On January 3rd, 1989, 52-year-old Wilhelmina Bruce Wanner, known to her friends and family as Winnie, vanished from her home at 4624 - 45 Street in Red Deer, Alberta. An Indigenous woman with a petite build, standing at 5'1" and weighing around 97 pounds, she has not been seen or heard from since that day. Details about what she was wearing are limited, but it's believed she may have had on a brushed denim jean jacket and running shoes.
She was also known to wear a 16-inch gold chain with an Aquarius symbol and small, clustered pearl earrings with gold trim.
The investigation into her disappearance began after she was reported missing. When authorities entered her home, they discovered unsettling evidence in the bathroom: blood, hair, and a kitchen knife. This discovery prompted an intensive and widespread search for Wilhelmina. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted exhaustive searches of the area surrounding her acreage, located about eight kilometers west of Red Deer. Their efforts included meticulously searching the Red Deer landfill, oil dump sites, flare pits, parks, and isolated roads, but no trace of her was ever found. In a measure considered a last resort, the RCMP even consulted with psychics in their efforts to locate her.
Suspicion soon fell upon her estranged husband, Jacob Wanner. He was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. In 1991, the case went to trial, marking only the third time in Alberta's history that a murder trial proceeded without the victim's body having been found. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence of bloodstains in the bathtub of Wilhelmina's apartment. However, the defense argued that Wilhelmina had simply left the area on her own. After deliberating, the jury acquitted Jacob Wanner. He passed away in 2010. The disappearance of Wilhelmina Bruce Wanner remains an unsolved case. Although the primary suspect is deceased, the RCMP considers it an open and ongoing investigation, subject to periodic reviews in the hope that new information may one day come to light and provide answers to her loved ones.Last Seen: Jan 3, 1989
