Homicide detectives will be working overtime to solve the distressing murder of Samantha Higgins, 22, who grew up in the Point and disappeared from her home near Lise and Newman in LaSalle early Tuesday morning.
Higgins was walking home, a short 10 minute walk from a friend's at about 1 a.m. She was returning home to her longtime boyfriend and father of her two children, aged four and two months.
She texted "yup" when asked if she was ok but was then never heard from until today when her body was found dismembered near a rural village called Hinchingbrooke, south of Montreal.
Murder mutilitations are rare although Luka Magnotta (2012) and Michael-Andrew Garreau (2010) are recent local examples of people who committed the grisly act to their lovers.
Dismembering a body is usually employed as a means to avoid detection, according to homicide experts.
A certain measure of organization by the killer is also required.
"They require plenty of time, access to a secluded space, tools to carry out the gory deed and, above all, a deep resolve," according a Toronto Star article.
The perpetrator also needs either a steely resolve or a warped mind. Even hardened psychopath Paul Bernardo found it hard to go through with what he described as the "second most disgusting thing I've ever done."
Experts say the four other main reasons somebody might chop the body of someone they killed are: 1-Aggression. 2-Twisted pleasure.3-Mental illness/delusion. 4-Organized crime sending a message.
Friends and family have speculated that a stranger committed the deed but homicide experts will likely believe that it was a friend or acquaintance who committed the act, as a stranger is less likely to go to such great lengths to avoid detection.
Other females from Point St. Charles murdered over the years include Jolene Riendeau, 10, (1999) and Sharron Prior, 16. (1975) Tammy Leakey, 12, (1981).
Update: It appears that her boyfriend Nick Fontanelli is the main suspect.
Higgins was walking home, a short 10 minute walk from a friend's at about 1 a.m. She was returning home to her longtime boyfriend and father of her two children, aged four and two months.
She texted "yup" when asked if she was ok but was then never heard from until today when her body was found dismembered near a rural village called Hinchingbrooke, south of Montreal.
Dismembering a body is usually employed as a means to avoid detection, according to homicide experts.
A certain measure of organization by the killer is also required.
"They require plenty of time, access to a secluded space, tools to carry out the gory deed and, above all, a deep resolve," according a Toronto Star article.
The perpetrator also needs either a steely resolve or a warped mind. Even hardened psychopath Paul Bernardo found it hard to go through with what he described as the "second most disgusting thing I've ever done."
Experts say the four other main reasons somebody might chop the body of someone they killed are: 1-Aggression. 2-Twisted pleasure.3-Mental illness/delusion. 4-Organized crime sending a message.
Friends and family have speculated that a stranger committed the deed but homicide experts will likely believe that it was a friend or acquaintance who committed the act, as a stranger is less likely to go to such great lengths to avoid detection.
Other females from Point St. Charles murdered over the years include Jolene Riendeau, 10, (1999) and Sharron Prior, 16. (1975) Tammy Leakey, 12, (1981).
Update: It appears that her boyfriend Nick Fontanelli is the main suspect.
I pray there is some DNA evidence found. and soon.
ReplyDeleteThis is utterly unacceptable. The person who did this needs real help or needs to be taken out of his misery, because for you to be able commit acts like these, you have to be seriously broken in the head. I feel sorry for that person as much as i feel sorry for her family. But mostly i feel worry that this individual is still out there and close to my house. I wish get a word from the authorities knowing what are they doing.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that at the moment you're one of the only few asking this question.. and that's a bit worrisome on how the masses think. Is it taboo to think about such a thing? Do we wait till it's all died down and the killer is gone in hiding forever?
ReplyDeleteAre people not worried about there being a sick killer out there? Why aren't the cops saying anything at all? How is there no suspect?
Of course it is a horrible thing that happened, and I feel sorry for her and her family. But LaSalle has a bit of a history of violent crimes against women that often go unsolved.
When will the need for justice peak its head out of the mourning?