Alicia Ross

Alicia Ross (February 8, 1980 – August 17, 2005) was a young woman from Markham, Ontario, Canada whose disappearance in August 2005 and the resulting investigation became the subject of international media coverage. After the initial widespread suspicion of Ross' boyfriend, her next-door neighbour turned himself in to authorities and was sentenced to life in prison for second degree murder.

On the morning of August 17, 2005, Alicia Ross, a Hewlett Packard employee, mysteriously disappeared. Her boyfriend, Sean Hine, went to her house after she failed to answer a call on her cell phone for the second time (he had reportedly tried to contact her just after midnight, and again at around 10:00 AM on the 17th). Nobody answered the door, even though Ross' car was still in the driveway. Hine reported her disappearance to the police. He then contacted the family, and Ross' parents rushed home. Ross' mother, Sharon Fortis, later wrote:

Sean called 911 to report Alicia missing. He'd tried to reach her the night before when he got home — no response from her cell phone. No response again in the morning. She hadn't shown up for work. He then contacted my husband and I, and we rushed home to find the street covered with York Region Police cars, and the house filled with police officers — all looking for Alicia. In Alicia's room were her cell phone, her purse, her cigarettes, her keys. Her bed had not been slept in. Her laundry lay folded, ready to be put away. Her ring was by the bathroom sink — she'd washed for bed. Her car was in the driveway — she'd never gone to work. The backyard was strewn with Alicia's shoes, a glass, a cigarette, and the back yard gate had been left open. A sickness fell over us.

The fact that none of Ross' important belongings were missing led police to suspect that something may have happened to her, although they did not immediately deem the case "foul play". Initially, her current boyfriend and ex-boyfriend were questioned, although neither were reported to be suspects in the case. Hine had last seen Ross at 12:00 midnight the night before, and her family last saw her at 11:00 PM on August 16.

By August 19, a police crew and 60 volunteers had been scouring nearby ravines around Ross' Markham, Ontario home. By August 20, nearly 400 volunteers and over 60 police officers were participating in the search for Ross. Police had to turn down volunteers and requested only 100 volunteers per day to help them in their efforts. The search continued for several days, and was reported on the American TV show America's Most Wanted.

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