Identified - Laura Jessome - 21 - North Sydney, NS -

[capeheart]

CTV news just stated that the body is that of a 21 year old female from North Sydney. Her family does not wish for her name to be released at this time. The police also indicated that it was murder. We will be waiting for further information related to this case.

[lostlinganer]

Strange how quickly this progressed in a matter of hours; so the law must be very close to something.  This morning, somebody living in that area told me the victim was not from around here.  Then within hours, it was known she was from here; she is from North Sydney. 

God Bless that girl ...what a waste of life prematurely! RIP child.  ....I don't consider somebody this young as adult.  I don't know about anybody else, but I certainly wasn't "matured" at that age.  I was still "making my mistakes and bad choices" for years after that age - so I could have been dead many times over.  Everybody deserves the right to live a lot longer than that.  So this poor girl made some sort of bad choice... or dropped her guard somehow, resulting in the end of life... the end of any chance to live a life.   

[elepher]

Rest in peace. Thoughts going out to the family of the victim.  Hopefully an arrest will be swift and whoever did this is held responsible and accountable swiftly.

[eyeswideopen]

Justice I am wondering how you found out this is not Melissa?  How would you find something like that out?  Who ever this girl is sure hope they find out who did this to her real quick.  Since they have identifyed her already her body must have been in good enough shape for a visual identification I am thinking?  JMO.

[capeheart]

I had a feeling early on that the police had an idea of who this might be, right after the body was found. I think the family possibly may have had the police involved in her whereabouts, but did not broadcast it. It is very sad, whatever this outcome is. I would say it won't be too long before we hear of someone being arrested in this case. 

[malloryknox]

Right from the north side? Is that on the island?

[lostlinganer]

It's about 30 kil. from the scene..... if you google Cape Breton, you'll see that Sydney, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, New Waterford, Glace Bay, Lingan etc. etc. are all along the coast ...... all no more than 10 to 30 kil. from each other..... You will see that Mira River runs inland behind all this massive area.  just click on one of the news articles to get to the google map and have a look at this place where we "capers" live.

[lostlinganer]

The original owner of the hockey bag, which contained the gruesome discovery, has been tracked down.

A Glace Bay man — who wished not to be identified so as not to impede the police investigation — confirmed the hockey bag was a Glace Bay Minor Hockey bag that belonged to a family member who had participated in minor hockey. The family member’s name was on the bag.

“We were shocked when reports started to surface it was the same bag,” he told the Cape Breton Post on Sunday.

The man said the bag is seven years old.

“It was full of mouldy hockey gear. In April we put it out with the heavy garbage.”

He said at that time a truck with three or four kids inside was going around the neighbourhood looking for items in heavy garbage left at the curb.

“That is when the bag was picked up,” he said. “That is the last we saw of it.”

Police are investigating the discovery of the human remains as a homicide.

Staff Sgt. Steve MacKinnon said Saturday police are not releasing many details about the discovery as their investigation is in its early stages.

“It is still very early in the investigation and right now, we’re keeping things close to the chest,” he said, adding that if investigators decide to issue a call for public assistance, additional information will be released at that time.

Police said the autopsy was performed in Halifax on Saturday.

Members of the police services dive unit and major crime investigators were on the scene earlier Saturday continuing their search for evidence.

The discovery was made by a woman who lives on Hillside Road at about 8 p.m. Friday.

The Mira River is the longest in Nova Scotia and its shoreline is peppered with hundreds of summer cottages and permanent residences.

Residents contacted Saturday expressed shock and disbelief at the discovery, noting such a violent crime is disturbing in a quiet, rural area.

The police is requesting the public’s assistance in the case.

Anyone with information regarding the crime can contact regional police at 563-5151, or Crime Stoppers at 562-8477.
http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2012-05-27/article-2989426/Police-ID-body-found-floating-in-hockey-bag/1

[Baba Donya]

Thank you Lost, for the detailed update.

May she rest in peace. Thank you God for making sure the young lady's body was found. May you God give comfort and be with this family.Amen.

[Maureen]

To the family of this young girl, I am so sorry for your loss and I hope you don't have to wait long for justice to prevail. May she RIP.

[debbiec]

More can be read at the link below.

The body found stuffed in a hockey bag and floating in a river on Friday belong to a 21-year-old Cape Breton, N.S., woman, police said.

Cops are not yet releasing the victim's name to the media at the request of the family, who are still notifying loved ones.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2012/05/28/19806606.html

[eyeswideopen]

That would sure be one heck of a way for family to find out from the MEDIA or even from the internet.  The family deserves the respect to not release the name until all family members have been notified IMO

[Mom]

LOST:  It is my understanding that the family has asked for the name to not be released.  The Police are honouring their wishes.  Looks like an unscrupulous news reporter has taken the liberty and found out the name and chose to publish it.

Notice in the article it doesn't say that the Police have released the name of the victim....., but rather "sources told the Chronicle...."

Personally, I think it's very disrespectful.

[eyeswideopen]

Yes a very unscrupulous reporter going against the police and the family , a reall shame that the family get to read it in the news before they can all be reached.  But i dont believe we should follow in the foot steps of an unscruplous report and be posting it on here.  That  would be the reason for it being removed as was very clearly stated on here by admins that we would not post it unless the police released the name.  Lets show a little consideration for the family I say.

[lostlinganer]

well you can say that I suppose about Paul Murphy on CTV News.... he gave a clue that while police haven't released the name, she has a facebook page, and describes herself as (a mystery to all?)----- or something like that? ...I knew pretty much if I just sat down and googled the expression he used (which I'm not sure of now) and North Sydney ... I might come up with this girl's facebook page.....and if I was really nosey, I could just click on the "updates" of the 5000 members on my facebook..... but I couldn't be bothered!... figured it wouldn't help her now, if I knew her name... and all I can think of is "I wish I had my scrawny angry old hands around the throat of who did this to that you woman"... girl is more like it! ...but then I had a google notification of that article in the Chronicle Herald, so I posted it. 

I don't recall reading such instruction from Chris to that point! .... Guess I may have passed right over such a post from him at some time without even reading it.  I've never known this site to ever have had that "mind set" as we have been posting the names of victims on this site for years.... often before most newspapers I'd dare wager.  I guess I just didn't notice this site changing to that point.... or at what time.  I am way back with the oldies I met here when I first started.  Guess I just don't belong here anymore.