3 days after Sheree Fertuck went missing, her husband was the RCMP's prime suspect. Here’s why.
The lead investigator in the Sheree Fertuck case took the stand in the trial for the man accused of her murder.
Sgt. Tiffany Climenhaga testified why Greg Fertuck, Sheree’s estranged husband, was named a suspect just three days after she went missing.
Sheree was last seen Dec. 7, 2015 leaving her family farm near Kenaston, Sask. to go haul gravel nearby.
The missing person’s case shifted to a homicide investigation about four months later.
On June 24, 2019, Greg was charged with first-degree murder and causing indignity to human remains.
Sheree’s body has never been found and Greg has pleaded not guilty.
While Greg was charged nearly four years after Sheree disappeared, Climenhaga testified RCMP had its sights set on him much earlier.
GREG’S STATEMENT ABOUT RELATIONSHIP DIFFERED FROM KIDS’ ACCOUNT
Climenhaga testified the initial statement Greg gave to police stood out.
He told officers he and Sheree got along well and were even working on getting back together.
The lead investigator said Greg’s statement was vastly different to what the couple’s kids had to say.
They told police their father has a history of domestic violence against their mom.
“I felt like I was in a bit of a twilight zone,” Climenhaga told the court.
"What they [the kids] were saying and what he was saying, were on opposite ends of the spectrum.”
SHEREE FOLLOWED A PREDICTABLE ROUTINE
Climenhaga said Sheree’s missing person case rang suspicious because it didn’t match Sheree’s character.
Court heard Sheree is extremely predictable, follows a routine and is close with her family. Sheree had a flip phone, no social media, didn’t take drugs and wasn’t dating.
If Sheree would leave town, court heard she would make accommodations for a dog sitter. If she couldn’t find one, she’d bring her dog on the road.
Sheree’s red semi-truck was found abandoned at the gravel pit with the keys still in the ignition. Her flip phone and coat were left inside.
Sheree Fertuck’s semi-truck, seen here, was found in a gravel pit the day after she was last seen in December 2015. (RCMP supplied)
Sheree tried to stop a payment to Greg on the day she went missing
Greg occasionally worked for Sheree, hauling gravel. On the day Sheree went missing, she tried to cancel a payment to Greg, according to a statement Sheree’s mom made to police. Sheree believed Greg overcharged her for hours worked.
Court heard Greg often missed rent payments. Greg wanted to withdraw some of his pension money, but Sheree refused to sign off on it, according to testimony earlier in the trial.
Climenhaga said Sheree’s sisters, mother and kids believed Greg was responsible for Sheree’s disappearance.
BLOOD FOUND IN GREG'S TRUCK
At around 5 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2015, video surveillance shows Greg at a Saskatoon carwash cleaning his truck bed.
Climenhaga testified she thought it was unusual how Greg was wiping down his truck bed, and she believed he was possibly trying to get rid of forensic evidence.
A speck of blood, matching Sheree’s DNA, was detected on Greg’s tailgate.
The Crown is arguing Greg shot Sheree at the gravel pit, used a loader to put her in his truck and moved her body to a rural location.
Two gun shell casings from a .22 rifle were found at the pit.
Climenhaga testified, during a search of Greg’s house, a rifle was missing from its case.
The Crown’s case relies on Greg’s confession to undercover police officers.
The trial has yet to hear the details of the undercover police operation.
It will be up to a judge to decide whether the undercover confession can be admissible evidence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.