Family of woman killed by Scots OAP in Canada 10 years ago make new appeal for her body

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The family of a woman who was brutally murdered by a Scots pensioner in Canada have made a plea for help in finding her body on the 10th anniversary of her death. Andrew Watson bludgeoned his former partner Lise Fredette to death with a shovel before putting her corpse in his car and dumping it at an unknown location in November 2014.

The body of the 74-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario, has never been found and Watson refused to reveal her whereabouts. The killer, originally from Glasgow, was found guilty of murder by a jury in April 2017 and was given a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years. He died in prison aged 84 in July 2022.

Miss Fredette's son Stephane Leclerc said the discovery of her remains would help the family finally find closure. He told The Peterborough Examiner: "Not having closure has been an ongoing nightmare and I never wake up from it.

"I don't have that place where I can go and see my mom. Maybe somebody knows something or has a clue. God knows that stranger things have happened. Maybe somebody can still shed some light on it. I am trying not to lose hope."

At Watson's trial, prosecutors told jurors that he was a "jilted and controlling" ex-boyfriend and he had killed Miss Fredette as the "final act of harassing her". He was arrested ten days after the grandmother was last seen leaving her job at Walmart in November 2014.

Her glasses and keys were found next to her car at home and there was blood in her driveway. At the sentencing hearing, Miss Fredette's children appealed directly to Watson to tell them where he had buried their mother but he refused.

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Watson and Miss Fredette met at a dance in Peterborough, where they both lived, in 2011 and dated on and off for a few years before their relationship ended for good in April 2014. Miss Fredette started dating another man a few months later but Watson wouldn't leave her alone and would sit outside her home and bombard her with letters.

Watson emigrated to Canada several years ago and worked as a government office clerk. Following his death, Miss Fredette's children won a £750,000 damages payout from his estate for loss of care, guidance and companionship and for nervous shock and mental stress.

Peterborough Police Sergeant Mike Self, who led the investigation into the murder, said: "We still don't have that one last piece which is extremely important to the family. Until Lise's body is found it's not going to be considered closed. There will always be hope that will happen someday."

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