Sharron Kim Prior was born on February 9, 1959 to mom Yvonne and dad George. She would later welcome several younger siblings, including a foster brother.
Sharron grew up in Point St. Charles (sometimes spelled Pointe St. Charles), a neighborhood in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. Loved ones said she had a radiant smile and and that people loved being around her. Sharron was athletic and, like many Canadians, enjoyed playing hockey. She was also very cautious and didn’t get into trouble a lot, aspiring one day to be a veterinarian.
Saturday, March 29, 1975 was the day before Easter. Around 7:15 that evening, 16-year-old Sharron left her house to meet some friends at a local pizza parlor. The walk should have only taken her about five minutes, but she never showed up. It’s not clear if her friends actually expected her there.
When she wasn’t home by 1 am, Yvonne Prior got worried. Her daughter was usually home by this time and always called if she was going to be late. The search for Sharron began right away, with police and volunteers alike turning up to look.
Three days later — on April 1 — Sharron’s body was found in a field in Longueuil, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from Point St. Charles. She’d been beaten, raped and strangled, the latter of which likely caused her death. Her body had been dragged under a tree, and she still had a tree branch in her hand. Her jeans and underwear were found near her body — the latter hanging from a branch. There was tape in her hair that had presumably been put over her mouth as a gag.
Police also found a padlock, shirt, tire marks and a footprint nearby. The padlock was opened but there were no signs of force. The shirt was worn by someone about six feet tall and 200 pounds, and police believed it was also used to tie Sharron up. The footprint was made by someone who wore about a size 8 and a half shoe.
Sharron had been dead for about a day when her body was found. Police believe she’d been held captive, then dragged to the scene and left there while she was still alive.
But other than this evidence, there wasn’t much to go on. They interviewed 38 people, six of whom they considered suspects — but all were ultimately let go.
The investigation stalled, and was later re-opened in the early 2000’s. In 2004, police got a tip that led them to a garage behind an apartment building not too far from Sharron’s old house. About two dozen officers searched the garage for 15 hours, looking for evidence that Sharron had been there at some point. DNA samples were sent off for results, but ultimately found no matches. 70 “potential suspects” have been looked into, but as of March 2022 no arrests have been made.
So what happened to Sharron Prior? Police believe there are at least two people involved her murder. I could never find a specific reason why they believe this, but author Alice de Sturler at Defrosting Cold Cases gives some insight. Remember, the shirt found at the scene was thought to be worn by someone who was about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, and the footprint was made by a size 8 and a half shoe. According to de Sturler, a man of the size and height to wear that shirt would be more likely to wear a larger shoe.
Sharron’s mom, Yvonne Prior, wonders if her daughter may have been the victim of a serial killer. Multiple cases have been noted, both by her and online sleuths, of other female murder victims in Canada who were similar in age and looks to Sharron. There’s also speculation that she was killed by a trucker, which is a very common theory in unsolved cases and one I’ve discussed in multiple videos.
There’s also speculation that Sharron’s killer (or killers) knew the area well. The owner of the field Sharron was found in only discovered her remains when he realized the gate leading into the field was open. If it hadn’t been for this, she likely wouldn’t have been found until later on in the spring. Did Sharron’s killer leave her in a place where they thought she wouldn’t be found for months, perhaps hoping that much of the evidence would have decayed or been destroyed by then?
Whatever happened, Sharron’s murder has gone unsolved for almost 47 years. Her loved ones hope that advances in DNA technology or someone coming forward with previously withheld information will one day solve this case.
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