Jaimee Lee Miller was living a high risk lifestyle in downtown Barrie when she vanished in October 2015, according to the homicide officer leading the investigation into Miller's murder.
OPP Case Manager Det. Insp. Jim Gorry says the 30-year old Miller was in a "vulnerable situation" when she went missing.
"She was living a high risk lifestyle, working on the streets of downtown Barrie," said Gorry. "She hung out with people she knew from the street and stayed at different houses. She didn't really have an address."
The mother of three young children was reported missing to Barrie Police by her worried family on Nov. 2, 2015.
Her parents and other relatives hadn't heard from Jaimee for several weeks which was out of character for her.
Gorry says police have traced Miller's last known sighting to October 12, 2015 which was Thanksgiving Monday.
"That's the time frame were looking at and other pieces of evidence point to the same thing," said Gorry.
Miller's body was found by someone walking a dog on March 16 in the Simcoe County Forest off Gill Road north of Barrie in Springwater Township.
An autopsy determined she was the victim of foul play but the cause of her death has not been released.
Gorry says he also can't reveal how long Miller's remains were in the woods, citing evidence.
There have been no arrests and the veteran homicide officer says he can't discuss whether police have any persons of interest or suspects or if police believe Jaimee may have known her killer.
"I can't say either way whether it's a stranger or not," Gorry said.
Police are still interviewing Miller's friends and associates from the streets but Gorry says many are reluctant to talk to detectives.
Those are the people he needs to hear from.
"Downtown Barrie is where we're focussing a lot of the investigation however it does lead us to other areas as well. These people are transient in nature. They're not necessarily from Barrie. They come to Barrie to work the streets."
Jaimee was living in Barrie only a short time through the spring and summer months of 2015 after moving from Angus.
Her endearing personality so loved and missed by her heartbroken family made a big impression during her brief time on the streets.
"All the people we talked to said she's a very well-liked person " said Gorry. "Everybody speaks well of her which is nice to hear because it means she wasn't somebody that had very many enemies at all that we can see."
Which only adds to the horrible mystery of who killed her and why.
"That type of lifestyle does put you in a vulnerable situation," said Gorry. "It's sad she ended up this way."
There is still a full investigative team from Barrie Police and the OPP on the case and Gorry says they're using all resources available.
"If anybody has anything on it we'd love to hear from them," said Gorry, who says they are receiving tips but always need more information to advance the case.
Anyone who can help is urged to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, Barrie Police at 705-725-7025 ext. 2160 or leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
