Original subtitles

Good evening I'm Antony Robarts this is crime beat the stories behind some of Canada's most

high-profile homicides told by the reporters who walk to beat every day and the families demanding

answers we'll reveal the shocking evidence as it was uncovered by investigators in their quest for

justice tonight a young woman vanishes... I ran into her bedroom her purse was there her phone

was there... there was no real reason for her just to pick up and leave and go somewhere without letting

somebody know. I knew something was very wrong ... we have our search teams out our k9 unit... she

had no enemies so we can't figure out why here's crime beat reporter Catherine McDonald's with a

story of Alicia Ross everyone's daughter. Alicia's mom says her daughter had the bluest eyes except

when she laughed or cried that's when Alicia's eyes would turn green Alicia laughed a lot that

summer she was 25 years old and excited about the future she'd spent a year in Australia following

undergrad and had recently moved home to a suburb north of Toronto. Alicia always had a no fear

attitude. As a chubby baby a precocious toddler and later as her mum put it as a terrible teenager

that summer Alicia had been doing what she loved most camping in Northern Ontario.

It gives me a feeling of warmth when the mother or a grandmother will say to me Oh my grandson went

to camp with Alicia he said she was the best tripper she was a an expert canoeist and she

was the one who took all the kids on canoe trip she just got back from a canoe trip to Algonquin

Park with her brother there was a hot summer a bad year for bugs but Alicia was tough braving

the onslaught of mosquitos and even portaging in her bare feet they told me it was a very

hard portage it had rained and the ground was very mucky it was a tough one when you look at

that video you see how happy she was it was just happy I looked at it and I see how it was August

2005 it was a lovely summer and everyone was happy the kids were all good it's a happy time

until the day...

I had come home I was tired and Alicia came home and said I'm going to be interviewed tomorrow I

am so excited there's something new happening at work I'm pretty sure I'm moving up so we took the

dogs and I said well the dogs need to be walk let's go and we walked and walked and went over

all her notes it was a great time and then I had to go out and run some errands with a friend and when

I came home I was so tired and decided I'm gonna go to bed early and I think it was the first time

in many years that I ever went to bed early and the last time I saw Alicia she asked to borrow

purse and gave it to her and we waved goodnight upstairs and then I went to bed. she had a date

that night right? she did she'd been seeing a boy and he I think he was over that when I went to bed

they were in her room in the basement. so that was it you went to bed. I went to bed. so Shawn

was Alicia's boyfriend at the time they were together in on August 16th in the evening

Sean told police they had burnt CDs and played pool and had a little wine. her room had access

through a door at the rear of the residence there was a ground-level entrance into her

basement room there at the residence together and in around 11 o'clock midnight it was our

understanding that he left the residence they were at the side of the road they said goodbye

to each other and he left for the evening. we got up and we were golfing in some kind

of tournament my husband and I and friends I saw Alicia's car in the driveway and I thought it was

odd that maybe she slept in so off we went... until Sharon got an urgent call from Alicia's boyfriend

he was the one who reported her missing he had made a phone call when he got home to Alicia where

there was no response he phoned in the morning he called her work he couldn't locate her. Sharon will

never forget that call... I know exactly where it was it was the 7-pole on the east course at

the Country Club very bad reception my phone rang and all I could hear was you know the police are

here I don't know what's going on she's missing I couldn't make out a lot of the words but I heard

the word police and I said to my husband I have to go home she rushed home to find police at her

house and Sean the boy Alicia had been seeing was pacing and frantic he told me he tried to call her no

answer. Alicia had not turned up at work she worked at hewlett-packard just by joking with

her family that she knew nothing about computers I ran into her bedroom her purse was there her

phone was there the laundry that she'd been in the middle of folding was there none of her

keys to her car her wallet her identification and items that most people would take with them we're

still at the house and of course there was the cigarette butt the glass and wine and the shoe in

the backyard when I looked over the back balcony and saw them I knew something was very wrong...

Any mother who looks at a room and where her child lives and sees things that shouldn't still be

there at 9 or 10 in the morning and to see a shoe just things strewn about it wasn't right

and the reports were that she just disappeared that evening or that that night prior to and

the circumstances surrounding the scene indicated that she was missing under

suspicious circumstances. and I called my husband and I said do you have to come home right now he

phoned in the morning he called her work he couldn't locate her. coming up after the break

a massive search with few leads

tonight on crime beat 25 year old Alicia Ross disappears from her home under suspicious

circumstances the last person who says they saw Alicia is her boyfriend Sean now back to Kathryn

McDonald with a story of Alicia Ross everyone's daughter. what's happening is we haven't found Alicia

and I'm just so emotional right now. This is breaking my heart.

Tell me about the last time you saw her.

I loved her.

Sean Hine was 29 years old at the time he and Alicia had

been seeing each other for a month and a half when she went missing everything seemed to be

good in her life there was no real reason for her just to pick up and leave and go somewhere

without letting somebody know we would start from Ground Zero 11 o'clock midnight at that night we

would have officers or investigators knocking on doors investigating and determining where they

were what they were doing what they heard what they may have observed anything I could give us a

timeline and investigate a timeline for Alicia's movements throughout the day and into the evening

and then hours throughout the night again and the canvasses it's crucial. at this point in the

investigation it was a suspicious disappearance police could not yet say a foul play was involved

the priority was to find Alicia to find her alive. we have our search teams out our canine

unit our helicopters assisting and I'm sure as some of you have seen more searching the

immediate area and will expand the search as as we deem necessary. having covered dozens of

missing-persons cases over the years I know those first 24 to 48 hours after a person is reported

missing are critical this was no different based on the police response to Alicia's disappearance

it was clear there was real concern neighbors were also feeling anxious about a fact that

a woman who could have been anyone's daughter had vanished is this bothering me like I just

can't sleep at night I'm just thinking of it did you have kids I have kids out there at that age

area residents were asked to help with the ground search and the response was

overwhelming we had never seen anything to this scale to this magnitude it was

positive and that there were so many people that came forward to support

Alicia's family and to support us as a police service nothing that I can ever

recall even to this day has 14 years later been as grandiose as that search effort

it soon turned into one of the largest missing-persons searches in Ontario

history. organizing that was what's difficult the community was really

engaged and involved and it affected the community I believe members of

the community were constantly coming out asking to help out and assist in any way

family-oriented neighborhood I think it was a young woman who was in the beginning of her

adult life where she was very a very attractive young lady I think she just caught the eye of

the community. but Alicia's mom still worried maybe they weren't doing enough I remember I

went to Costco with a ton of flyers and there were none out and I spoke to the manager and I

said why don't you have these Flyers out and he said to me take it easy we've run out hundreds

of people had all taken the Flyers to put them out everywhere and I just said I'm so sorry oh

my gosh I think I was just walking through a haze at the time but I was desperate desperate.

Four days after they last saw Alicia her parents decided it was time to speak publicly we pray

Lisa's home soon so this can be old news Alicia I've never broken a promise to you and I promise

you you will come home soon thank you. sharon believed that Alicia had been kidnapped that

she was being held captive the cops working theory was that she knew her captor Alicia

had lots of friends she was popular at school and knew most of the people in the neighborhood

from growing up there. somebody just didn't come from outside the community or outside a greater

area and focus in on Alicia and take her away that night so was it somebody close by was it

a was it a friend was an associate was it an ex-boyfriend. as every day passed the speculation

grew how did Alicia simply disappear where had she gone and if foul play was involved why and

why Alicia? I woke up from a nap one afternoon it's very early I think the first week and I

thought I saw in the doorway of my room I was sort of half-asleep and I said where are you

that's all we wanted to know where are you

there was no question that this was foul play hundreds of tips and clues were pursued but

almost a week of searching had turned up nothing and suspicion was starting to fall

on one individual a lot of people are thought have been talking about Sean ... I

wouldn't want to put blame on anyone at this point I honestly have no idea I don't know

him well at all other than my daughter was dating him that's all I know I don't know

anything else Sean Hine Alicia's boyfriend the last person who reported seeing her alive and

the one who first called 911 to report her missing. for police something felt off to them with his story like

why call 911 before checking with Alicia's family why was he so certain she was missing? Shawn was a person of

interest the beginning of this investigation I remember the interview that we did with him as

he was leaving the house of course he looked distraught he didn't want to talk obviously

be the last person that had seen Alicia did he become a person of interest absolutely he's the

last person to see Alicia we needed to speak with him. Sean Hine lived by himself nearby in Richmond

Hill since Alicia vanished the family felt Sean had become less cooperative with police he told

them he was grief stricken and didn't want to talk we spoke to Sean on multiple occasions

we wanted to clarify things we wanted to make sure that we could absolutely eliminate or clear

Sean Hine as being involved or identify him as a suspect through proper collection of evidence

as every day passed the family became more concerned something terrible had

happened it was hard not to wonder if Sean Hine was telling police the whole story

it was at this time that Alicia's mother finally called me directly and invited me into her home

to discuss Alicia's disappearance. as a reporter it was a good call to get but walking into the

family home that day was very difficult meeting with the family of a missing person is a delicate

situation and I felt as if I already knew so much about Alicia but was anxious to learn more Sharon

was remarkably composed of fragile we connected immediately she was still so hopeful Alicia

would be found alive this is a living hell this is a nightmare that I wake up to every

morning I don't go to bed and dream it what it's there when I wake up it's a deep horrible pain

she had no enemies so we can't figure out why and the why is just unanswered question why?

I do pray every day all day please just spare this girl

Sharon's resolved to find Alicia alive was clear one month after Alicia went missing I returned

Sharon was now coming to terms with a different reality I just want her back you know people

say well she wants her back alive we'll either way this family needs closure. now prepared to

admit her daughter may have met with foul play Sharon started to tell me personal things about

Alicia that could help identify her Alicia does have two tattoos and I really want the public

to know about them she's a tattoo of a daisy on her ankle and the Aquarius sign is on her

top vertebra and this is what it looks like a candle flickered on the front step of the

family doorstep Sharon was now prepared for any clue that would bring an end to her suffering

I left the family home that day feeling upset and anxious for this lovely woman who I'd come

to know on a personal level not realizing that there was about to be a huge break in this case

coming up after the break a massive search has turned up nothing hundreds of people have been

interviewed the area canvassed but the answers they're looking for are closer than they realize

tonight on crime it's been a month since 25 year old Alicia Ross went missing a massive

search has turned up nothing but the answers they're looking for are closer than they realize

now back to Katherine McDonald with a story of Alicia Ross everyone's daughter relatives of

Alicia Ross leave her family's thornhill home unwilling to talk to the media five weeks after

the 25 year old vanish from her home in this quiet upper-middle-class neighborhood it now

appears the clue to her disappearance lies in the next-door neighbor's home

it was a phone call later in the day it wasn't anything out of ordinary except

the investigation now has kind of halted our search for Alicia had smoked out and

this almost this phone call changes the whole investigation on we're going to get answers

how did you find out how did I find it I was on my way somewhere in my car and my cell phone rang and

it was my husband and he said they found he didn't say she's alive he just said they found her and at

that point after that long I knew I don't know if we knew but I knew she was gone well when when I

came home I ran into the house and they said it was the guy next door and I just said why why

I remember thinking as I drove to mark him with my cameraman that day and I knocked on the next-door

neighbor's door had I seen him we soon learned the next our neighbor was Daniel Sylvester he

lived in a big brick house next door with his mother it's unlikely police would have made an

arrest at this point in the Alicia Ross case had the 31 year old not surrendered himself to police

investigators say it was 5:00 p.m. Tuesday when Daniel Sylvester in the company of his lawyer

came to this new market detachment and turned himself over to police something triggered him

that he needed to speak to the police about his interactions with Alicia that meet that night it's

huge it's a huge component here Daniel Sylvester confessed he told police he was responsible for

the disappearance and killing of Alesha Ross but insisted her death was an accident my client was

very distraught he was had been emotional for some long period of time he was extremely remorseful

and had been for some period of time he wanted to make matters right he regretted deeply that he had

been responsible for no closure on the part of the deceased family that's weighed on his conscience

terribly and he was also concerned that the wrong person might be investigated and charged

Daniel Sylvester led investigators to two areas northeast of Toronto after cleaning

up the bloody scene with towels showering and bagging the evidence Sylvester told

police he had moved Alicia's body that night to Manila Ontario about an hour's drive away a

judge with the Ontario Superior Court describes how Daniel Sylvester says he

placed the body of Alicia Ross into the trunk of his car and dumped it in the bush at the

side of a country road then on his way back to Markham Sylvester described tossing the

bags of clothing a few kilometers away from the first site also in a bush area

three weeks later with the police search well underway Daniel Sylvester says he moved Alicia's

remains to Coba conk another 40 minutes drive north close to where his family owned a cottage

the worst situation possible the officers who were engaged in that process very difficult for

them and very difficult to go and speak with the family and explain what happened to Alicia that

night is difficult on the investigators and the officers it's always difficult because the worst

thing is happening to the family at this point and and we most of us have never been through

this and we don't know what that feeling truly is and we're the ones giving them that news and

it's horrific it's terrible it's and a whole lot of questions come up and a whole lot of

feelings and and just don't understand and it's and it's really it's just the beginning

even though they had lived next door to each other for around seven years Alicia's mom said

she'd only encounter Daniel Sylvester a handful of times gradually details began to emerge about

this man next door the 31 year old who lived at home with his mother investigators said he had

spent a lot of time at home alone watching TV he didn't have a job neighbors say he could be

seen at night working in an upstairs window on a computer and that he'd work out in a home gym he

described himself as a fringe individual with a history of anxiety and depression I talked to one

woman who lived across the street one of the few neighbors who knew Daniel Sylvester I knew Daniel

a bit and I knew his mother more but I didn't expect I didn't he was a nice guy I mean he was

very polite to us I don't understand how he just went off the deep end I guess but I didn't know

he was like he was like the way he was peeping toms and all that a peeping tom who confessed

to spying on his neighbors suddenly a different image of Alicia's killer was starting to emerge

I know from talking to Cheryl she told me that he was a bit weird did she indicate that to you not

to me or to the police did she tell anyone like there's what this neighbor this guy next door

seems a little weird or off um not that I recall I do know that as a result of our Candace officers

would come back and say you know I don't say weird it's just that we got to clarify a few things this

person was up this person may have heard something this person may be involved but we need to speak

with this person and either clear them or identify them as a person of interest or potentially if

evidence is there a suspect coming up was Alicia's death an accident as her neighbor claims or had he

been stalking her and planning his move four months after the break a killers confession

welcome back to crime beat I'm Antonia rhobar the next door neighbor has admitted to killing

25 year old Alicia Ross and now the family is hoping the trial will help them understand

why we return now to Katherine MacDonald with the story of Elisha Ross everyone's daughter

on a rainy day in October hundreds packed a North York synagogue to say goodbye to Alicia

I love this picture it was two months after that service that Sharon invited me back to

her home to reflect on Alicia's life and what led to the break in the case the last photos I have of

Alicia are on canoe trips with her brother you can't live in fear Alicia traveled all over the

world nothing happened nothing happened to her camping out in the Negev in Israel but in her

own backyard this is what happened it was during this meeting with Alicia's mom that I learned more

about the police investigation and how Daniel Sylvester came to confess they had questioned

him several times and on the last interview asked him to take a lie-detector test and he refused and

that's when they advised him that they would start really looking at him very closely and the next

thing we knew so the canvass led to identifying the neighbor Daniel Sylvester according to court

documents police questioned Daniel Sylvester in relation to Alicia's disappearance he told them

he had been home all evening and could not assist the next day on August 18th he told

a homicide detective that he had never spoken with Alicia and was not outside his residence

during the relevant time frame we identified that he was a Nighthawk he likes to be up he he slept

all day was up in the evening goes outside likes to walk around the house took his car for a drive

his mum's car I believe for a drive in the early morning hours which to us kind of stood out like

who does that ultimately we would ask for certain a polygraph and get a formal video statement and

clarified their actions that night he initially agreed to it and ultimately con - Dustin said

his lawyer advised him not to take a polygraph investigators went back and he ultimately agreed

to a polygraph again and then spoke to a lawyer and then declined to take the polygraph and then

contact was made to us that Daniel the next-door neighbor wanted to come in and speak to us in

regards to this incident I remember my story that day was go find Sean Hine and I remember

following and finding him on a bike and he was going through a bank ATM on his bike how do you

feel knowing that they've arrested someone and all along you maintained your innocence yeah you know

I only tell the truth and nothing but the truth so I'm glad this guy you know felt guilty enough

to turn himself in his lawyer mentioned that he he worried that someone else was gonna bear the

brunt of the blame and couldn't bear that how did that feel when you heard that well I felt

better I mean I felt better because if any no if anyone knows what anxiety is its anxiety Wow

it gets the best year sometimes are you gonna go to court Sean I'm gonna be there every step

of the way just like I would have been if she was alive so that's it Daniel Sylvester was

arrested in September of 2005 but the family had to wait until this moment two years later

for the crown to publicly reveal what led up to their daughter's murder a shocking day in court

for the family of Alicia Ross inside a videotaped police interview with Daniel Sylvester was played

showing Sylvester confessing to the murder of his neighbor on the tape Sylvester first cries

then in an excited stressed voice he reenacts the fatal beating there to witness Daniel Sylvester's

testimony for his brother and mother in his confession Daniel Sylvester told police he

did encounter delecia at her gate between their houses that she'd said to him what the are you

doing here to which he responded I've got as much right to be here as you do she said off you loser

and he told police he advanced on her the court heard that Daniel Sylvester was a self-admitted

recluse who suffered from depression he said when Alicia called him a loser he could not control

himself the crown said Daniel Sylvester's attack was sexually motivated psychiatrist testified

that Daniel Sylvester told him he was a longtime peeping tom who enjoyed spying on neighbors while

they were being intimate despite confessing to manslaughter Daniel Sylvester pleaded not

guilty to second-degree murder it surprised me a little bit that there isn't a guilty plea but

I guess I don't guess I know that they're trying for their best opportunity according to the crown

the extent of Alicia's injuries told a different story I know the autopsy results and the injuries

were pretty violent and significant which would result into a little bit more further assault

of actions than just a accident occurred the jury was told that Alicia's injuries resembled

more those of a car crash victim and a beating victim which made determining the exact cause of

death difficult it was blunt trauma there was it was undetermined due to the to Alicia's remains

not being you know perfect state for the corner for the corner or the pathologist but ultimately

it was undetermined but as a result of force blunt trauma the trial was hard I think was hard

for everyone sitting in that room they showed all there were 32 broken bones and they showed

every bone and the forensic pathologists would go over the details of every bone and then the last

photo was her skull and I just stared at it and I think everyone in the room was horrified but I

was and I just kept staring at it this is the last time I'm going to see that and I didn't actually

didn't want him to turn off the screen but the screen was turned off and we all got up and left

day after day more details were revealed the details were hard but in a way I think we

were all hungry to know the details so as the details came out you get some details

made me so angry but you know my brother at the time said why do you have to go every

day you don't have to go every day I said oh I I have to go every day she's my baby

you would go every day for your baby so I did she was my daughter and I I couldn't desert her

coming up in the conclusion of Alesha Ross everyone's daughter

a verdict is reached as the healing process begins

welcome back Daniel Sylvester is on trial for killing his neighbor Alesha Ross charged with

second degree murder he maintains the brutal beating was an accident now back to Catholic

Donald with the conclusion of Alesha Ross everyone's daughter on May 29th 2007 jurors

reached a verdict it took them mere hours to decide Daniel Sylvester was found guilty of

second-degree murder the pain of our loss will never go away it is with us every day

but you believed in the truth and delivered a verdict that now helps all of us to move

forward to the day when we hope memories will be cherished happy times rather than

painful reminders of how Alicia died Daniel Sylvester was sentenced to life in prison

with no chance of parole until 2021 delivering his sentence the judge felt that the vicious

beating was sexually motivated and that Daniel Sylvester had been watching Ross for some time

that night it's a very bittersweet thing to hear a number because although we were very

glad to hear a murder conviction the number of years it did nothing will bring Alicia

back Daniel Sylvester would go on to appeal his conviction asking for a reduced sentence

but the original verdict and sentence were upheld today it's the parole hearing that Luz

I hope people remember her not so much the case

I get worried sometimes people will forget you know to not mention a person or reminisce about

a person almost negates their existence and it it gives me a feeling of warmth

when their mother or a grandmother will say to me Oh my grandson went to camp with Alisha

he said she was the best tripper because she was a an expert canoeist and oh I love hearing

stories like that that people remember her and remember her well why she grabbed

the provinces heart I don't know I think people said to me she's everyone's daughter

to honor Alicia's legacy as an expert paddler her family created a memorial fund with the charity

project canoe it's a charity supporting youth who would not otherwise have a chance to get out of

the city and experience a canoe trip in Northern Ontario the place where Alicia was most at peace

how have you been able to move forward we talked about over the years how people got to know you

they felt like they knew you in the beginning a lot of people recognized me I felt very

discomforting and didn't like it the odd time still someone will say don't I know you from

somewhere my back gets up at night I don't like it I don't like being recognized and I don't want to

have to say well I'm the woman whose daughter so I'll just say oh you've probably seen me around

I've lived in Thornhill for so many years I don't know that you ever move on you you move forward

as best you can you know they saying one foot in front of the other but when it comes back it

comes back hard you know morning is a group thing you can mourn with your family you can miss the

person together we all miss her but sadness and sorrow is a very solitary thing I think there's

a legacy to your daughter in many ways what how do you what is her legacy and in your mind

she affected a number of people which I really had no idea about until we went to visit where

she had worked and clean out her desk and people started approaching me that they'd

helped her through a hard time one had taken work off through depression and she kept in touch with

him so things that made me happy people were telling me wonderful things she'd done to be

supportive that's her legacy Alicia's mom knows that her daughter's kindness her adventurous

spirit her laughter live on in the memories of all the people she met over the years even

if it's not always easy to remember we don't talk about her a lot I know I really have we

we don't reminisce about her because it's too painful talking about Alicia is not a happy

thing that unfortunately what happened to her overshadows anything else and so it's too painful

it's a tough thing you know I used to have tons of pictures out and now over the years

we've taken many family photos a friend of mine who lost her daughter said everyone in

the photos changes we get older there are more children grandchildren but they're stuck she's

stuck 25 and so I have one or two pictures of her out but the family photos I can't anymore

we've all as you said moved on they never had the chance they were taken too young too soon

I would give anything I would cut my life short just to have her again for five minutes

this case will go down in history as one of the biggest missing person searches in

Ontario a community coming together under the most horrible circumstances and with Daniel

serve Esther's parole hearing coming up family and friends of Alecia Ross just hope they don't

have to relive it all over again they remain focused on honoring Alicia's legacy to pay

tribute to Alicia's adventurous spirit and her love of nature the family created a memorial

fund with project canoe this is a charity supporting youth who wouldn't otherwise have

a chance to get out of the city and experience a canoe trip in Northern Ontario the place where

Alicia was most at peace I'm Anthony robot thank you for joining us tonight on crime

to hear more about other high-profile Canadian cases check out the podcast

crime beat with me Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks you can listen for

free on Apple podcast Spotify or uncurious Cass CA