May 20, 2026
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(KINCARDINE, ON) - Lois Hanna vanished in Kincardine on a hot July long weekend almost 40 years ago. As part of the Unsolved video series, the OPP has released a new documentary, Vanished Lois Hanna: Unsolved, with never-before-seen evidence and witness accounts.
Hanna was last seen at approximately 11:45 p.m., Sunday, July 3, 1988, in Lucknow. She said goodbye to her brother, Dave Hanna, at the Homecoming Dance and he watched her walk away. It was an ordinary moment he would replay for decades, never imagining it would be the last time he would ever see her. A missing persons report was filed with the then-operational Kincardine Police the following day after Hanna did not report for work.
A co-worker went to check for her at her home and found an eerie scene when she entered her friend's house. The lights were on, the TV was playing, Hanna's clothes from the night before were put away, her purse and keys were untouched and there was a fresh cup of tea on the kitchen counter by the side door, where two drops of blood were later located on the wall. The house was locked and her car was parked in the driveway. Everything was in its place, but there was no Hanna.
Wednesday, July 6, 1988, the OPP was requested to assist in the investigation. Despite hundreds of interviews and exhaustive searches that covered hundreds of acres by land, water and air, Hanna has not been found.
She was 25 years old when she went missing. She did not lead a high-risk lifestyle. Her brothers fondly describe her as kind, fun to be around, with a wicked sense of humour. As the only girl in the family, she was special to everyone. Her four brothers speak candidly about their decades-long search for answers.
"To have someone gone and to not know how they left, where they are, that's the hard part," says Jim Hanna, one of her brothers. "At this point in time and to give the family some peace, if we could just have Lois back, that would be enough. If we could just go to bed at night and know Lois is with Mom and Dad, that would be enough."
At various points over nearly four decades, the OPP has undertaken investigative activities and public outreach as circumstances warranted. In 1996, six detectives were assigned to re-examine the case, and the following year, it was announced at a press conference that advancements in DNA technology had produced a male profile from two drops of blood.
The video now released by the OPP, features new first-hand accounts from Hanna's four brothers, the co-worker who entered her home after she vanished, one of the initial OPP detectives on the case and a recently-assigned dedicated detective who is reviewing the entire case and has conducted 45 new interviews and two new polygraphs.
"The bathroom window was opened a tiny bit, so I was able to fit through that window and enter her house," says Christine Szekely, Lois Hanna's former co-worker, speaking publicly for the first time. "When my feet hit the tub, I was immediately overcome with a sense of dread. I knew something was wrong."
The video also includes never-before-released evidence. On the night Hanna went missing, a vehicle was seen parked outside of her house at approximately 3 a.m. Notably, the vehicle had round headlights. Since vehicles in the mid-1980s featured square headlights, this suggests the vehicle was likely an older model from the 1970s.
Additionally, that same night, a credible witness heard suspicious voices and activity at the Kincardine harbour.
Police are hopeful that with both the release of this video with new eye-witness reports and further advancements in DNA technology, information will come to light that could help solve this historical case.
"The OPP is committed to investigating the disappearance of Lois Hanna," says detective inspector Phil Hordijk, major case manager for the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). "We have dedicated resources to this case, and with continued advancements in DNA, we remain hopeful that we will learn what happened to Lois Hanna. Thirty-eight years is a long time. We urge anyone with information to please come forward."
The Ontario government is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the location of Lois Hanna.
The South Bruce OPP Crime Unit continues the investigation, under the direction of the OPP CIB. Anyone with information is urged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
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