Steve Kardian and I talked about Denise Vernier as her body was recently found after she went missing in September from Ontario, Canada. Steve Kardian has over 30 years experience as a career law enforcement officer, detective, sergeant and chief criminal investigator. Steve shares his thoughts with us:

From a law enforcement perspective, I find it extremely out of the ordinary under the circumstances that the authorities have publicly stated that they do not believe that foul play was involved in the death of Denise Vernier.  Denise was found in an area obviously not very accessible to the public, the time period she’s been missing is lengthy, the couple was separated according to her brother, and her husband may have been the last person to see her alive.

 The possibility exists that the remains were found in such a way that it may appear to have been an accident, however, the autopsy will likely yield the cause of death (accidental, intentional, natural causes or inconclusive). Dental records are the fastest way to determine a person’s identity and I suspect that her body was in a fairly advanced state of decomposition due to the the fall weather, plus wildlife may have got to her. It’s always easier from a LE prospective to go from a suspicious death investigation to non-suspicious rather then the other way around. A lot of evidence can be lost in the process.