Unsolved Homicides
The Candace Derksen Murder

On Friday, November 30, 1984, 13-year old Candace Derksen disappeared while walking home from school. Seven weeks later she was found frozen to death in an old machinery shed on some industrial land about 500 meters from her home.

Candace, a grade 7 student at the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate, was last seen by friends as she walked home alone from school shortly after 4:00 p.m. along Talbot Avenue. As she had an out of town friend coming to stay with her the following day, it was expected that she would come straight home after school to prepare for her friend’s arrival. As the walk from the school to her home would have taken about 20 minutes, it is believed that she would have been home sometime around 4:30 p.m. She never arrived.

Map showing location of unused machinery shed Seven weeks later, on January 17, 1985, Candace’s body was found in an unused machinery shed on the property of Alsip’s Industrial Products on Cole Avenue. This property is located south of Talbot Avenue, near the Nairn Overpass, between the school and Candace’s home. Although the property now has a fence around it, in 1984 it was easily accessible by walking along a green space or the CPR rail line (and service road) that runs beneath the Nairn Overpass from Talbot Avenue.

It is believed that Candace had been in the shed since she went missing on November 30. However, since the shed contained only a few obsolete machinery parts and some old tools, it was never checked unless there was some need for one of the parts that it contained. As these parts were generally old and obsolete, the shed was never locked and was easily accessible. For this reason the shed was never checked the entire time Candace was missing and her body was not found until one of Alsip’s employees went looking for an old saw he believed may have been inside.

Photo of machinery shed What he found instead was the body of Candace Derksen, her hands and feet had been tied behind her back with some thick rope, making it impossible for her to walk and nearly impossible to move.

Although the shed was on private property and rarely used by Alsip employees, because of its isolation yet easy accessibility it (and other sheds on the property) may have been used as a hangout by a few neighbourhood youths after the business closed at 4:30 p.m. and on weekends.

Although Talbot is a busy street no one saw Candace being abducted and it is possible that she knew the suspect, although threats of violence and the presence of a weapon by a stranger may have ensured her compliance and cooperation without drawing attention. However, it is believed that the suspect may have been a single white male, acting alone who was familiar with and/or lived in the area. He probably would have been a young adult at the time (30-40 years old today) and while he may have had an abnormal interest in bondage, he would not have stuck out from his peers at this time, although it is likely he has been arrested for offences in the intervening years.

Photo of machinery shed Few clues were left behind at the scene, however it is possible that the suspect had darker hair that had been bleached at one time, was somewhat athletic, manipulative, possibly had interests in bizarre subjects, and lived in the area. The police are particularly interested in the names of any people who worked in the area or hung around the sheds of this industrial area on or before 1984.

Update

May 16th, 2007

In 2006, the Candace Derksen case was assigned to the newly formed Cold Case Unit of the Criminal Investigation Bureau for further review.

The Cold Case Unit reviewed the case and, in particular, the forensic sciences portion of the investigation. At this time, new leads were established and pursued.

As a result of a comprehensive investigation known as Project “Angel,” the Winnipeg Police Service has identified a suspect in the murder of Candace Derksen. On May 16th, 2007, the Cold Case Unit arrested the suspect. Mark Edward Grant, 43 years, of Winnipeg has been charged with 1st Degree Murder and is now in police custody.

May 16th, 2007 Media Release

If you have any information about this case, please contact Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477), or e-mail the investigating officers of the Cold Case Homicide Unit.