he said.