More than two decades after Katherine Janeiro was found dead from multiple stab wounds in her Dunlop Street West apartment, a local man has been arrested and charged with murder.
Robert Bruce McQueen, 58, of Barrie, was arrested without incident Wednesday morning on Huronia Road.
McQueen made a court appearance by video today and is scheduled for another appearance on Monday.
Janeiro, 20, was the mother of a young daughter when she was killed. She was found dead on Monday, Oct. 10, 1994, in her home at the Dunlop Apartments, located at 258 Dunlop St. W., near Anne Street.
Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon told BarrieToday that Janeiro and McQueen knew each other, but he would not elaborate further on the extent of the relationship.
Wednesday's arrest came following a tip received in 2019 that Leon said "primarily involved McQueen."
Leon also stated that, as with any case like this, there are always other persons of interest detectives look closely at. McQueen had been known to investigators, he added.
Police had been looking closer at the Janeiro case in the past year.
“Interestingly enough, there was not a homicide in the city of Barrie last year,” Leon said. “That fact allowed homicide detectives to focus on some unsolved cases, the Janeiro case being one of them.”
Leon said this is a good example why he doesn’t use the word “cold" when referring to unsolved cases.
“I never use the term because every case is open until an arrest is made,” Leon told BarrieToday. “This is a reminder to everyone that every tip is needed, no matter how small you think it is. It may be the small piece to the puzzle that solves a murder.”
Janeiro’s daughter, Dawn, was just two years old when her mother was killed. Dawn provided a statement through city police following the major development in the case.
“I want to thank those who never gave up hope in looking for my mother’s murderer,” she said. “I wish my grandparents, Dinora and Fernando Janeiro, were alive to see this day. Grief is the most familiar feeling to me. Closure on my mother’s case will help to finally bring me some peace.”
Anyone who may have information regarding this investigation can contact Barrie police at 705-725-7025, ext. 2160.
