On a quiet Thanksgiving night in 2008, 18-year-old Lucas Shortreed was walking home along a rural road near Alma, Ontario. A white Dodge Neon struck him — and the driver disappeared.

For fourteen years, the case haunted the community until a single tip led police to a hidden trailer, a false wall, and a shocking confession. Now, Lucas’s family has filed a $1-million civil lawsuit against the couple convicted in his death — seeking accountability after years of silence.

Episode Resources

• Episode Resources
  1. Toronto Star – Forsaken: 14 Years, 140 Officers and a Dark Secret that Consumed a Small Ontario Town
  2. Wellington Advertiser – Lucas a “Gentle Giant” (Letter to the Editor by Judie Moore, Oct. 5, 2023)
  3. CBC News – Car That Killed Lucas Shortreed Was Found Behind Fake Wall: OPP
  4. EloraFergusToday.com – Couple Accused in Lucas Shortreed Death Appear in Court
  5. Guelph Mercury Tribune – Police Continue to Look for Driver Behind Hit and Run that Killed Fergus Teen a Decade Ago (Oct. 11, 2018)
  6. CBC News – Family of Fergus Teen Killed in 2008 Hit-and-Run Files $1M Lawsuit Against Convicted Couple (2023)
  7. Wellington Advertiser Archives – Letters and Community Reflections on the Lucas Shortreed Case
  8. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) – Press statements and official case summaries, Wellington County Detachment (2022–2023)
  9. Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS) – Technical findings credited to analyst Gerri Lynn Vardy (as cited in Toronto Star)
  10. Court Proceedings (Guelph, Sept. 26, 2023) – Statements of fact and sentencing remarks by Justice Matthew Stanley

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