Piece of denim possibly linked to Fertuck disappearance not further investigated by police: testimony
About four years after Sheree Fertuck went missing, a father-son duo alerted police about a potential new piece of evidence.
RCMP Const. Robert Head, an investigator in the case, took the stand in Greg Fertuck’s murder trial.
Fertuck is charged with first-degree murder in connection to Sheree’s disappearance.
Sheree was last seen on Dec. 7, 2015 leaving her family farm near Kenaston, Sask. to go haul gravel. Sheree’s semi-truck was found abandoned in the gravel pit with her keys, phone and jacket left inside.
Head testified a father and his son, who crushed gravel in the same pit, found a piece of denim in their machine.
“It looked like part of a sleeve,” Head told court.
The fabric was believed to be found in the upper part of the pit — away from the area Sheree’s semi truck was found.
Head testified police determined the material didn’t belong to Sheree, based on its location and witness reports.
But the defence disagreed.
Defence lawyer Mike Nolin suggested Sheree was wearing a denim shirt the day she went missing, based on a description from Sheree’s brother — who saw her that day.
The constable told court the fabric wasn’t sent to a lab or investigated further.
Nolin asked Head how many times cadaver dogs were brought to search the pit.
Head said dogs were brought to the scene once, a few days after Sheree went missing.
On April 14, 2016, shell casings from a .22 calibre rifle were found at the pit.
The casings were sent to a lab to be compared to shell casings seized from Fertuck’s home, to see if they were fired from the same gun.
But there was no conclusive finding from the RCMP Firearms and Toolmark Identification Section.
“The expended cartridge case … was neither identified nor eliminated as having been fired in the same firearm,” the gun lab report read.
On Oct. 6, 2020, police further examined the pit — following a new admission from Fertuck’s girlfriend.
Ground penetrating radar was used and tractors were brought in to search five feet below the surface, Head testified.
After Fertuck told an undercover officer he shot Sheree at the pit, searches ramped up, court heard.
RCMP Cpl. Ronald Degooijer was the search coordinator, he lead searches based on information Fertuck gave to an undercover officer.
Degooijer testified he and his team looked for bones, black plastic and clothing.
Officers focused on a tree bluff area where Fertuck told undercover officers he dumped Sheree’s body.
Despite the searches, Sheree’s body has never been found.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
BREAKING Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.