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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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[Music] website at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Monday April 24 1995 Constable Robert
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Cross was Manning the public information desk at the Ottawa cartton Regional Police Headquarters when he saw a man
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approaching the man was in his mid-40s with a boarding gray hair hair and a bushy
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mustache when the man reached Constable cross's desk he informed the officer that he wished to report a missing
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person the man's name was Brett Morgan he was worried about his partner 46-year-old Louise
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Alis Brett had last seen Louise more than 48 hours earlier when she'd left to visit an old friend at around 2: p.m. on
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Saturday April 22 the friend lived in a cottage near Wakefield in the gono Hills a forested
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area in the neighboring province of Quebec it was only a 30 minute or so drive from Ottawa and Louise planned to
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stay there one or two nights Brett Morgan said she had been cheerful and excited about her weekend
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retreat but the following day Brett received a phone call from Louise's friend saying that she'd never
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arrived Brett wasn't overly concerned as had mentioned she might visit another friend in the area as well and spend a
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night with her perhaps she had decided to go there first but when there was no sign of
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Louise by Monday evening Brett began to raise the alarm he called a number of Louise's
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friends asking if anyone had seen her nobody had one person Brett called was Brenda
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misson the second friend Louise had planned to visit while away Brenda hadn't seen Louise but
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Brett's call jogged a memory earlier that day Brenda had been driving along a rural stretch near her
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home in Wakefield Quebec when she saw a yellow and white Suzuki Sidekick a Jeep parked on the shoulder of the road it
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was the same make and model as Louise's car Brenda made a mental note to check whether it belonged to her friend later
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on she had forgotten to do so until Brett's call reminded her Brett rushed to meet Brenda and they
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inspected the car together the license plates confirmed it was Louise's car its doors were locked inside in the back of
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the vehicle was a wrapped gift Louise had been taking for her friend's daughter as well as Louise's overnight
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bag her handbag lay on the front passenger seat her wallet was inside along with some cash and all her bank
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cards there was no sign of Louise Brett appeared calm as he relayed his story to Constable Robert Cross but
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the officer could hear the worry and concern in his voice the pair spoke for roughly 30
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minutes while Constable cross filled out the missing person's Report with all the
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details Brett provided during their conversation Brett suddenly said something unexpected he informed Med the Constable
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that he had previously been convicted of killing a woman [Music] Constable Robert Cross was surprised and
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disturbed by this Revelation Brett Morgan came across as a loving and caring spouse who was
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genuinely concerned about his missing partner's welfare so his admission that he had previously served time for
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killing another woman was shocking Brad explained that his previous conviction was a long time ago
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17 years earlier when he was in his late 20s he had gotten mixed up in criminal activity including break enters and
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theft one night during this period Brett had been consuming drugs and alcohol with his then
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girlfriend at around 2:30 in the morning he got into an argument with a woman named Gwen tford who' lived in Shar
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accommodation with them Gwen was 21 and an accomplice to Brett's crimes Brett had strangled Gwen and was
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subsequently convicted of manslaughter he served 10 years but following his release he was convicted
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of new charges relating to fraud theft forgery and escaping custody Constable cross found Brett to
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be remarkably upfront about his criminal past especially given the nature of his
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visit his Frank admission and willingness to honestly cooperate was totally at odds with what the officer
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would have expected for an individual with his history and a newly missing partner Constable cross informed Brett
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that if Louise had been harmed in some way Brett's record meant that he would naturally be a
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suspect Brett replied that he understood that and expected that but he was adamant that he hadn't
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hurt Louise she was someone he described as his soulmate and the person who had helped turn his life
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around they had met 3 years earlier in March 1992 while Brett was serving his second
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sentence Louise was attending a supreme court hearing into the wrongful conviction of a man for murder she was a
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freelance writer and hoped to write a book about the case as Louise sat in the public Gallery
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Brett Morgan was brought in Shackled to testify as a witness a former soulmate of his had
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admitted to being the true perpetrator of the crime and brat had come forward to
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testify Louise who was a fierce Justice Advocate was struck by Brett's courage his actions wouldn't make him
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popular with his fellow inmates after Brett finished testifying he was escorted back out of the
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courtroom Louise followed him to the elevator where he was flanked by two guards she tapped one of the guards on
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his elbow and said I'd like to have a word with brat she then made eye contact with
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Brett and told told him I think what you did was really Brave Brett smiled and thanked
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her Louise subsequently wrote a letter to Brett and they struck up a friendship then a romantic relationship while he
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served out his sentence they communicated via letters phone calls and eventually had in-person
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visits in 1994 Louise helped Brett with his parole application hiring lawyers for him and staying in constant contact
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via the telephone her efforts paid off and in May 1994 Brett Morgan left prison on
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parole Louise was there to pick him up in her yellow Suzuki Sidekick and she bought him an ice cream cake to
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celebrate on the way home Brett moved in with her and she had helped him establish a home renovation
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business they had been a happy couple who were often observed by a neighbor sitting on the front porch together
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holding [Music] hands although conable cross saw nothing in Brett Morgan's demeanor that made him
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suspicious Brett's background meant he couldn't be treated like an ordinary citizen Constable cross asked Brad if he
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would accompany him to the criminal investigation department to speak with detectives Brad
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agreed he repeated his story to two detectives who listened to attentively and took
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notes they asked Brett to come back to the station the following day with photographs of Louise for a missing
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person's poster Brett Morgan returned to the police station the following morning
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accompanied by a friend of his and Lise detectives wanted to interview Brett again although he seemed anxious
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to get on with searching for his partner Brad obliged after the 90-minute interview
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concluded Brett told his friends that the detectives had put quite a bit of heat on him during the interrogation
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wanting to know all the details of his recent movements Brett didn't seem happy about
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this development but told his friend he would do whatever he had to if it helped
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them find Lise as it stood there was no evidence that a crime had been committed all of
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the detectives who spoke to Brett Morgan found him to be a calm polite and Cooperative Witness
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as well as a clearly worried spouse Brett's parole officer reported to detectives that Brett was doing well
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on parole and there seemed to be no problems between him and Louise detectives asked Brad if they
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could see Louise's will and he obligingly showed it to them it turned out that he was Louise's sole
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beneficiary but by law he would receive nothing for seven years unless she was confirmed to be
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deceased PR also handed over Louise's Financial records and her private Diaries the following day of Wednesday
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April 26 a search party assembled outside a restaurant in the town of Wakefield Quebec close to where Louis's
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car had been found as well as Ottawa detectives and local police officers from Quebec Brett
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Morgan and members of Louis's family were present the group spanned out from the
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area of River Road where Louise's car was parked there was nothing wrong with the vehicle that might have prompted
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Louise to abandon it there and its tank was full of petrol a couple who lived nearby told
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police they noticed the Jeep parked there since Saturday April 22 the day Louise had left for her
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trip it was towed to a nearby garage where an officer would later dust it for Prince the area surrounding River Road
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was densely wooded and spring rain had made it muddy police officers and Louis's loved
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ones tramped through the cold scouring the bushes and trees for any trace of Louise they looked through piles of
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lumber and felled trees as well as a nearby Ridge that was dotted with Boulders and a derel
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car they found nothing over the following days divers would search the nearby Gau River but
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also came up empty-handed while the police Searchers were dialed down Brett Morgan kept
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looking he followed up leads and printed his own posters featuring a photo of Louise and requests for any witnesses to
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come forward Brett also gave interviews with the Press he was Frank about his past
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telling the Ottawa Citizen qu qu I was convicted of manslaughter and it involved a woman I understand the
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implications of that I have to be a suspect it's obvious but he was adamant that he would
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never harm the woman who had given him a life free from crime he felt lost now he
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was alone without her on Saturday April 29 one week after Louise had gone missing Brett spent the
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day standing at the site where Louise's Suzuki Sidekick was found with the stack
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of his homemade posters he flagged down passing cars and told their occupants about his missing
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spouse in an effort to raise awareness and find potential leads I can't rely on the police he said
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it's hard living at home not knowing where she is police told the media that there was
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no evidence of any fair play with one aut a detective stating people go missing every day she may have just
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gotten tired of this world and walked away during conversations with Brett Morgan one detective mentioned another
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case he'd worked on in which a woman had vanished Without a Trace his colleagues
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had immediately decided her husband had murdered her but then the woman was found alive and well living in another
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city it turned out she'd just wanted to get away the detective said he didn't want to
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jump to the same conclusion again investigators in Quebec were equally reluctant telling journalists it
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wasn't their investigation as there was nothing to indicate Louise was on their side of the Border despite her car being
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left there despite police agencies downplaying the situation the rumor mill went into
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overdrive it was revealed that Louise ell had paid for a small ad to run in the wanted section of a Wakefield
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newspaper which read responsible nature lover seeks comfortable quiet Cottage friends confirmed that Louise
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had spoken about wanting to lease a vacation cottage for the upcoming summer it was speculated that perhaps she had
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been intending to visit rental properties while in the area others wondered if perhaps Louise
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had disappeared Into the Wilderness with the intention of taking her own life rumors also spread that a stranger
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might have ambushed and abducted her leaving her car behind on the side of the road Bret Morgan dismissed the suicide
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theories and kept searching telling the media she's my sweetheart she wouldn't give up on me and I am not going to give
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up on her brat rejected the idea that Louise had decided to abandon their life together without a word he suspected
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Foul Play but he wasn't pointing the finger at a [Music] stranger when Louise Ellis first met
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Brett Morgan she was already in a relationship she had met her former partner John maon weev 4 years earlier
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at a jazz festival the pair moved in together several months after meeting but it was
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a volatile on andof again relationship when Louise saw Brett Morgan in the courtroom and was
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immediately transfixed by him it marked the end of her relationship with the John maon weev he left Louise after she
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started speaking with Brett regularly Jon took the break up badly he refused to speak to leise and the pair
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lost contact for over a year then they started talking again in the summer of 1994 not long after Brett
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Morgan was released from prison and moved in with Lise there was no longer a romantic
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element to Louise and de John's relationship but they were able to become friends John had a daughter from a
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previous relationship and Louise was very fond of her on the weekend that Louise went
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missing John was the friend who she'd been planning to stay with in the gat no Hills it was his daughter's 12th
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birthday and Louise had packed a gift wrapped book about horses for the young girl her car was found with this present
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inside not far from John's Cottage Brett Morgan told police he didn't have a problem with Louise
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visiting her ex for the weekend as he knew they were just friends when he'd received a call from
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John maor wev the day after Louise left saying she'd never arrived Brett assumed
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she just decided to visit Brenda misson instead after L failed to return home and her car was found near John's
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Cottage Brett's attitude changed detectives knew they needed to speak to John mawe and they visited him
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at his workplace the University of Ottawa he said that he'd last spoken to Louise on the evening of Friday April 21
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the day before she left John had invited Louise to his family's cottage for dinner that night
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but she had declined the invitation John said that he hadn't been expecting Louise to visit the following
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day even though Brett Morgan and one of Louise's friends were aware of this plan
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moreover JN had called his ex-wife on Sunday April 23 to express his concern that Louise hadn't arrived he'd also
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alerted Brett Morgan JN claimed that on the day Louise disappeared he'd picked up his daughter
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from horse riding and then spent the day with her investigators didn't verify this
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Alibi at the time as they felt certain it was true they didn't believe that anyone
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would implicate their young daughter if they had committed a crime however they did take sniffer dogs
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to a secluded Al owned by John maor to see if they could uncover any trace of the missing
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woman they found [Music] nothing with no sign of Louise and no evidence as to her whereabouts the case
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stalled investigators wondered if she might have been targeted by an enemy of Brett Morgan's namely the former
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cellmate he'd implicated in the murder of a woman the cellmate was named to Larry
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fiser and at the time of Louis's disappearance he was a free man not yet charged with the murder he was accused
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of what if Larry fiser had targeted Louise Ellis as an act of revenge against Brett Morgan for rting him
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out detectives looked into to Fisher's whereabouts on the day in question and found that on the morning of Saturday
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April 22 fer was the subject of a police Road stop in Saskatchewan this was roughly 3 ,000 km
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away from where Louise's car was found ruling fiser out of the investigation Meanwhile by early May
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Brett Morgan Had hired two private investigators to follow up on the various leads that were trickling
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in he told the Ottawa Citizen that he had done so because the local police force was under staffed and unable to
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keep up with the investigation when a television news reporter asked Brett how he was feeling
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Brett replied increasingly terrorfied Marie parant was a businesswoman based in St Pierre the
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Wakefield cubec originally from Scotland she had relocated to Canada in 1990 in an effort
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to build a relationship with her estranged father who was French Canadian once settled she took ownership
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of a restaurant and a video store but neither of these businesses were her true passion Marie was more interested in
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detective work in February of 1995 she enrolled in a 3-month course at the Academy of
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private investigators with a view to maybe becoming an investigator herself one day as the course was nearing completion
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Marie heard about The Disappearance of freelance riter Louise Ellis Louise's car was found just 25
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minutes away from Marie's home and the news coverage of the event caught Marie's
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attention Marie had a particular interest in helping women who were victims of violence and while there was
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no clear evidence that Louise had been attacked it was obvious that something about the situation was wrong Marie's
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attention was also drawn to Louise's partner Brett Morgan she watched him appear on news updates about the case
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where he was visibly upset and helpless Marie's heart went out to him she wondered if Louisa's disappearance
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could be a chance for her to practically apply the skills she learned in her private investigator
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course on Wednesday May 17 1995 Marie pant called Brett Morgan's home number and left a message on his answering
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machine offering to help him he called her back 2 hours later but explained he already had two private investigators
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working the case and he couldn't afford to pay a third Mar reassured him that she didn't
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want any money she just wanted to help and gain some professional experience the pair agreed to meet and 2
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Days Later Marie drove over to the double Story red brick home in Old Ottawa South where Louise and Brett
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lived Marie had brought along a tape recorder and asked Brett if he minded her taping their
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conversation he didn't and Marie hit record as they began to speak at the couple's kitchen table
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[Music] they discussed the events of the weekend that Louise went missing and speculated
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as to what might have happened a few different scenarios were considered including that Louise might
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have been abducted by a stranger perhaps someone had parked their vehicle on the
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shoulder and feigned car trouble and when Lise pulled over to help they grabbed her Brett Morgan eventually told Marie
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that he had a specific suspect in mind he believed that Louisa's ex John maev was behind her
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disappearance Jon's Cottage wasn't far from the area of River Road where Louise's car was
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found Brett thought the police should be looking at Jon but they didn't seem interested over the next few weeks Marie
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began conducting her own investigation she met with Brett Morgan again and spoke with him him over the
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phone a number of times but Marie had more difficulty making contact with Louise's other loved
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ones most of Louisa's family and friends wouldn't talk to her after visiting the area where
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Louisa's Jeep had been abandoned Marie began to agree with Brett Morgan that a random attack by a stranger wasn't
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likely the Jeep had been locked up with all of Louise's things inside if Louise had only gotten out for a moment to
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helped someone in need or had been dragged out against her will then why would she have locked the
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doors Marie kept digging and one month after taking on the case she had a breakthrough she asked Brett Morgan to
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speak with her so she could update him on Tuesday June 20 almost 2 months after Louise went missing the pair met
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up again Marie explained that she had convinced John maor we to be interviewed and had noticed a few discrepancies in
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his version of events she had also spoken to a friend of John's who had told her something Jon
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had confided in them according to this friend Jon and Louise had gotten into an argument
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because John wanted Louise to leave Brett but she refused Marie was coming around to
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Brett's theory that John maon we had killed Louise she she asked Brett what he thought Jon would have done with
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Louise's body Brett didn't think Jon would have taken it far carrying a dead body would be like
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carrying a sack of potatoes he said most likely John would have dragged Louise into some nearby Bush maybe just
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50 or 60 ft in from the road mace suggested that the two of them go searching for Louise together if they
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could recover her remains then John maor weev would be charged with murder 4 days later Marie parant and
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Brett Morgan met up near Wakefield at around noon then headed together towards John maon web's
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Cottage they spent 5 hours searching the nearby Woods driving along Dusty Country
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Roads and occasionally pulling over to cast their eyes over the brush but they found
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nothing under heard Marie kept working the case soon she had another update a few days later she met up with
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Brett again at a local restaurant to tell him that John maon weev had taken a polygraph test and
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failed Brett remained adamant that Louisa's body must be somewhere near John's Cottage the pair made plans to go
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out searching again the following day but their plans fell through at the last last minute when Brett left a
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message saying he couldn't make it he was too distraught at the prospect of finding Louise's
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body the thought of it had kept him up all night and he hadn't had much sleep the pair arranged to go searching
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another day but Brett canceled those plans as well frustrated Marie told Brett that
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she was fed up with his lack of cooperation and by the way he was leaving all the work to her
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Brett apologized and the pair finally met up again at a local restaurant they sat outside and drank
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beers while discussing the case Marie told Brett that it was imperative they find
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Louise the police wouldn't be able to lay charges without a body and any inheritance that Brett was entitled to
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would be tied up as long as she was only a missing person Brett finally acquiesced and said
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he would go looking with her the following day on Thursday July 6 1995 Marie parant
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and Brett Morgan met up in Wakefield once again they began to search a particular
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wooded section with brat driving Marie along various roads throughout the area sometimes he would backtrack over a
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road he just headed down as though he was lost at one point point he told Marie I don't have a clue where I
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am finally they arrived at Irwin Road an obscure deadend dirt road about 10 km west of
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Wakefield a dense Thicket of trees separated the road from the forest within Brett LED Marie through the
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wooded area pushing back branches as they walked they exited the tree line and came across a clearing with a pine tree
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pine needles and dead branches that had fallen from the tree were scattered all over the
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ground Marie noticed something else lying nearby and said look there's something over there
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Brad clothing was strewn about including a blue coat a sweater and two running shoes what appeared to be a bone was
00:29:22
protruding from the sweater lying a couple of feet away from the clothing was dark brown human
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hair and on a Mossy patch right by the coat was a human skull it's Lise said Brett Morgan before
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bursting into [Music] tears detective Bob pfer had been one of the first otare investigators to review
00:29:53
Louise Ellis's missing persons report after Brett Morgan filed it he also conducted one of Brett's early
00:29:59
interviews and was struck by his polite and Cooperative demeanor although Ottawa detectives were
00:30:06
intrigued by Brett's criminal history they held no suspicions at this stage and viewed him only as a
00:30:13
witness on the evening of Friday April 28 5 days after Louise was reported missing detective pfur was following up
00:30:22
on some of Brett's statements Brett had told investigators that on the last day Louise was seen he
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had gone to the bank at around noon to deposit a check for Lise in the amount of
00:30:35
$3,700 on his way home he stopped at a 7-Eleven store and used Louise's bank card to withdraw $250 for
00:30:43
himself Brad arrived home at around 1:00 p.m. gave Louise her bank card back and
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she departed between 1 and 2 however when detective pfer checked Louis's bank records he found the
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deposit had been made at 132 p.m. and Brett withdrew the $250 at $253 p.m. this significant discrepancy was
00:31:09
enough to make the detective suspicious he requested Brett be placed under 24-hour
00:31:16
surveillance a wiretap issue was ordered and a bug was placed on Brett Morgan's phone the discrepancy in Brett's
00:31:26
statement wasn't the only cause for suspicion although he presented as a softspoken man with a rough past who'
00:31:33
redeemed his ways the truth was more alarming decades earlier when Brett Morgan was 15 years old he had gotten
00:31:42
into a romantic relationship with a girl one near his senior named Sandra who became
00:31:48
pregnant brat had lied to Sandra about his age telling her he was actually 18 and when she found out the truth she was
00:31:56
deeply Disturbed the relationship soon turned abusive with Brett hitting slapping and pushing
00:32:04
Sandra the young couple broke up but Brett begged for a second chance they got married and Sandra gave birth to a
00:32:13
boy named Christopher the abuse continued and escalated with brat now choking Sandra
00:32:20
dragging her around by her hair and throwing his boots at her once again she left him this time moving back to her
00:32:28
Hometown she and Brett later reconciled and the cycle of violence continued Sandra became pregnant with
00:32:36
the couple's second child but during a fight Brett repeatedly punched her in the stomach which led to her losing the
00:32:44
baby in another argument Brett smeared his own blood on the walls and told Sandra the only way they would part
00:32:52
would be through death eventually Sandra succeeded in escaping Brett and obtaining a
00:33:00
divorce in 1975 Brett Morgan entered into another relationship with a woman named
00:33:07
Christine he borrowed huge amounts of money from her with promises to repay it he said he was expecting a huge
00:33:14
insurance payout from the death of his daughter he also claimed he was about to inherit a $30,000 property from his
00:33:22
recently deceased aunt but Christine never got her money back she would later find out brat had
00:33:29
no daughter or Aunt Christine wanted out of the relationship one night when they were
00:33:37
out for dinner she told Brett she was leaving him he seemed to accept this but then when they were driving home he
00:33:44
suddenly stopped the car and said if I can't have you no one will then he grabbed her throat hit her head against
00:33:53
the car window and began strangling her Christine fought back desperately Brett told her you [ __ ]
00:34:03
[ __ ] I'm going to kill you nobody leaves Brett Morgan Christine thought she was going
00:34:10
to die she was aware there was a police cruiser with its lights on up ahead and traffic had formed in a line behind
00:34:18
it Christine managed to open the passenger door and throw herself out of the vehicle there was a taxi nearby and she
00:34:27
got in Brett Morgan would later track her down and beg for her forgiveness through
00:34:34
tears but Christine left Canada for Florida and never saw him again then there was the case of Gwen
00:34:44
tford the 21-year-old woman who Brett Morgan had killed in 1978 Gwen had a 3-year-old daughter and
00:34:52
did Sex work to support her child she was good friends with Brett Morgan's latest girl friend though Brett himself
00:34:59
disliked Gwen and often made derogatory remarks about her the three had lived together in
00:35:06
shared accommodation until Gwen moved out in late October of that year she began staying in a hotel while looking
00:35:14
for something more permanent at around 2:30 a.m. on Friday November 3 brat and a 17-year-old girl
00:35:21
went back to Gwen's hotel room with her the three sat around for about an hour drinking a bottle of
00:35:30
wine then Brett suddenly stole money from Gwen's purse and ordered her to undress she
00:35:37
did Brett told the 17-year-old to go into the bathroom or he would kill her also he bound Gwen's hands behind her
00:35:46
back with a pair of panty hoes then shoved her down on the bed Brett then jumped on Gwen's chest
00:35:53
and began choking her with his hands stating die you [ __ ] die the 17-year-old heard the killing
00:36:02
from the bathroom after Gwen was dead Brett left the hotel with the 17-year-old and
00:36:10
dropped her off at home Gwen's body was found later that day by hotel cleaning staff when the police began
00:36:19
investigating her murder Brett helped them with the investigation eventually he was charged
00:36:25
with and convicted of first-degree murder but after it was found that the presiding judge had mischarged the jury
00:36:33
a second trial was held this time Brett was instead found guilty of the Lesser charge of
00:36:40
manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years when Louise Ellis met Brett Morgan more than a decade later she didn't know
00:36:51
the full extent of his violent history instead she was left struck by his courage in coming for to testify for a
00:36:58
wrongly incarcerated man Louise later described their first encounter in her diary
00:37:06
writing that morning he insinuated himself into my life irrevocably his words were carefully
00:37:13
chosen his voice resonant I couldn't help but wonder what a nice guy like that was doing in a place like
00:37:22
prison Louise was a passionate and highly intelligent woman with strongly held convictions about right and wrong
00:37:30
she'd struggled with romantic relationships in the past finding them hard to sustain when the early honeymoon
00:37:35
phase gave way to the ordinary nature of everyday life in brat Morgan she saw someone with
00:37:42
whom she could have the all consuming love she so desired she was attracted to what she
00:37:48
saw as his honesty and simplicity his workingclass background was very different to her middle class one but it
00:37:56
was a case of opposite attracting above all Louise appreciated how safe and loved Brett made her
00:38:05
feel initially from the outside they appeared to be a happy couple yet cracks started to appear even before Brett was
00:38:13
released from prison the couple swung between euphoric highs and painful lows they had
00:38:21
screaming arguments over the phone which left Louise drained and despondent she never told her family
00:38:27
members that her new partner had been convicted of manslaughter instead telling them only that he'd committed
00:38:34
fraud after Brett was released from prison the things that had initially attracted Louise to him began to repel
00:38:42
her she found his tastes crude and realized how different their values and opinions
00:38:48
were while Louise was an intellectual who loved to read and debate ideas Brad didn't have an inquisitive mind at all
00:38:57
within two months of moving in with Louise Brett was already physically assaulting her she wrote in her diary
00:39:05
that he had shoved her gripped her arm poured beer over her head pushed her down on the bed and refused to let her
00:39:11
up and punched a hole in the wall he also made verbal threats a tenant who resided on the
00:39:20
upper level of Louis's home sometimes heard screaming coming from downstairs Louise became over
00:39:27
overwhelmed by Despair and self-loathing and wrote notes to herself on how she could be a better
00:39:33
partner these low points were punctuated by brief Windows of Joy honeymoon phases
00:39:39
where Brett would be affectionate and loving one day Louise wrote in her diary I love going places with Brad He's
00:39:48
Keen he's beautiful to be seen with he's friendly the next day she described an argument they had where Brett pinned her
00:39:57
down and was frothing at the mouth this relationship is either going to kill me or cure me Louise
00:40:05
wrote the month before Louise went missing she went to the hospital for x-rays after suffering a blow to her
00:40:12
sternum she told a number of friends and acquaintances that Brett was responsible as well as learning about
00:40:23
Brett Morgan's physical abuse of Louise detectives discovered that he'd also taken advantage of her
00:40:30
financially Louise had always been very responsible with money and was a good saver she supported Brett by buying him
00:40:38
clothes food and letting him move in with her she also purchased a truck and tools for him as part of a home
00:40:45
renovation business they started together named Morales a pment of their two surnames but the business never took off
00:40:54
and the brand new truck disappeared Brett would say it had been taken by a biker gang that was shaking him
00:41:02
down the gang was supposedly extorting Brett as revenge for his testimony against his former cellmate Larry
00:41:11
fiser Louise complained to friends that Brett would take her bank cards without asking and withdraw cash he rapidly
00:41:19
drained her bank account and ran up her credit card debt 4 months before Lise vanished Brett forged a check on her a
00:41:27
personal line of credit for $7,000 the next month he forged another for $5,400 when Louise discovered Brett was
00:41:38
stealing from her he claimed he needed the money to pay off the bike again Brett didn't just steal from
00:41:45
Louise he targeted her loved ones too on one occasion Brett helped out Louise's father by performing some repairs on his
00:41:55
bathroom after Brett left left Louise's father discovered that one of his credit
00:42:00
cards was missing it would later be traced back to friends of Brett's who used it in a
00:42:06
shopping spree Brat's abuse and stealing took a toll on the relationship and in December
00:42:13
1994 Louise asked him to move out the following month he moved into his own basement apartment but he was
00:42:22
told to leave in February after someone broke into the landlord's home upstairs Louise took him back they agreed it
00:42:31
would be a temporary fix with Brett moving out again on May 1 he had told investigators that their
00:42:38
decision to live separately didn't mean their relationship was in trouble by April 1995 Brett owed Louise
00:42:48
more than $23,000 he said he would pay her back as soon as a friend from Toronto named Bob
00:42:56
lent him the money Bob was apparently going to wire Brett the money by mid April and Brett would
00:43:03
then transfer it to her Louise was extremely anxious to receive the funds telling friends she
00:43:10
was down to her last $200 she also told them that her relationship with Brett was over whether
00:43:17
he paid her back or not she was sick of him controlling and using her on Friday April 21 the day before
00:43:28
Louise went missing she called her bank at least twice to check whether a bank transfer had come
00:43:34
through it hadn't after police began bugging Brett Morgan's phone they soon intercepted
00:43:43
regular calls he was having with a Scottish woman named Marie parant on Tuesday June 15 about a month
00:43:51
into Marie's contact with Brett an Ottawa detective contacted her to ask how she knew Brett
00:43:57
Moran Marie explained that she was an aspiring private investigator who had been working with brat although she'd
00:44:05
initially reached out to him due to sympathy the truth was she'd been experiencing certain doubts ever since
00:44:12
their second meeting while listening over her tape recording of that conversation Marie had
00:44:19
noticed something strange they had been discussing Louise's car and the way it was found
00:44:26
Marie asked Brett whether the driver's seat was still in the same position it would have been if Louise was the last
00:44:31
to drive it if it had been pushed back that might indicate a taller man had left the car there Brett
00:44:40
replied exactly the way I left then he abruptly stopped as though catching himself and changed his answer to
00:44:49
exactly the way Louise left it on reflection this struck Marie as suspicious she'd also noticed other things most of
00:45:00
Louisa's clothing and jewelry had gone as though she wasn't expected to return nor were there any women's toiletries in
00:45:08
the home's bathroom when Louisa's loved ones found out that Marie was working with Brad
00:45:14
Morgan none of them would speak to her they were all convinced that he was behind her
00:45:22
disappearance detectives Bob pfur and John Savage asked Marie if she would visit the police station and bring her
00:45:28
taped interviews with her she agreed during their meeting detective Bob pulur asked Marie what she thought
00:45:36
had happened to leise she told him that she thought Brett Morgan Had murdered her this was the detective's belief as
00:45:50
well they asked Marie whether she would be willing to go undercover for them when Marie asked what they would need
00:45:57
her to do detective pfer replied perhaps you could find out what Brett Morgan knows about The
00:46:04
Disappearance of Louise Ellis Marie agreed to help and detective Savage looked at her then jokingly said
00:46:13
well maybe you could find the body too from that point on Marie parant was a double agent at the police's request
00:46:24
she lied to Brett Morgan telling him that that she'd interviewed Louise's ex John mawe and there were discrepancies
00:46:31
in his story she also claimed that a friend of John's told her about an argument between him and
00:46:39
Louise Brad had appeared stunned when she shared this information Marie said that if they
00:46:46
wanted JN convicted of Louise's murder then they needed to find lise's remains she encouraged Brett to think of
00:46:55
where Louise might be telling him with her perseverance and his Criminal Mind they should find the
00:47:03
body Brett was quick to speculate where Louise might be but he also seemed to Harbor some suspicions about
00:47:12
Marie he began making references to undercover cops and told Marie that when a friend came to visit him Brett had
00:47:20
insisted on patting him down to check for hidden listening devices Marie asked him if he thought
00:47:26
thought she was an undercover cop he laughed and said no during their first search for Lisa's
00:47:36
remains Brett pulled out a bandana and without saying a word wrapped it around Marie's
00:47:42
neck this scared her as he had already told her how he had previously strangled a woman so she pushed his hands
00:47:50
away Brett told her it was just a gift to keep her cool during the search [Music]
00:47:57
as they looked a police helicopter hovered nearby this clearly made Brett anxious and his search was
00:48:04
lackluster he looked like someone taking a casual walk through the woods instead
00:48:09
of searching for a body Marie told detectives how the helicopter had spooked Brett and they
00:48:15
didn't dispatch it again nevertheless Brad appeared reluctant to search again after that
00:48:24
canceling plans a couple of times Marie became more insistent and the two eventually met up at a
00:48:32
restaurant Brett admitted he sometimes wondered if Marie was an undercover officer telling her she was either that
00:48:40
or a great actress well I'm not Marie replied Brett began to hit on Marie making suggestive remarks about her
00:48:51
appearance and kissing her she felt like throwing up but instead kissed him back
00:48:57
terrified that if she didn't her cover would be blown this seemed to convince him and
00:49:04
the pair made plans to search again the following day of Thursday July 6 after leading Marie straight to
00:49:15
Louisa's remains Brett Morgan began to sob and whail to Marie it looked like a performance then his eyes glazed over
00:49:26
and he stared at her in a way that felt menacing worried that he might be regretting having led her to the body
00:49:33
Marie tried to play along by touching his face comfortingly and Whispering soothing
00:49:39
words Brett then seemed to snap out of his sudden aggressive mood they took photographs of the scene
00:49:47
with a camera they'd brought along then Brett said he wanted to know how far they were from John maon we's
00:49:54
Cottage they drove to City Hall to examine a map Brad estimated the spot where Louise lay was roughly 2 miles
00:50:04
from John's Cottage and said happily that's pretty close you know Brett wanted to report the
00:50:12
discovery to police but Marie suggested they phone in an anonymous tip off instead after they parted ways she
00:50:21
phoned detective Bob pfer and took him to the remains d records confirmed they belonged to
00:50:30
Louise because they were so badly decomposed there was no way of knowing how Louise had been killed but
00:50:37
detectives had a theory they knew that Louise was on the verge of leaving brat which would cut
00:50:43
him off from her money if she reported him for his fraudulent activity his parole may be
00:50:52
revoked the bathroom was the only room in the house with no windows and nowhere to
00:50:57
run during a search of the Home Police had noticed the shower curtain was missing brat had told them it ripped
00:51:06
when he tried to clean it in the washing machine so he'd thrown it out but detectives suspected that Brett had
00:51:13
attacked Louise while she was in the shower he had probably strangled her as he had Gwen tord almost to decades
00:51:21
earlier and Louise had instinctively grabbed at the curtain tearing it down brat had later wrapped Louisa's body in
00:51:30
the curtain and placed it in the trunk of her Suzuki Sidekick Jeep he had dumped her in a location
00:51:36
close to John maor web's property in an attempt to frame the other men because of Brett's criminal
00:51:44
background he knew he needed to deflect attention to another suspect then he had abandoned Louise's
00:51:51
vehicle in a secondary location that was also near Jon's property before cycling
00:51:56
home on a bike he stashed in the vehicle Brett's seemingly Cooperative demeanor and public pleas to the Press
00:52:04
were further attempts to appear innocent it was a role he'd taken on previously after killing Gwen tford when
00:52:12
he initially aided police in their investigation although he appeared to be conducting his own searches for Louise
00:52:19
in the first weeks after she went missing police surveillance revealed he'd only spent a total of 4 hours and 4
00:52:26
45 minutes doing so these brief searches took place over four different days in the area where
00:52:33
Louise's car was found in addition to searching with Marie parant twice he'd also gone out
00:52:40
once with a friend and another time with a reporter there didn't appear to be any
00:52:46
systematic searching police surveillance also revealed that brat had started a new
00:52:53
relationship with a woman just 6 weeks after Louise went missing despite presenting himself as a grieving and
00:53:00
heartbroken spouse lost without his [Music] soulmate the Gano Hills were a sprawling
00:53:10
area and there were so many secluded spots around the Wakefield area that police believed locating a body there
00:53:17
would be like finding a needle in a hay stack they were certain that only Louise's killer was capable of finding
00:53:24
her discovering Louise after very little searching finally gave them the evidence
00:53:31
they needed to charge him on the same day that Louise was found detectives arrested Brett Morgan
00:53:39
and charged him with first-degree murder his trial began more than 2 years later in September
00:53:47
1997 it lasted 6 months with more than 90 Witnesses testifying including private investigator Marie parant
00:53:56
Brett Morgan pleaded not guilty with the defense arguing that the police had ignored all other possible suspects such
00:54:03
as the's ex John maor after learning that Lisa's partner had a criminal record detectives had
00:54:11
gotten tunnel vision and focused exclusively on him they also claimed that investigators didn't search for
00:54:19
Louisa's remains in an attempt to go Brett into doing so and argued that Brett had no motive to kill Lise
00:54:27
she had helped him out financially and assisted in obtaining his parole but the prosecution pointed to
00:54:34
Louisa's growing insistence on being paid back and her intentions to end the relationship they called numerous
00:54:42
Witnesses who testified as to Louisa's anxiety around her financial situation in the days before her death
00:54:50
she was chasing up the funds Brad owed her and openly discussing how violent he was
00:54:56
[Music] the jury deliberated for 3 days before returning with a verdict guilty Louise's family and friends wept
00:55:07
shouted applauded and hugged each other with relief upon hearing the news Brett Morgan was expressionless as he stated I
00:55:16
didn't do this your honor the judge addressed him stating you planned and deliberated upon
00:55:25
the killing of Louise Ellis a young woman in the prime of her life who gave everything she had in an attempt to
00:55:32
assist you in your reintegration into society she was an intelligent vibrant highly creative fiercely loyal and
00:55:40
loving human being who shall be sadly missed by her family and those who loved her implicit in the jury's verdict is
00:55:49
that you wrongfully accused an innocent man John maon of being responsible that treacherous act speaks very poorly
00:55:59
about your moral fiber he sentenced Brett Morgan to 25 years without the possibility of
00:56:09
parole afterwards Bret's lawyer insisted that he believed his client was innocent
00:56:14
and they would appeal the verdict but two months into Brett Morgan's sentence he died in prison due
00:56:22
to hepatitis C it was April 24th 4 1998 3 years to the day since he had reported Louise
00:56:34
missing for Marie paran's role in convicting Brett Morgan police awarded her $4,600 she later told the national post
00:56:44
that she was offended by this reward saying it felt like a slap in the face after all I had
00:56:52
done over the years Marie has appeared in multiple documentaries to discuss her role in the Louise Lis case and has been
00:57:00
working on a memoir about her time as a private investigator after Brett Morgan's trial
00:57:07
Louise's father brother and sister said that the result had restored their faith
00:57:12
in the justice system although they were still overwhelmed by pain knowing that Louise
00:57:18
had been found and her killer punished helped somewhat Louise's father Allan said he
00:57:25
would forgive Brett Morgan for his actions stating never return evil for evil never after Louise's remains were
00:57:38
recovered a funeral was held at GLE St James United Church in Ottawa 200 MERS packed into the space to
00:57:47
memorialize Louise who was remembered as a passionate artistic and intellectual woman who was deeply spiritual and had
00:57:54
great integrity she was an excellent cook and a very talented writer in 1976 she wrote and Illustrated a
00:58:04
children's book titled the alpha veget which taught children about the alphabet and
00:58:11
vegetables the minister presiding over the service encouraged all those present to remember Louise's story
00:58:19
stating if there is anger here this afternoon I hope it is a righteous anger Louise her life and her death calls us
00:58:29
to action women are abused every day and it is not right not now not before and not
00:58:39
again [Music] [Music] [Music]