On June 19th, 1990, 22-year-old Elizabeth Bain left her Scarborough, Ontario home for what should have been a 10-minute drive to the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. She told her mother she was going to check the tennis schedules. At 3:45 PM she withdrew $80 from a bank. That is the last confirmed trace of her.
Three days later, her silver Toyota Tercel was found abandoned on Military Trail. In the back seat was a large pool of blood, later confirmed through scientific testing to be hers. Elizabeth herself was not found. There were no witnesses and no explanation.
What followed became one of Canada’s most significant wrongful conviction cases. Police focused on her boyfriend, Robert Baltovich. He cooperated with investigators and helped with searches, and was described by those around him as grieving. Despite the absence of a body, the lack of physical evidence linking him to a murder, and the use of key witness testimony obtained through hypnosis (a method now considered unreliable and inadmissible), he was convicted of second-degree murder in March 1992 and sentenced to life in prison. He served eight years.
In 2004, the Ontario Court of Appeal set aside the conviction, ruling that the trial had been unfair due to legal errors and a biased jury charge. In April 2008, at the retrial, the prosecution called no evidence and Baltovich was found not guilty. The case was officially reclassified as unsolved.
One aspect that has never been fully explained involves Paul Bernardo, known as the Scarborough Rapist and later convicted of multiple murders. Bernardo was active in Scarborough from 1987 to 1990, with attacks continuing up to the month Elizabeth disappeared. The areas where Bernardo operated overlap geographically with where Elizabeth vanished. Investigators did question Bernardo about the case, and a video of that interview exists via the National Post. No charges were ever laid. There has never been direct evidence linking Bernardo to Elizabeth Bain’s disappearance.
However, questions about whether the original investigation adequately explored all possible avenues have been raised by legal advocates, academics, and investigators reviewing the files as recently as 2026.
What is documented and confirmed is that on the afternoon Elizabeth disappeared, a witness reported seeing her sitting at a picnic table on campus with an unknown man between 5:00 and 5:40 PM. The description of this man changed multiple times during the investigation and he was never identified.
Elizabeth Bain’s body has never been found. No one has been charged with her murder. A $15,000 reward remains offered for information.
As of 2026, students at the University of Guelph-Humber have been reviewing the original investigative files using geo-profiling and spatial analysis, identifying questions that were never pursued by the original investigation. Robert Baltovich has stated publicly that he is still haunted by the case and continues to seek answers. Elizabeth’s mother, Julita, has spoken about the pain of having no grave to visit and no place to leave flowers. The Bain family has described their experience as one of double victimization, feeling that amid trials, appeals, and media attention, Elizabeth herself was often forgotten.
She was 22 years old. She left home to check the tennis schedules.
If anyone has followed this case or has additional sourced information, I would genuinely appreciate it in the comments. I have tried to stick to information confirmed by court records, major Canadian news outlets, and legal advocacy organisations. I also put together a full video investigation for those who want to explore the case further.
Happy to discuss any aspect of this case.
Sources: URLs are identifiable within the text provided:
The Toronto Star** ("Bain’s body wouldn’t ID killer"): https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/bains-body-wouldnt-id-killer/article_47f3350f-e9be-57a9-ac83-59204e23f239.html
The Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions (CRWC) / Innocence Canada ("Robert Baltovich"): https://www.innocencecanada.com/exonerations/robert-baltovich/#ftn20
University of Toronto Press** (Publisher for Miscarriages of Justice in Canada): utorontopress.com Manitoba Justice** (Cited in Appendix B): www.gov.mb.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada** (Cited in Appendix C): www.ppsc-sppc.gc.ca
CityNews Toronto / 680 NewsRadio** article ("'Tracking a Killer: The Cold Case Files:' Elizabeth Bain")
Globalnews.ca** article ("Baltovich launches $13 million lawsuit for wrongful conviction")
University of Guelph-Humber** news feature ("Working a cold case: Guelph-Humber Justice Studies students, alumni investigate the Elizabeth Bain case files")
On December 20th, 2009, the very popular beautiful young actress, Brittany Murphy, collapsed in her bathroom. First responders tried to resuscitate her, but she died at the hospital less than two hours later. Her cause of death was pneumonia, with severe anemia and drugs complicating it. However, the only drugs in her system were prescription medications for depression and medications used to treat a severe cold or pneumonia. She was only 32, and said to be in fairly good health otherwise.
If that wasn't odd enough, less than six months later her husband dropped dead in the bedroom of their home (the home she had died in), from the exact same cause- pneumonia with severe anemia.
How can two fairly young and healthy people so closely connected drop dead from pneumonia within 6 months of each other?
There were claims of toxic mold, but this was dismissed by an LA coroner. Some wondered if her mother may have played a part in their deaths. But according to the official report, both her and her husband died of natural causes, and no further causes were ever found.
