Body of missing Hamilton woman Monica Chisar found in wooded area Christmas Eve; homicide investigating
A 29-year-old woman reported missing in Hamilton more than a year and a half ago has been identified as a homicide victim after her body was discovered in a rural area north of Mount Forest on Christmas Eve.
Monica Chisar had been last seen just after midnight July 11, 2018 when she was dropped off at the Beer Store parking lot at the corner of Barton Street East and Parkdale Avenue North.
In a video posted by Ontario Provincial Police, Det. Insp. Scott Moore of the OPP criminal investigation branch said a father and son were out walking in a wooded area near Highway 6 and Southgate Road 10 on Dec. 24, 2019 when they discovered what they believed to be human remains.
They immediately contacted police and the OPP criminal investigation branch began their investigation, which included an extensive search of the area and forensic examination.
Eventually police identified the victim as Chisar, a woman whose disappearance Hamilton police had been investigating.
Det. Sgt. Jim Callender of the Hamilton police major crime unit said Chisar didn't have an extensive history in Hamilton, but did have a wide circle of associates in the Greater Toronto Area and Kitchener.
She was known to travel and had just returned from Europe when she disappeared.
Family, concerned after she stopped posting on social media, reported her missing in September 2018.
By March 2019, the case was sent to the major crime unit, which investigates homicides, over concern about foul play.
In 2019, her half-sister, Amanda Chisar told The Spectator that no one in the family heard from her after she disappeared and they were desperate for information.
You think of the craziest scenarios, and have bad dreams. I haven't been able to sleep properly in quite a while," she said.
She believed her sister had just returned from a trip to England and Portugal and had been working as a server at a bar on King Street.
She was known to have a drug problem and lived an unconventional lifestyle.
In the past, police have said there was some suggestion she may have owed somebody money.
Chisar was about five-foot-seven, 170 pounds, with green eyes and shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair.
Ontario Provincial Police have set up a dedicated tip line. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-855-677-4636.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com