OPP continue to investigate the nearly two-decade-old murder of Rachel Russell.
On November 12, 2007 at approximately 1:45 p.m., police received a report of a deceased female located on a path along the train tracks east of Ontario Street in Cobourg. This path was commonly travelled by the public heading between Ontario and Division streets.
The postmortem identified the deceased as 28-year-old Rachel Russell of the Town of Cobourg and determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma. Police believe that Rachel was murdered in late October and her body remained undiscovered until November. She was last seen on October 25, 2007.
On May 5, 2026, OPP released a video outlining the case, which featured Rachel’s sisters and the investigator.
Rachel’s case is included in the newly released Missing and Unsolved Murdered Indigenous People (MUMIP) Report. The MUMIP Report is now available in French and English at opp.ca/mumip, with Indigenous languages to follow.
The Government of Ontario is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Rachel’s murder.
The investigation remains ongoing by the Northumberland OPP Crime Unit, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). Assistance was provided by the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
Anyone with information in relation to this investigation is asked to contact Northumberland 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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“We’re grateful to everyone who’s been working hard to bring light to Rachel’s case. While our family continues to heal, we’re sure the Northumberland community has valuable information that could bring us closure. We hope Rachel’s story can bring meaningful change to the systemic harms posed to Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.”
– Russell family
“Most of us have experienced loss in some way, but Rachel’s family lost their loved one to a very violent act. A tip doesn’t have to be earth-shattering or something you think will solve the case on its own. You could have an important piece of the puzzle. Please come forward and help us find answers for Rachel’s family.”
– OPP Detective Inspector Brian McDermott, CIB
