In the late winter of 1986, Ann Marie Masson was a 27-year-old woman living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She resided at 30 Lemon Walk in the city's Spryfield area. The details of her daily life, her work, her passions, and the private moments that defined her have been largely lost to the passage of time, overshadowed by the violent and public nature of her death. What remains is the story of her final hours and a family's decades-long wait for justice.
On the afternoon of Thursday, March 27, 1986, Ann left her home around 3:00 p.m. She was heading out to visit a friend who lived in a rooming house at 2468 Robie Street. It was a simple, everyday act, but it would be her last. Several hours later, in the early morning darkness of the following day, the Halifax police were dispatched to that same Robie Street address. At approximately 1:55 a.m. on March 28, officers entered Room #6 and discovered a horrific scene.
Ann Marie Masson was found deceased, having been brutally and repeatedly stabbed.
The investigation into the female victim's death began immediately. The Halifax Regional Police, and later the Integrated Major Crime Unit, worked the case, trying to piece together the events that transpired in the hours between Ann’s arrival at her friend's residence and the discovery of her body. In the initial stages of the investigation, police arrested an adult male and charged him with Ann's murder. However, the case against him did not proceed; the charge was dismissed during the preliminary hearing, leaving the investigation wide open once more.
Over the years, the case grew cold, but was never closed. According to a report by an investigative journalist citing the former Halifax newspaper, *The Daily News*, Ann's friend returned home to find her with a dagger in her chest, the weapon horrifically inscribed with the number "666" and the word "Satan." While this chilling detail has persisted in public memory, official police reports have remained focused on the core facts of the stabbing. Ann's murder is sometimes mentioned in the context of several other unsolved killings and disappearances of women in the Halifax area during that era, a string of tragedies that left a lasting scar on the community.
On anniversaries of the homicide, Halifax Regional Police have consistently renewed their appeal for information. In statements made over the decades, investigators have affirmed their belief that there are people who hold crucial information that could finally solve the case. "We hope that the passage of time will encourage someone to come forward with what they know," police stated on the 35th anniversary. "It is never too late, and what might seem like an insignificant detail may help progress the investigation."
As of March 2026, on the 40th anniversary of her death, Ann Marie Masson's murder remains an active and unsolved investigation, now handled by the Special Investigation Section of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division. Investigators still believe that a small piece of information could be the key to breaking the silence that has surrounded this case for four decades.
To encourage witnesses to come forward, the case is part of the Nova Scotia Department of Justice Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program. A cash reward of up to $150,000 is offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Ann's murder. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Rewards Program at 1-888-710-9090 or Halifax Regional Police at 902-490-5020.
