NIPIGON — The family of a Toronto woman who died in Nipigon last year hopes someone has information that will help police determine the exact circumstances of her passing.
OPP divers found the remains of Vanessa Stacy, 34, in the water in the Nipigon Lagoon last October.
Police had responded to a call about a person in distress there the previous day, but initially were unable to locate her.
The woman had been staying in town for less than a year, using it as her home base between shifts during her job with a mining company.
Her sister, Gizella Tsatsaklas, said Monday the family was told her death was consistent with drowning, but is anxious to get more specifics, including a copy of the autopsy report, results of lab tests, and the evidence police have been working with.
"They told us when we got there that it would be two months at least for everything, and now's it's going on five months," she told Newswatch in an interview.
"I'm heartbroken that her life was taken from her in such a devastating and tragic way. I pray that the community she was part of will come together...If they know anything, if they can reach out to the OPP," Tsatsaklas said.
In a recent update, OPP said their investigation is active and ongoing, and that "foul play cannot be ruled out at this time."
Police have asked anyone with information helpful to their investigation to call 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
Tsatsaklas said OPP have taken statements from a large number of people in town, and have shared some of the information submitted to them.
But what they have heard so far "doesn't make sense" to the family, she said.
"What I think happened is she went down to the water just to get away for the morning because she was planning a Thanksgiving dinner...Apparently she met somebody on the road and they had some drinks together, and I don't really understand what happened next."
She said "I struggle with this question every single day," explaining that her sister typically did not enjoy going into the water.
"She 100 per cent knows how to swim, and even if she was drunk and being silly, she would still come out of it," she said.
Tsatsaklas described Vanessa as an outgoing, loving person.
"Everyone cared for her so much. She was a helpful person with everybody. She was very giving, very kind...She always looked for the best in people, and was the definition of someone who gave unconditional love to her friends and family, even if she was going through her own troubles."
