The OPP conducted over 1,800 interviews and followed-up on all tips, but no one has ever been arrested for the murder of Leah Sousa.

Investigators describe Leah’s killing as one of Ontario’s most brutal homicides ever, yet the was very little forensic evidence left behind. They believe that someone still living in Cumberland has information that could help them crack the case.

Following are some official and some completely speculative persons of interest.

Brian Timothy Elson

Brian Elson was interviewed multiple times by investigators after Leah’s murder. Police believe he was in Cumberland Beach on Sept. 1, 1990, and his grandmother lived on Beachfront Dr., down the street from the Sousas, at the time.

A mere four months after Leah’s death, Elson stabbed 17-year-old Sandra Bannister to death at a party. He was convicted of manslaughter and spent six years in prison. He was considered such a threat to society that police monitored his movements for three years after his release.

Larry Talbot (pseudonym)

In his book, “A Viable Suspect:The Story of Multiple Murders and How a Police Force’s Reach Proved Too Short for Canada’s Most Notorious Cold Case”, retired OPP officer Barry Ruhl believes a serial killer he calls Larry Talbot could be responsible for the death of Leah Sousa, as well as many other girls and women in southwestern Ontario.

In 1971, Talbot broke into Ruhl’s Sauble Beach cottage and attacked his fiancée. Luckily, Ruhl interrupted the assault and arrested Talbot at the scene.

Later, he attended a community policing meeting about Leah Sousa’s murder where he learned that the intruder gained entrance to the home by smashing out the back door window. This was also how Talbot broke into Ruhl’s cottage 21 years earlier.

A traveling salesman, Talbot frequented the highways of southwestern Ontario and a “rape kit” was found in his car, but he died before he was thoroughly investigated for any unsolved murders, including:

• Lynne Harper, 12, from Vanastra. Her 1959 murder saw Steven Truscott wrongly convicted.
• Lynda White, 19, went missing from London in 1968. Her remains were found in Norfolk County in 1973.
• Jacqueline English, 15, went missing from London in 1969. Her body was found near Tilsonburg.
• Pauline Ivy Dudley, 17, from Oakville, was killed in 1973. Halton Regional Police informed Ruhl that Talbot was the prime suspect in her case.
• Christine Prince, from Toronto, was killed in 1982. Her body was found floating in Toronto’s Rouge River.
• Delia Adriano, 25, from Oakville, was killed in 1982. Her body was found in rural Oakville west of  Campbellville.
• Valerie Stevens, 19, from Toronto, murdered in 1992. Her body was found in Burford.
• Cindy Hallaway, 17, last seen in Midland, was murdered in 1992. Her body was found near Phelpston.

Possible Drug Vendetta

In her book, “Poetic Justice: The Search for Leah’s Killers”, Leah’s mother Lora reveals that her brother was a drug dealer who was living with them at the time of the murder. She says it is possible that the assault was drug-related and that the killers were actually looking for him.

Michael Wayne Mcgray

A Sept. 23, 2012, a user named Chrisdiane posted the following on unsolvedcanada.ca:

“I was in prison with a serial killer named Mike Wayne Mcgray. He described in great detail to me this murder….maybe because I am an ex-con or there is a 50 thousand dollar reward my credibility is questioned. Noone seems to take me seriously but I am telling you I interviewed the devil. I was a career criminal who thought I was a bad person until I met Wayne. I have never reoffended since my release from prison and I have turned my life around. I truly believe with all my heart this man did this crime which he described in great detail to me. I am ashamed to admitt I befriended him while in prison but sometimes you keep your enemies closer than your friends as the saying goes. I grew up on a small town on Vancouver Island and had no wayof ever knowingabout this crime. I dont care about the reward money allthough I would not refuse it. I have looked into this crime and i think the family deserves closure…..Mcgray told me if he was ever questioned about this crime he would not deny his guilt. Please someone hear this”