Search for killer continues 25 years after Orillia girl murdered

Twenty-five years after 13-year-old Leah Sousa was murdered in her home, the search for her killer continues.

Ontario provincial police have not given up hope on the cold case and held a news conference on Tuesday to ask anyone with information to come forward.

The teenager and her mother Lora were both brutally attacked in their Cumberland Beach home near Orillia back on Sept. 1, 1990. Lora’s son Michael, who was nine months old at the time, was unharmed.

The killer broke into their home through a back door sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m.

Lora Sousa, then 36, was beaten and left for dead, eventually recovering in hospital. Leah was sexually assaulted, taken to the backyard, and bludgeoned with something similar to a crowbar. She died of massive head injuries. A childhood friend discovered the carnage when she came to call on the family the next morning and ran for help.

Police have never recovered the murder weapon, according to the Timmins Press.

In 2008, police offered a $50,000 reward for any information that would lead to an arrest. They also erected a series of billboards asking, “Do you know who killed Leah Sousa?” That was seven years ago and no arrests have been made.

“We are confident that somebody out there does hold the key to solving this crime,” OPP Sgt. Peter Leon said. “And it could be a very, very small piece of information that literally turns the corner.”

Lora Sousa has no memories of the night due to the injuries she sustained, the Orillia Packet reported. Police know, however, she did try to get help that night, but her phone was also destroyed in the attack. Leah Sousa’s friend discovered the carnage when she came to call on the family the next morning and ran for help.

The OPP have a dedicated tipline for this case — anyone with information is asked to call 705-329-7558.