She was a registered nurse, having received an Associate of Science in nursing from Walters State and Bachelor of Science from Tusculum College. She can be reached at lisa.mayor@cbc.ca. Interment will be private. She had an impeccable sense of humor. They contain everything from hearsay evidence to concrete facts in the investigation. David Neal officiating. She courageously battled an illness and died in the hospital at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh, PA. Katherine Ann Smith Mahan, age 86, of Talbott, departed to be face to face with the Lord at Signature Lifestyles assisted living on Wednesday, December 30, 2020. In a previously filed legal document, Justin Safayeni, a lawyer for the Toronto-based firm Stockwoods, who is representing The Walrus/CBC, argued that unsealing the information poses no serious risk to the Laans or their uncle and that the threat of vigilante justice is entirely speculative and without foundation., In fact, Safayeni writes, numerous media reports have linked the Laans to Ms. Lawrences disappearance over the past 20 years and no charges have been laid, yet there is no evidence that the Laans (or Mr. Allen) have faced any kind of threats or violence. The possibility that that would happen now is entirely speculative.. One resident told police he noticed that he wasn't receiving any of his cheques in the mail as he normally did, and that he didn't remember signing any documents allowing the Laans access to his money. Surviving are her daughters: Delores Burdette (Johnny) of Anderson and Christina Cookie Smith (Tony) of Belton; five grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren. Two years ago, Katie took a position with Disabilities Options Network, in Greensburg, PA. Her sister, Jane Benedict, and, her nephew, Michael Benedict. In 1998, the OPP began investigating the conditions of care homes being run by a local family in Muskoka. The forms, he said, were to give theLaanspermission to change residents' bank accounts and to have theirchequesdeposited directly. Katie later shifted her professional focus to non-profit work. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. She said this was all "fake news.". A private investigator hired by the CBC in 2017 was unable to locate Kathrine, now fifty-four. "She had stated that she did not trust them and to call the police if anything ever happened to her," the police documents from an interview with a friend say. While investigating the disappearances, police also began looking into the conditions of the homes. Funeral Services will be 2:00PM Sunday, December 5, 2021 at Piney Grove Chapel Baptist Church, Angier. When Hurley inquired with the Canada Pension Plan about his father's survivor benefits paid to the next of kin to assist with the costs of a funeral, he was told that the payout had been made to "the other applicant.". In mid-December 1998, police found the bodies of six of Lawrence's cats with bullets in them during a search of the property where Lawrence was last seen. She would light up any room she entered. "I was taken back by the condition of the place and the conditions that they had to live in," he said. She graduated cum laude from Seton Hill University in 2012 with a BA in Psychology and with Elementary and Special Education Certificates. Within the next five years after the documents were written, members of theLaanfamily were charged and convicted of stealing and defrauding pension and old age security cheques from some of the residents who lived at their properties, including three of the four who disappeared. Last month, Fifth Estate journalists and I interacted with Kathrine outside a movie theatre in Bracebridge. Siblings Kathrine, Walter, Paul and David Laan had purchased residential homes in the area and operated them as what they described as "Christian retirement homes," with names like Cedar Pines and Fernglen Manor. July 14, 1937 - February 17, 2023. Now, after a successful court battle by the CBC and The Walrus, the sealing orders on the remaining documents have been lifted. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Funeral arrangement under the care ofBaker-Hazel & Snider Funeral Home. A spokeswoman with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario, Margot White, confirmed in an email that no one by the name of Katherine Smith or Kathrine Smith is registered as a member of the college. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. The unredacted documents reveal new details, including that the Laans were systematically defrauding residents by stealing the seniors pension and benefit cheques, allegedly giving alcohol to alcoholics, and abandoning seniors on rural properties 230 kilometres north of Toronto. In November 1998, before Lawrence could file her report with the OPP, she went missing. "My dogs have a better place to stay, like a neater, cleaner place to stay than wherethose people were," says local contractor Geoff Vander Kloet. Katherine Smith in Wanaque, NJ We found 100+ records for Katherine Smith in Wanaque, NJ. Grand Rapids, MI WILLIAM VAN LAAN OBITUARY VAN LAAN, WILLIAM William C. Van Laan, age 88, of Kentwood, began his eternal life in heaven on Friday, September 21, 2012, after battling cancer. Their disappearances were initially treated as missing persons investigations, but are now considered by police to be homicides. A Graveside Service will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 12:00 p. . The Trust Project is a collaboration among news organizations around the world. She traveled the world playing bocce, Zablotney said. The documents show Lawrence told friends she was afraid of the Laans. But I will say that I had significant concerns regarding the care of these individuals. Katherine Diane Smith May 11, 1958 - July 11, 2022 Share Obituary: Obituary & Events Tribute Wall 4 Share a memory Plant a tree Obituary Please share a memory of Katherine to include in a keepsake book for family and friends. Early in 2017,The Fifth Estateand The Walrus magazine began the process in Ontario Court of Justice to obtain police documents related to the case. Open visitation at 12:30 pm. it's to make a difference. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. He said later that he couldn't recall where he shot them or where they are now, but knew whenhe killed them. The Fifth Estate showed Hurley the court documents, which show the date on the charging documents against the Laan family is just days after he received that letter. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. Write your message of sympathy today. In July 2007, Katie became a quadriplegic after suffering a spinal cord injury in a car accident. Wheelchair Pennsylvania in 2013, was an amazing person who worked with youth who had disabilities, giving them hope that they can do what they wanted to do with their life, said her friend, Josie Badger of New Castle, who was Ms. Smiling, she waved at the camera and then drove off. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Another point of contention between lawyers is the extent to which the police investigation remains open. Hurley said reflecting back now, he thinks the only reason his father lived as long as he did is because, unlike in many other cases, his father had family to watch out for him. February 18, 2023 Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. However, a source with knowledge of the case claims it hasnt been active for years. Hurley said police called him two years after his father died around 1998, when their investigation began but didn't offer him any new information. Born April 11, 1931, in Anderson, she was the daughter of the late Bennie and Helen Buzzele Fields. According to court records, the oldest brother, David Laan, has been convicted for breaking and entering and theft. Soon after her college graduation, she began a career in education that included positions as a private tutor and as a substitute teacher working in various school districts in the area. The care homes were described in promotional material as "Christian Retirement Homes," with names like Cedar Pines and Fern Glen Manor. panloloko sa kapwa In 1996, his father fell ill and was moved to hospital in Huntsville. The importance of saying "I love you" during COVID-19, Effective ways of dealing with the grieving process, Solutions to show your sympathy safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. There she worked with vulnerable members of her community on issues like access to affordable housing and healthcare benefits and had recently been promoted to a supervisory role at DON. The Fifth Estate spent months tracking down Kathrine Laan, in the end finding multiple names she'd used over the past several years and around a dozen addresses and phone numbers for her across the United States and Canada. The case quickly turned into a homicide investigation, and eventually, police discovered the names of three more seniors who had gone missing from a different retirement home owned by the Laans. But we didn't do any digging beyond that.". They also confirm, for the first time, that police believed at least one of the missing seniors was killed and that a member of the Laan family was responsible. She was born December 30, 1986 in Enid, Oklahoma, the daughter of Todd and Terry (Washtak) Smith. She did not view needing a wheelchair to give her mobility as a disadvantage because it gave her so many opportunities, Badger said. You can read the feature Cottage Country Murder here. In his affidavit, Matthews points to other cases in which advancements in technology and suspects who let their guard down have led to convictions, suggesting that he hopes the same will be true with this case. Katie Smith of Stahlstown did not let a car accident that left her paralyzed stop her from living life the way she wanted, from continuing to play sports here and abroad to being a positive impact in peoples lives, according to her friends. Hurley received a letter from Kathrine Laan shortly after his father died, saying that his father had become like family to them and that they loved him. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her brother, Timothy O. Smith. It's just a matter of time. Katherine was a homemaker who meticulously tended to her property . 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