Skip to content

Cold case cracked: York Region police solve teen's murder after more than 50 years

20231115141136-c5eabbedd49bccb1481db32fe595120f78966afac284a96f2a100d96e4064c23

TORONTO — Police north of Toronto say they have solved the murder of a 16-year-old girl that took place more than 50 years ago.

York Regional Police say Yvonne Leroux was last seen walking in a Toronto neighbourhood one night in November 1972 and a passerby discovered her body in the Township of King, about 24 kilometres north of the city, the next morning.

Police say the teen was found with a head injury and her death was deemed a homicide.

Fifty-one years later, police say advanced forensic technology has helped identify the teen's killer – a man named Bruce Charles Cantelon, who was 26 at the time and known to police for having committed several offences against women.

Police say Cantelon died by suicide 19 months after the teen's death but if he was alive, he would have been charged in Yvonne's murder.

Investigators say before the teen's death, her killer was incarcerated at various times due to mental health issues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2023.

The Canadian Press


Looking for Ontario News?

VillageReport.ca viewed on a mobile phone

Check out Village Report - the news that matters most to Canada, updated throughout the day.  Or, subscribe to Village Report's free daily newsletter: a compilation of the news you need to know, sent to your inbox at 6AM.

Subscribe