Jane Bernard was a 43-year-old Indigenous wife and mother from Gull Bay First Nation, a community on the western shore of Lake Nipigon in Ontario. Her daughters remembered her as a traditional woman who was at home in the bush. Her violent death in 1966 left a void in her family that has echoed through generations, a profound and painful loss that remains unresolved more than half a century later. The trauma of her unsolved murder eventually inspired her great-granddaughter, Tamara Bernard, to become a dedicated researcher, university instructor, and activist, focusing her work on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada.
In the late summer of 1966, Jane and 18-year-old Doreen Hardy, from Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation, had traveled to the nearby city of Port Arthur, now known as Thunder Bay. In the early morning hours of Saturday, August 27, the two women needed a ride back to their home community of Gull Bay.
Near the New Main Café on Cumberland Street, they accepted a lift from a man driving a dark-colored sedan, believed to be a 1959 to 1963 model Pontiac or Oldsmobile. It was the last time anyone saw them alive.
Witnesses provided police with a description of the driver, the only lead in what would become a decades-long mystery. He was a white male, estimated to be between 20 and 24 years old, with a stocky build and standing approximately five feet, eight inches tall. He had light brown hair and wore glasses. This unknown man drove the two women away into the darkness, and toward their deaths.
The next day, the body of Doreen Hardy was discovered in the rural area of McGregor Township, now part of the Municipality of Shuniah, near a spot known as Sandy Beach. The grim discovery prompted a wider search of the remote, wooded landscape. Several days later, authorities found Jane Bernard’s body. She was located just 260 yards from where Doreen had been found. The post-mortem examinations confirmed the horrific nature of the crime: both women had been strangled to death.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) immediately launched a double homicide investigation. In that era, forensic science was limited compared to modern standards, and with little physical evidence and only a vague description of the suspect and his vehicle, the case quickly stalled. Investigators revisited the file in 1976, taking another serious look at the evidence and circumstances, but the renewed effort failed to produce any significant leads. For years, the case grew colder, and the murders of Jane and Doreen became another heartbreaking, unresolved story of violence against Indigenous women.
Decades passed, but the families never forgot. The enduring pain and lack of answers fueled a desire for justice. In 2010, the OPP made a renewed public appeal, hoping to shake loose old memories and secrets. They launched a billboard and bus advertising campaign in the Thunder Bay area to raise awareness about the cold case. At the same time, they announced a significant financial incentive for anyone who could help them solve the crime.
As of February 2025, the murders of Jane Bernard and Doreen Hardy remain an open and active investigation. The case stands as a stark reminder of the long history of violence that predates the period often focused on by MMIWG researchers. Jane's great-granddaughter has noted that while much attention is given to cases from 1980 onward, her family's story from 1966 highlights how deep the roots of this crisis truly are. The Ontario Provincial Police continues to seek the public's help and offers a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. Anyone with information is urged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
