Tammy Eileen Penner, of Chilliwack, British Columbia, was 41 years old when she went missing in early 2005. (Photo: Ontario Provincial Police)

Police attempting to solve a decades-old mystery surrounding the suspicious death of a British Columbia woman whose remains were found west of the Greater Toronto Area say a now-closed Mississauga truck stop and a trucker could help shed light on the case.

Tammy Eileen Penner, of Chilliwack, British Columbia, was believed by police to be 41 years of age when she was reported missing to the RCMP in B.C. on Feb. 7, 2005.

Some time after her disappearance, Penner, who had also been living in Abbotsford, B.C., travelled to Ontario, according to police.

Roughly six months after being reported missing, the B.C. woman’s remains were discovered on Aug. 28, 2005 in a wooded picnic/rest area on Highway 7 between Rockwood and Guelph, Ontario Provincial Police said.

However, it would be nearly 20 years before police identified the woman as Penner.

Wellington County OPP, who’ve been investigating Penner’s death for nearly 21 years, said on Thursday they now have more specific information related to the woman’s travels in Ontario in the months prior to her death.

The Rockwood Knights of Columbus created a memorial in honour of Penner. (Photo: Ontario Provincial Police)

In a renewed appeal to the public for information about Penner’s last known whereabouts and who she may have been with, investigators now say she wound up at the Midland Mall in Midland, Ontario, some 190 kilometres north of Rockwood, on June 30, 2005.

A month later, “on or around Saturday, July 30, 2005, a transport truck driver may have dropped her off at the now-closed Husky Truck Stop on Highway 401 and Dixie Road in Mississauga,” investigators said in a news release issued on Thursday.

Police said Penner was seen near a cream- or beige-coloured transport truck shortly after being dropped off at the north Mississauga truck stop. Additionally, she may have been wearing a beige tank top with black corduroy fabric shorts at the time and carrying a blue sleeping bag.

“Investigators are asking anyone who saw Tammy during this time or who has information about her movements to contact police,” OPP said.

Anyone with information in relation to this investigation is encouraged to call Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Police determined the death to be suspicious

After the grisly August 2005 discovery near Rockwood, police said it appeared Penner’s body had been dragged a short distance into the wooded area approximately a month prior to the discovery of her remains.

A “Woods-brand” sleeping bag was covering Penner, who was wearing clothes purchased in the Montreal area, police noted.

“Though the cause of death remains undetermined, investigators have deemed her death suspicious,” police said.

Further examination at the time determined that prior to her death, Penner had sustained fractures to her left cheekbone, nose and left eye socket that had healed. As a result, according to police, she wore a two-tooth partial denture to replace missing upper teeth.

In 2022, still not knowing the identity of the dead woman, police submitted the case for investigative genetic genealogy to help determine her identity.

In April 2024, “a presumptive identification was established and used to locate living family members,” police said, adding a family member’s DNA was subsequently used to confirm the identity of the deceased woman as Penner.

OPP Det. Insp. Randy Gaynor said identifying Penner’s remains “was an important step, but many questions remain unanswered.

“We’re asking anyone who remembers seeing Tammy to please come forward, no matter how insignificant the information may seem. Her family has waited many years for answers and our investigative team remains committed to uncovering the truth and providing them with resolution.”

The Rockwood Knights of Columbus has created a memorial in honour of Penner. It continues to be maintained by a member of the public, OPP said.


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