Gloria Jean Abotossaway -- Missing Since February 14th, 1992 After a Murder at Her Apartment

Missing Person: Gloria Jean Abotossaway

Nickname: Marty

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): On February 14th, 1992, Gloria Abotossaway was last seen by a family member on Shuter Street in Toronto, Ontario.

Last contact: February 14th, 1992 (Friday, Valentine's Day)

DOB: October 7th, 1963

Last location: Toronto, Ontario on Shuter Street

Age when Gloria Jean Abotossaway disappeared: 28

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 62

Weight in pounds (lbs): 130

BMI: Gloria Jean Abotossaway had a BMI of 23.77. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Ethnicity: Aboriginal/Indigenous

Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: Click the tag "missing and murdered aboriginal women" to see all the cases that are profiled at this site

Hair color: Brown and long

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Nothing found

Link to Government Source (Canada's Missing): 2014005078 (right click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Gloria Jean Abotossaway (right click to open)

Featured eBook: Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid

Discover the haunting true story of *Highway of Tears* by Jessica McDiarmid, a powerful exploration of missing and murdered Indigenous women—perfect for readers of this blog interested in unsolved cases! Available now on Amazon: Buy it here.

I do receive a commission from qualifying sales through Amazon's affiliate program. It supports my efforts!

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: February 11th, 2025

At the original time of writing, full research on this case is pending. However, I wanted to get some bullet points onto the website regarding this case. I found some useful information on the Websleuths page for this missing person (her page is hyperlinked above).

The Websleuths page itself hyperlinks back to Canada's Missing, the RCMP's website for Canada's missing people. However, it's not clear where the Websleuths user got the info (web pages change all the time). It did state the following pointers:

• She lived at 90 Shuter Street.
• The MP said she was going to Moss Park with her boyfriend, someone named Lenny.
• They were going to meet someone named Bob Russo.
• Gloria Abotossaway took her birth certificate and a status card with her (a status card is a card that some Indigenous people in Canada have; it is government identification that pertains to The Indian Act); She was a member of the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nations, otherwise known as Sucker Creek First Nations in Little Current, Manitoulin Island.
• The missing person had previous disappearances that were presumptively voluntary and short-term.
• There was a murder in her apartment the night she disappeared. The victim was David Marlatt.
• There was a statement saying that Gloria was not considered to be involved in anything suspicious, despite the murder of someone in her apartment.

Her address at 90 Shuter Street is visible in Google Maps going back to September 2007. You can visit this page to see the building and what it looked like at that time.

It's said she was going to Moss Park, which would be a very short walk from her address. This was known as a rough area in 1992, with drug transactions and dangerous people.

She did go missing on Valentine's Day and the MP was with her boyfriend. This wasn't someone that anyone in her circles knew well as he has not been identified (only as "Lenny").

Can't Look Further Than The Murder in Her Apartment

I think the elephant in the room with this case was that there was a murder in her apartment the night of her disappearance. She clearly wasn't having a standard day.

I think anyone thinking about this case should wonder what it means exactly to go missing on the same day that there is a murder in your apartment of another individual, a murder that the police did not think you committed.

The murdered man was named David Marlatt. I did some research, I think I found the murderer, but I don't want to name him in print. I do feel safe in saying that Gloria Jean Abotossaway kept some dangerous associations.

Did she see too much? More research is necessary on this case.

My inclination is that someone had a motive to disappear her. However, the kind of person who has a murder take place in their apartment is someone more likely to have dangerous associations.

Furthermore, in news sources, it is stated that she has not filed taxes since at least the year 2000. If she filed in that year, then it would mean she survived her disappearance date by several years.

Are we dealing with two dates in this case? One in 1992 and then another around 2000? Tax returns were signed back then, so would that be proof she survived the timeframe after the murder in her apartment?

Yet, her family has not seen her since the night of the murder in 1992. She is missing from them in that sense, but it seems like she has a paper trail extending to the year 2000.

The last thing I want to say at this time is that "Lenny" and "Bob Russo," whoever they are, could have many name variations. Lenny could be all of Leo, Leonard, Leonardo, and perhaps more. Meanwhile, Bob could be Bobby, Robert, Rob, Robbie, Robby, and perhaps more as well. Anyone researching this case should be aware of all the different spellings.

I also wondered if Russo was the spelling of the name or just how it sounded. If it is just the way the name sounded, then it brings "Rousseau" into play.

Juanita Migwans Missing - Ontario Woman Not Seen Since October 4th, 2024

Missing Person: Juanita Migwans

Nickname or Alias: Winnie

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Juanita Migwans was last seen on October 4th, 2024, on Riverside Drive in the First Nation of M'Chigeeng, Ontario. She did not have her cell phone or bank card. Some sources have said she "lost" them, which would imply accidental misplacing. The last banking activity was on September 25th, 2024. Her family and friends are concerned for her well-being as she hasn't been heard from.

Last contact: October 4th, 2024 (Friday)

Last location: M'Chigeeng First Nation, Ontario, on Manitoulin Island

Age when Juanita Migwans disappeared: 30

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 66

Weight in pounds (lbs): 110 lbs, described as thin or slender, and looks petite in her photos. She would be underweight by BMI standards.

Ethnicity: Indigenous. Pale to slightly swarthy appearance in photos.

Hair color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Tattoos (1) Left Foot, A bird carrying a ribbon with text "THIS TOO SHALL PASS" (2) Left Ankle, A heart.

Link to Government Source: 2024054239 (right click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Juanita Migwans (right click to open)

Clothing: Dark-colored pants, light-colored jacket.

MP's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089106086509 and https://www.facebook.com/jjjhgdxc

DOB: December 18th, 1993

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: January 31st, 2025, updates in March 2025

Please note, this is a case with evolving details. As for information accuracy, the only guarantee is that I will try my best, source, and revisit with updates from time-to-time.

Has Juanita Migwans been found?

Juanita Migwans went missing on October 4th, 2024. As of March 24th, 2025, she remains missing.

In recent news at the time of writing, there was a significant reward related to her case. According to a recent CTV News article, "The Ontario Government is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the disappearance of Juanita Migwans as United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin Police Service Commission (UCCM Police) Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) continue their search efforts."

The way the above quotation reads, it sounds as though foul play is suspected. In a more official statement, the police said foul play was not ruled out.

Juanita Migwans went missing from an Indian reserve on Manitoulin Island. This island stands out as the largest island in the world that is in a lake (Lake Huron).

She was last seen on Riverside Drive on the reserve. This is a short segment of roadway. It's not clear what time of day she was last seen or which direction she was heading by the news coverage.

What stands out in this case, is she did not have a phone, bank card, or ID with her when she disappeared. This has some implications. For instance, it would imply that she was not planning on leaving Manitoulin Island. She has not done any banking transactions since September 25th, 2024, which was nine days before her last sighting.

Furthermore, according to news in late March 2025, this individual has uncollected money. This latter point would be ominous based on several other cases involving uncollected money.

There was a previous sighting of her that has been reported in some sources. Some early sources back in November state that she was last seen on October 2nd, 2024 at 10:30am at the intersection of Highway 551 and Oakhill Drive. The latter citing, of October 4th, has been described as a phone call in some sources. I 

There is a social media source that states that she was involved in a court case.

Down and Out in the Canadian Rockies

A BLEAK GLIMPSE INTO RESORT TOWN LIFE FROM A WORKER'S PERSPECTIVE

Get your copy of this engaging ebook now

Available on Amazon for Kindle or as a physical copy

Buy Now (Canada) Buy Now (USA)

Juanita Migwans Case Update: March 19th, 2025 Developments

As of March 19th, 2025, Juanita "Winnie" Migwans remains missing, but her case has gained significant traction. An update from The Manitoulin Expositor (Jacqueline St.Pierre), reveals that a community-driven billboard campaign was launched to keep her disappearance in the spotlight.

The first billboard went up on Highway 17 on March 14th, 2025, costing $3,500, with a $100,000 reward now offered. This doubled the $50,000 noted earlier. This escalation underscores rising urgency six months after she vanished from M’Chigeeng First Nation on October 4th, 2024.

The March 19th update also ties Juanita’s case to the broader Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis. "Missing and murdered aboriginal women" is a tag I use on my blog (which you are looking at right now). You can click the tag if you are interested in other cases involving missing Aboriginal women in Canada.

Credit to St.Pierre and The Manitoulin Expositor for illuminating the billboard effort.

Juanita Migwans Case Update: March 24th, 2025 Developments

As of today, March 24th, 2025, Juanita "Winnie" Migwans remains missing nearly six months after her disappearance on October 4th, 2024. A recent article by Kenneth Armstrong at SooToday.com provides new details on the ongoing efforts to find her. Here’s what’s happening:

• Her family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for three additional billboards—planned for Hwy. 17 between Espanola and Sault Ste. Marie, between Espanola and Sudbury, and Hwy. 69 north of Parry Sound—building on an existing billboard on Manitoulin Island. As of late March 24th, this campaign had raised $5822. Please consider supporting it, noting that even small donations from a lot of people can help them achieve their goals.
• The article from Kenneth Amstrong says that funds from a Robinson-Huron Treaty settlement remain untouched. I will comment on this shortly.
• Despite exhaustive searches by Tribal Police and the OPP, no leads have surfaced, prompting volunteer Peggy Simon to speculate about foul play or sex trafficking.
• Migwans’ case continues to rally her community, who hope the expanded billboard campaign will yield answers.

Credit to Kenneth Armstrong at SooToday.com for this detailed reporting.

Uncollected Money: Often Considered a Major Flag

I have been writing about missing person mysteries for a decade now with research on numerous cases. Uncollected money is often a major flag. In some cases in the past, I know police have considered substantial amounts of uncollected money to strongly suggest that a missing person is deceased.

Migwans' case was serious from the start but that she did not collect her treaty money, as reported in the Armstrong article, is very convincing to me that this is not a voluntary disappearance. I don't think many people are looking at this mystery feeling like she was missing voluntarily but her failure to collect the treaty money should put to bed any notion of a voluntary disappearance.

From what I gathered, the reserve won a settlement and there have been incremental payments made to band members over time. It must be one of these incremental payments that she did not collect.

The "uncollected money" circumstance is one I am trying to build on at my blog. The current posts associated with this theme can be found here.

GoFundMe Campaign Aims to Raise Funds for Awareness

The GoFundMe campaign, titled "Bring Juanita (Winnie) Home - awareness through billboards," organized by Mary-Ann Ashcroft, has raised $5,822 of its $15,000 goal as of the latest update.

This effort underscores the community's determination to keep Juanita's story visible while seeking answers to her disappearance. Furthermore, the diversity of the donors shows that there is a broader concern for her well-being.