Nola Belisle, a 37-year-old woman from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was taking part in a charity walk from Moose Jaw to Regina on May 18, 1995. The walk was organized to raise money for Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 59 so the branch could purchase a van for people with disabilities. Belisle had worked as a hostess at the Legion for roughly 20 years and had helped spearhead the fundraiser.
She persuaded her friend Laurie Acott to make the long walk with her, and the two had spent considerable time training together before setting out.
At about 5 p.m., Belisle and Acott were approximately three kilometres east of Pense on the Trans-Canada Highway. Pense had been chosen as the place where they planned to stop for the night. As they walked along the highway, a passing truck came dangerously close. Its side-view mirror struck Belisle with enough force to throw her from the roadway and into the ditch. Acott did not actually see the moment of impact, but immediately ran toward the motor home that was accompanying the walkers as an escort to get help.
Another motorist contacted police. According to accounts of the incident, the truck involved in the collision subsequently pulled in front of the escort motor home and briefly stopped. Instead of remaining at the scene, however, the driver accelerated away along the Trans-Canada Highway. Belisle remained gravely injured in the ditch while assistance was summoned. She was transported to the Plains Health Centre in Regina, where she died from the injuries she had suffered in the collision.
The RCMP immediately began trying to identify both the vehicle and the people who had been inside it. Within days, investigators were publicly seeking suspects, and police used artwork or composite material in an effort to generate information about those being sought. Investigators also appealed for help locating the truck. Several weeks later, the RCMP sought the use of a Ford truck for a reconstruction of the fatal hit-and-run, part of an effort to better understand and recreate what had happened on the highway.
A substantial reward was offered as investigators searched for information. By May 31, 1995, the reward connected with finding the pickup driver had grown to $6,000, with organizations including the Fraternal Order of Eagles contributing to the effort. Despite the publicity, reward money and investigative appeals, authorities were unable to establish the identity of the driver. Later accounts indicated that investigators also believed there had been several other people in the vehicle, meaning there were potential witnesses who may have known who had been driving and what occurred that evening.
The case remained active for years. In a report marking the twelfth anniversary of Belisle's death, Regina RCMP said investigators were still receiving approximately four or five tips each year. A spokesman for the RCMP historical case unit said police continued to regard the case as solvable and believed the necessary information could still come from someone willing to speak about what happened. Belisle's friend, family and longtime partner continued to publicly express the hope that the person responsible, or someone who knew that person's identity, would finally come forward.
Crime Stoppers continued drawing attention to the case years later. A representative of the Moose Jaw organization said there were believed to have been three or four people in the truck and appealed to those occupants to provide information. The vehicle itself, its driver and its passengers had never been conclusively located in connection with the case.
No arrest, criminal charge, trial or conviction has been publicly reported in connection with Belisle's death. The driver who struck her and fled the scene has never been publicly identified, leaving the fatal hit-and-run unresolved despite the RCMP investigation, suspect appeals, reconstruction efforts, rewards and years of tips from the public.
