OPP renew call for help after remains of B.C. woman found in Ontario

Ontario Provincial Police are renewing calls for help in solving a 21-year-old case involving the remains of a British Columbia woman found in the province.

The call for assistance came out Thursday ahead of the anniversary of Aug. 28, 2005, when officers were called to a wooded picnic area on Highway 7 between Rockwood and Guelph for the discovery of human remains.

Those remains, confirmed through genetic genealogy in 2024, belong to Tammy Eileen Penner of Chilliwack, B.C.

Penner, 41 at the time of her disappearance, was reported missing to the RCMP on Feb. 7, 2005. She had been living in Chilliwack and Abbotsford before travelling to Ontario.

“During her journey from British Columbia to Ontario, Tammy attended the Midland Mall in Midland, Ontario, on Thursday, June 30, 2005. On or around Saturday, July 30, 2005, a transport truck driver may have dropped her off at the now closed Husky Truck Stop on Highway 401 and Dixie Road in Mississauga,” the OPP said in a news release Thursday.

“Tammy was seen near a cream- or beige-coloured transport truck shortly after being dropped off. She may have been wearing a beige tank top with black corduroy fabric shorts, carrying a blue sleeping bag.”

Investigators believe she was dragged a short distance into a wooded area approximately a month before her remains were found.

A ‘Woods’ brand sleeping bag was covering Penner, who was wearing clothes purchased in the Montreal area, police said.

Before her death, she had fractures to her left cheekbone, nose and left eye socket that had healed. Penner wore a two-tooth partial denture to replace missing upper teeth.

Investigators have determined her death to be suspicious and are still investigating the cause of death.

“The identification of Tammy with the assistance of investigative genetic genealogy was an important step, but many questions remain unanswered. We’re asking anyone who remembers seeing Tammy to please come forward, no matter how insignificant the information may seem,” Det.-Insp. Randy Gaynor said in a statement.

“Her family has waited many years for answers and our investigative team remains committed to uncovering the truth and providing them with resolution.”