Quote · Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder
Ep. 117 | Mysterious Missing Children Cold Cases
Where this was said
One of Toronto's Biggest Ever Searches
At 50:50 · chapter starts 49:50
The response to Nicole's disappearance was immediate and massive. Toronto Police assembled a 20-officer task force, knocked on every unit in the building, and logged more than 15,000 man-hours. The first year of the investigation cost an estimated $1.8 million. Toronto Crime Stoppers — working its first big case — offered a $1,000 reward and filmed a recreation of Nicole's last known steps. The Toronto Star printed thousands of posters, and police distributed thousands of watercolor sketches. A neighbour reported a blonde woman she didn't recognise sitting in the hallway of Nicole's floor with a notebook about 45 minutes before Nicole vanished; police never tracked her down. Decades of follow-up included cadaver dog searches, biometric photo comparisons by a Belgian research group, age-progression images at various ages, and a 2014 search of Springwater Township by 38 officers following a 30-year-old tip. In 2022, the group Please Bring Me Home brought cadaver dogs to a West End Toronto park after a 2020 tip, and the dogs alerted on a specific spot — but no excavation has taken place. One name surfaced repeatedly over the years: Calvin Hoover, already linked to another era disappearance. He was investigated but never charged, and died in 2015 taking whatever he knew with him. [1] — Host "$1.8M first-year search cost for Nicole: The first year of the search for Nicole Morin alone cost an estimated $1.8 million, underscoring i…" 49:20
Nicole Morin's best friend Melissa Elaszczuk became a police officer, served 21 years, and still carries a photo negative of Nicole. On July 30, 2025 — exactly 40 years after Nicole disappeared — Toronto Police announced a $50,000 reward. Detective Sergeant Smith called it one of the highest-profile cases in all of Canada.
Nicole Morin's best friend Melissa Elaszczuk became a police officer and served 21 years, directly inspired by Nicole's disappearance.
On July 30, 2025 — exactly 40 years after Nicole Morin disappeared — Toronto Police announced a $50,000 reward for information on her whereabouts, valid for one year.
