Who murdered Sadie Rogers?

Eighty-year-old lived alone in her Amherst home

While there have been a few tips over the years, an Amherst woman’s brutal murder 36 years ago remains unsolved.

Sadie Rogers was stabbed in her Cordova Street home. The 80-year-old lived alone and worked as a housekeeper. A neighbour last saw her alive, Sept. 26, 1981.

On the 25th anniversary of the killing, Rogers’ niece, Dorothy Snowden, said in a 2006 interview she remembered the terrible day her aunt was murdered.

“To this day I keep asking myself why would someone do something like this? She didn’t deserve to die like that,” she said in the interview. “She had every right to live.”

Nearly a week after Rogers was last seen, neighbours became concerned that they had not seen any activity at her residence and contacted police.

On Oct. 2, her body was discovered inside her home at 112 Cordova Street. She had been stabbed multiple times.

There have been some leads and tips over the years. These included anonymous pencil-written letters to the Amherst Daily News in 2006 and 2007.

However, all has been quiet since 2011 when the RCMP Northeast Nova major crime unit last issued a press release asking for tips.

However, the investigation remains very much open, according to Cpl. Jennifer Clarke of the RCMP.

“The challenge with a case like this is it has been 36 years since Ms. Rogers’ homicide was reported to police,” Clarke said. “With the passage of time it makes it challenging as memories fade and potential witnesses become more difficult to locate.”

Despite this, police are hoping someone comes forward with information on the file.

“Historical homicides and missing person files are reviewed when new information comes forward,” said Cpl. Jennifer Clarke of the RCMP. “In the absence of new information we review them periodically. We continue to encourage the public to report any tips and information about this incident to the RCMP to help us solve this case and bring closure for Ms. Rogers’ family.”

Snowden said family believed it was someone who knew the home, judging by the way they went in. She said the murderer “took the glass out of the front door, reached in and unhooked the latch.”

The late Doug Harkness, who was editor of the Amherst paper at the time of the murder, said in a 2006 interview robbery was suspected as the motive for the crime.

Two years later, in 2008, Rogers’ case was added to the Department of Justice major rewards program and anyone providing information on the crime that leads to an arrest and conviction is eligible for a reward of up to $150,000.

Anyone with information on the murder can call police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.