Murder Most Likely – Where Is Holly Anne Painter?

Holly was last seen on June 26, 1995.

Holly Anne Painter
Missing Since: June 26, 1995
Missing From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Case reference: 2014004419
Date of Birth: February 2, 1977
Age at Disappearance: 18 years
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Indigenous
Eye Color: Brown
Hair: Dark brown, long, wavy/curly
Teeth: Excellent. Braces removed just prior to disappearance.
Height: 167cm / 5ft 6in
Weight: 54kg / 119lb
Physical Build: Slender/Thin
Complexion: Dark/Olive
Notable: Holly needs to wear glasses for distance. Holly wore three gold hoop earrings in each ear. Fractured left leg 8 years prior to disappearance; Medical Information: Asthma; Fingerprints available. Dentals are available.
A Little Bit About Holly’s Case:
Holly was last seen in the area of Dawes Road and Donora Road in Toronto at approximately 7:oopm on the evening of June 26, 1995.

She allegedly ran from a friend’s dark green or brown Ford Bronco when they were stopped at a red light at Warden and Kingston Road.

Holly was boarding in a corner house on Dawes Road north of Danforth Avenue in East York. She was adopted at approximately three years of age by the Linda & Frank Painters’, a couple from Scarborough (Toronto, Ontario) who served as foster parents on and off since Holly was an infant.

By June 1995, Holly had be living on her own for approximately a year and was in Grade 10. She was hired as a summer worker at Save the Rouge Valley System, a local environmental group after completing her six-month co-op course there.

The week she disappeared, Holly was about to start a rock-climbing course. On June 26, she phoned her mother, Linda Painter at 7:00pm, asking her for a ride to the SRVS office on McCowan Road to pick up her bank card. Holly was anxious to retrieve the card so she could buy climbing shoes that evening. Holly then said she no longer needed a lift.

Authorities say that they believe Holly was driven to the SRVS office by a male friend, Steven Warner. They then returned to her home with a female friend, Susan Livingston. Warner later told police that there was an alleged argument in the basement and Holly struck Livingston. Warner then alleged that they were on the way to Holly’s parents’ house near Midland and St. Clair avenues, when the Bronco stopped at a red light and Holly jumped out of the vehicle and disappeared.

There was a note put on the Painters’ front door a couple of nights later. “It was something like, ‘I’ve had enough. Don’t try to find me,'” Frank Painter recalled, but added the writing was shaky and she doesn’t believe it was her daughter’s.

Holly was not actually reported missing until a few of weeks later.

Holly’s bank card was used in Cheektowaga, NY shortly after she disappeared. Warner, who still remains a person of interest, later admitted to authorities that he was the one who had used the card in New York State.

Foul play is suspected.

The authorities have reported in 2022 that they are treating Holly’s case as a homicide and have been doing so since at least 2000. They also say that they believe there is at least one person in the community who has information regarding Holly’s disappearance who is refusing to cooperate with the authorities.

If you have information on Holly’s case, please contact any of the following:
Toronto Police Service:
Telephone: 416-808-7400
Email: homicide@torontopolice.on.ca
Reference Case#: 95M.004820.D54

Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477)
Online at: https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/tips
Crime Stoppers provides anonymous tipping

Send email to the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains at:  canadasmissing-disparuscanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Sources:
Justice for Native People
The Doe Network
Canada’s Missing
Toronto Police Service
Porchlight