Wayne Greavette

Just before Christmas, the Greavette family was looking toward a bright future. Wayne Greavette, a 42-year-old husband and father, was known as a mechanically gifted man who had spent most of his life in the beverage packaging industry. He and his wife, Diane, whom he had met when they were both 15, had two children, Justin and Danielle. The family had recently moved to a sprawling farm in the quiet hamlet of Moffat, Ontario, in June 1996. There, alongside running their own equipment repair business, they were starting an exciting new venture: developing a spring water bottling company on their property. Wayne was handling the machinery while Diane managed the logistics.

The festive season was shattered by a single, sinister act of violence on December 12, 1996. That cold, rainy afternoon, Wayne’s 21-year-old son Justin retrieved the mail and brought in a parcel addressed to his father. The package, wrapped like a Christmas gift, contained a large Duracell flashlight and a typewritten letter. As Wayne sat on the living room sofa reading the letter, Justin tried to switch on the flashlight, but it wouldn't work. Wayne took it, and when he clicked the switch, the flashlight—which had been hollowed out and packed with a pipe bomb—exploded with horrific force. Wayne was killed instantly in front of his wife and son, who were both fortunate to escape with only minor injuries from the shrapnel that tore through the room.

The investigation, led by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), revealed a meticulously planned murder. The bomb was a sophisticated device, triggered by the flashlight's switch. The package it came in was an emptied cardboard wine container, and it was packed with crumpled flyers. One of these flyers, for a Copeland Lumber store in nearby Milton, suggested the sender might have local ties. The accompanying letter was typed in all caps on a typewriter with a distinctive flaw: a bent arm on the daisy wheel left a vertical slash after every period. The letter proposed a fake business deal from a non-existent company, "Acton Home Products," and was signed with the fake name "William J. French."

To create a veneer of legitimacy, the writer mentioned two of Wayne’s real-life acquaintances by their first names, Leesa Ervin and Giuseppe "Joe" Zottich, who had both worked with him. The letter writer also noted having had trouble finding Wayne, a reference to the family's recent move. Investigators learned that in the fall of 1996, two unidentified men had been seen at the Acton post office on separate occasions asking for Wayne Greavette’s new address. Composite sketches of these men were created and released to the public, but they have never been identified. Forensic analysis of the package found two human hairs stuck under the packing tape, but because they lacked roots, investigators at the time could only generate a partial mitochondrial DNA profile.

Over the years, police have explored numerous potential motives. Theories have ranged from a business rivalry to a personal vendetta. Investigators looked into a falling out Wayne had with a former business partner years before his death, as well as other disputes. In the years following the murder, the Greavette family has been consumed by their search for answers. They participated in a documentary with filmmaker David Ridgen to shed new light on the case and generate tips. Every anniversary of the bombing brings fresh pain for the family.

"We all miss Wayne very much, and continue to fight," his widow Diane has said, appealing for anyone with information to come forward. She holds onto the belief that with time, allegiances change and someone will eventually break their silence.

As of June 2025, the murder of Wayne Greavette remains unsolved. The Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate, and a $50,000 reward is still offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this devastating crime. Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPP or Crime Stoppers.