Overview of S9 E5: A Bear in the Woods (Someone Knows Something)
This episode — the final planned installment in the Christine Heron case — follows host David Ridgen and Christine’s mother, Marianne Russworm, as they process the legal outcome (Anthony Ringel’s guilty plea and life sentence) and reopen the practical search for Christine’s remains at the Saugeen River site Ringel described. The episode mixes courtroom recap, excerpts from undercover confession footage, Marianne’s emotional aftermath, and a field search using boats, a magnet, metal detector and cadaver dogs. Despite the conviction, Christine’s body has not been located and many questions remain.
Key people and roles
- David Ridgen — Host, investigator, producer of Someone Knows Something
- Marianne (Russworm) — Christine Heron’s mother; central survivor-interviewee and search partner
- Anthony (Edward) Ringel — Man who pleaded guilty to Christine’s second‑degree murder
- Judge C.J. Conlon — Ruled February 2013 admissions admissible
- Stephen Gell — Ringel’s defence lawyer (argued taint)
- Kim Cooper & Pauline Sunman — Cadaver-dog handlers; dogs named Reki and Taz
- Owen (Ridgen’s son) — Assisted with boats and equipment during the river search
What happened (brief timeline & legal outcome)
- 1993 — Christine Heron disappeared after being with Ringel at Hanover, ON.
- 2006 — Earlier pretrial excluded some admissions.
- Feb 2013 — Undercover police showed Ridgen’s CBC documentary to Ringel; he made extended admissions/confessions.
- Pretrial (2014) — Defence argued the documentary tainted the 2013 confession; Crown opposed it.
- Judge Conlon ruled the 2013 admissions admissible: “the CBC film was deliberately used by the police as a ploy… and it worked,” but found no Charter infringement.
- June 2016 — Trial set; Ringel pled guilty to second‑degree murder, was sentenced to life with no parole for 12 years.
- Despite conviction, Christine’s remains have not been found.
Main investigative and emotional threads in the episode
- Marianne’s experience: decades-long grief, persistent guilt, PTSD, and anger about police handling. She says she can’t celebrate holidays and has never had closure because there is no body.
- The undercover footage: Ridgen shows Marianne clips of Ringel watching the CBC documentary and describing what happened; Marianne reacts with anger and pain but also a sense of having to keep going.
- Accountability concerns: Marianne and Ridgen criticize police investigative gaps and errors over the years; records suggest the west side of the Saugeen River peninsula (where Ringel said he took Christine) was not searched promptly in 1993.
- Unresolved needs: Marianne wants answers and, if possible, to hear Ringel’s account in person — but there has been no response from Ringel or his counsel to letters seeking contact.
The field search (what they did and found)
- Location: Peninsula / bend of the Saugeen River in Hanover, Ontario — the spot Ringel described where he pushed Christine into the river and crossed to the west side.
- Team & equipment: Ridgen, his son Owen (boats and a strong magnet on a rope), Marianne, and cadaver-dog handlers Kim and Pauline with dogs Reki and Taz; metal detector.
- Activities:
- Paddled around the bend, dragged a magnet along the river bottom looking for metal (glass frames, bracelet).
- Walked dense undergrowth on the west side; Marianne had never been this far into the woods.
- Dogs searched but conditions (very dense ferns, high vegetation, moisture) limited scent dispersion; handlers decided conditions were not ideal and will return in better season (fall).
- Finds: Older rusted nails and a curved piece of metal that could resemble part of a glasses rim — inconclusive and not verifiable in the episode. Metal detector yielded nothing conclusive.
- Assessment: Terrain and vegetation are dense; floodplain dynamics and decades of time reduce the chance of easily finding remains or associated items. OPP divers in 2005 searched upstream (~400 m from the likely spot), not at the exact area Ringel described.
Legal evidence and contested issues
- Defence argument: The 2013 confession was tainted because Ringel saw previously excluded admissions in Ridgen’s film.
- Crown/Judge ruling: The tainting application was dismissed; the 2013 admissions were admissible. Judge Conlon acknowledged the CBC film had been used as a lure but concluded no Charter rights were infringed in the way the admissions were obtained.
- Ringel’s behaviour in court: He avoided looking at Marianne and did not testify; Marianne read an impact statement and begged him in court to say where he put Christine — he remained silent.
Remaining questions and unresolved points
- Christine’s whereabouts: Her body has not been recovered; exact location remains unknown.
- Extent of original police searches: Records indicate important areas (west side of the river peninsula) may not have been adequately searched in 1993.
- Lack of transparency: Marianne reports limited sharing of investigative details by police over the years.
- No definitive response from Ringel or his lawyer about meeting or answering Marianne’s questions.
Notable quotes
- Judge C.J. Conlon: “I conclude that the February 2013 admissions were not obtained in a manner that infringed or denied Mr Ringel charter rights… the defense tainting application is therefore dismissed.”
- Marianne: “I don’t have a body… she was just thrown away and garbage.”
- Ridgen (refrain through episode): “You gotta keep trying.”
Takeaways
- The conviction gave Marianne partial legal justice but did not deliver the closure she needs; finding Christine’s remains remains the outstanding objective.
- Physical searches decades later are difficult but not futile — timing, vegetation and method (cadaver dogs in better seasonal conditions, targeted archaeological or forensic search teams) materially affect chances.
- The episode highlights the enduring toll on survivors of unresolved homicide cases and the limits of courtroom outcomes when physical closure (a recovered body) is absent.
Where to find more
- Someone Knows Something — Season 9 (this episode S9 E5) on CBC Podcasts.
- Ridgen’s original 2011 TV documentary is available via the CBC Podcasts channel on YouTube (link referenced in show notes).
Trigger note: this episode contains references to sexual assault and murder; listeners should take care.