$10,000 offered to crack mystery of Brantford homicide

Last year, on March 11, someone called Brantford police and asked for officers to check on a 37-year-old woman at her home to make sure she was OK.

When police arrived to do a wellness check," they found Shannon MacDougall alone in her house. She was dead.

Forensic officers investigated the scene at 26 Mintern Ave. in the city's Eagle Place neighbourhood in the south end. An autopsy was performed.

But it wasn't until three months later, in June, that detectives upgraded the investigation from a suspicious death to homicide.

The reason for the delay was information that was received," Brantford police spokesperson Robin Matthews-Osmond told the Spectator in an email.

She said she could not elaborate, in order to protect the integrity of the case."

MacDougall, who had two children, was born in Hamilton, raised in Brantford, and at one point had worked as a personal support worker at St. Joseph's Healthcare, according to a story in the Brantford Expositor.

An Expositor story last year quoted family members who said that the coroner and funeral home staff told them MacDougall had been stabbed and beaten.

Even as homicide detectives investigated, police waited until November 2020 - more than eight months after her death - to reveal to the public they were doing so.

Matthews-Osmond said the delay was necessary to protect the investigation."

And now, on the one-year anniversary of her death, police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible," lead detective Ryan Groen said in a news release Tuesday.

I believe there are people in the community that can help solve Shannon's murder and I am asking them for their assistance," he added.

The release includes a statement from MacDougall's family - her birth name was Burnside - that reads, in part: Shannon was one of a kind and she had a huge heart. She was a great mother, daughter and sister. Through all her struggles she remained strong and hopeful and always put her family first. We think of her every day and we miss her every day."

Anyone with information on the case can call the Brantford Police Service tip line at 519-756-0113, ext. 2319, or email shannonmacdougall@police.brantford.on.ca.

To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-888-8477 (TIPS).

Jon Wells is a Hamilton-based reporter and feature writer for The Spectator. Reach him via email: jwells@thespec.com