Police renew push for tips in unsolved Sarnia-area homicide

Police are hoping two new large signs will help point them in the right direction as the third anniversary of an unsolved homicide of a Sarnia-area First Nation man approaches.

The body of David Oliver, who was remembered as a funny, polite young man from Kettle and Stony Point who loved sports and travelling, was found by police on Aug. 2, 2020, after an extensive search. The 29-year-old’s body and his red Dodge Ram pickup truck were discovered on Army Camp Road in Lambton Shores.

His death was deemed a homicide two days later.

“I think everyone’s still in shock,” Jason Henry, the First Nation’s chief at the time, said shortly after police announced Oliver was killed. “There’s a lot of hurt in the community, a lot of wondering.”

Several online reports indicated Oliver was last seen around 3 am on July 31 and a missing person report was filed. But with no arrests made, West Region OPP announced in November 2020 Ontario was offering a $50,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible. A dedicated tip line was opened.

In an update issued Thursday, Lambton OPP reminded the public the cash reward is still available and plans to renew the push for tips with two new, large billboards to be installed in the area one at the Anishinabek police detachment in Kettle Point and the other at the busy corner of Lakeshore Road and Highway 21. A similar sign previously was installed nearby.

“Investigators believe the billboards will generate additional tips to assist the ongoing investigation,” police said in Thursday’s statement.

A Lambton OPP spokesperson said he believes the signs were being installed Thursday, but couldn’t immediately provide a cost estimate.

Lambton OPP, the OPP West Region emergency response team and the OPP canine unit helped Anishinabek police with the initial search three years ago. The OPP’s criminal investigation branch and Anishinabek police have conducted an extensive investigation, including following up on tips from the public, since that time.

“To date the person, or persons, responsible for the murder have not been arrested,” police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the dedicated tip line at 1-833-525-8477. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or hc-cs.ca for a potential cash reward.

Oliver left behind a wife, four brothers, a sister and his father, the organizer of an online fundraiser wrote shortly after his death. A series of celebration-of-life events were held at the First Nation in the days after his body was found, according to social media posts.

AT GoFundMe page was created by a family friend and former high school teacher of Oliver, who remembered him as an “exceptional student in the classroom and an extremely talented athlete” who was “well-liked by staff and students alike.”

“No amount of money will ease the pain of their loss. Minimizing some of the financial stress will assist the family at this time,” the organizer wrote.

In an unrelated incident, another Kettle and Stony Point First Nation resident was found dead on Nov. 8, 2020, and a 26-year-old man was arrested and charged with first-degree the following day.

The two deaths cam amid one of the deadliest two-year stretches in the history of Sarnia-Lambton.

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@ObserverTerry