This article was previously published on GuelphToday and EloraFergusToday.
ROCKWOOD – After almost two decades of mystery, the OPP has identified the body of a woman discovered at a rest stop in Rockwood in 2005.
Confirmed to be Tammy Eileen Penner of Chilliwack, BC, a Friday news release from the OPP said they used investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) to determine Penner's identity.
She was was reported missing to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Feb. 7, 2005.
A presumptive identification was established in April 2024 and used to locate living family members, whose DNA was used to confirm Penner's identity.
Forty-one years old and living in Chilliwack and Abbotsford, BC, before she disappeared, investigators say they believe someone had contact with her during her journey from British Columbia to Ontario, where her body was discovered at a rest stop on Highway 7 between Guelph and Rockwood on Aug. 28, 2005.
"Thanks to ongoing investigative efforts, including the use of investigative genetic genealogy, the OPP has been able to identify Tammy after so many years," said OPP detective inspector Randy Gaynor in the release. "There is more to be done – Tammy's family is desperate to find out the circumstances that led to her death. If you know anything, please contact police to help provide resolution to her loved ones."
The release also thanks the efforts of the Rockwood Knights of Columbus, who created a memorial for Penner in 2008, and the "compassion and dedication" of individuals like Acton resident Keith Porty who has maintained the memorial since 2019.
In an emailed statement to GuelphToday, Porty said although he had "always hoped" the Rockwood Jane Doe would someday be identified, as time went on "it seemed like more of a long shot."
"I hope her family and friends can now find some closure, nearly 20 years after she went missing," said Porty, who was recently contacted by Gaynor to pass on thanks from the family for his ongoing commitment to the memorial.
Penner's body was initially discovered in a wooded area at a rest stop on Highway 7 on August 28, 2005 where she was believed to have been dragged a short distance and covered with a Woods brand sleeping bag one month before the remains were found.
Approximately 5-feet-6 inches tall with light brown hair and weighing about 130 pounds, no personal identification for Penner was ever found.
Penner's autopsy revealed no recent injuries but she did have past injuries to her face in the form of a broken left cheek, nose and left eye socket and would've left her with a visible facial deformity. Penner was believed to have lost two upper teeth on the left front as a result of the injuries and wore a two-tooth partial plate.
Renewing their call for assistance in the case in 2018, the OPP investigators believe the circumstances surrounding her death are suspicious and consider foul play was involved.
Anyone with information in relation to this investigation is encouraged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
