See these billboards around London? Homicide victim's family hopes someone has a tip

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A caller bid of billboards is looking to bring answers and closure for the household of a pistillate killed much than 16 years agone successful London astatine the hands of an unidentified killer.

Lisa Leckie (née Johnson) was 25-year-old erstwhile she was recovered dormant successful her third-floor flat astatine 390 Southdale Rd. E connected March 24, 2009. A post-mortem exam aboriginal determined she died from asphyxiation.

The unsolved homicide, 1 of 9 execution investigations since 1956 yet to beryllium cracked by London police, has continued to measurement heavy connected her loved ones, including her 2 children, who were conscionable eight-months-old and eight-years-old astatine the time.

"It's thing that I inactive grapple with to this day," said the elder child, JC Leckie (née Sean Leckie), who is down the caller billboard effort, focused connected 5 high-traffic areas crossed the city. "I deliberation it fundamentally shaped who I americium arsenic a person, for amended and for worse."

Three billboards are progressive adjacent Exeter and Wellington roads, Wharncliffe and Wonderland roads, and Richmond Street and Fanshawe Park Road. All are donated by advertisement institution Target Outdoor.

Two much are acceptable to travel online adjacent week adjacent Horton and Wellington streets, and connected Wellington northbound of Dearness Drive.

The hope, JC says, is that they support the lawsuit caller successful the minds of Londoners, and assistance bring successful caller tips and accusation that could yet pb to a long-awaited arrest. "I spot it as, if I don't, who will?" they said.

"I consciousness similar not lone is determination diminishing nationalist interest, but there's besides diminishing involvement wrong the household arsenic the household dilatory dissolves," JC said, noting 1 of the biggest proponents successful the case, Leckie's mother, Cheryl McCullough, passed distant respective years ago.

At the clip of her death, Leckie's communal instrumentality husband, Derek Stacey, lived astatine the flat with Leckie and their eight-month-old son. He recovered her assemblage successful their surviving country upon returning location astir 7 a.m. from an overnight shift.

The couple's eight-month-old son, JC's half-brother, was recovered unharmed successful his crib.

Official investigative details person been fewer and acold betwixt for Leckie's family. Police person remained tight-lipped astir the case, but person said they judge her decease was not random, and that she was targeted by idiosyncratic she knew.

JC believes Leckie opened the doorway to idiosyncratic who meant her harm, saying determination were nary signs of a struggle. Police did not corroborate this item to CBC News. 

In 2019, connected the tenth day of Leckie's murder, constabulary said that the culprit near down a enactment written utilizing an aged "impact-style model" typewriter with a cloth ribbon, commonly recovered successful vintage and manual typewriters. 

Police declined to marque the note's contented public, citing "investigative reasons." More than 300 interviews had been conducted arsenic portion of the investigation, constabulary said astatine the time.

Investigators besides released surveillance video taken near Leckie's flat astir 9:12 p.m. connected March 23, 2009, little than 12 hours earlier she was recovered dead. In the video, an unidentified antheral tin beryllium seen walking distant from the camera — a antheral constabulary person sought to talk with.

"It's been 16 years, but that doesn't mean it's not inactive connected our minds. I really deliberation of that lawsuit often, and reappraisal the lawsuit conscionable to spot if thing other tweaks my memory," said London Police Det. Sgt. Micah Bourdeau of the Major Crimes Section.

"Lisa was a young, vibrant parent with 2 young boys, and the details of the case, you know, marque maine consciousness sick to my stomach."

Bourdeau was successful different conception of the Criminal Investigation Division erstwhile the probe began, and recalled helping with canvassing efforts.

"We did an extended canvas of that area, that building, the surrounding buildings, the surrounding homes and businesses. Even with arsenic extended hunt arsenic we did astatine that time, it's inactive a anticipation that we missed somebody," helium said.

"There's thing to suggest, that we're alert of, that she knew thing was amiss, oregon that that was going to beryllium her past night."

The typewritten enactment successful peculiar is simply a important detail given its antithetic nature, Bourdeau says, and caller accusation related to it could precise good interruption the case. 

Someone retired determination knows something, and they should bash the close happening and travel forward, said JC, who present lives successful Hamilton. 

"The longer we take, the little apt it is that we volition retrieve that information," they said. 

"My parent was conscionable specified a wildly, happy, joyous and fantastic idiosyncratic to beryllium around, and I deliberation I beryllium it to her to prosecute this case."

Anyone with accusation is asked to interaction the Major Crimes Section astatine 519-661-5671 oregon Crime Stoppers.