The Guardians

Announcement Clears Foster Father of Suspicion in Case

of Grimshaw Girl's Rape and Murder

By David Huggins

Grimshaw—At first, the murder of a young girl in this agricultural community was received by local residents with understandable shock. However, since parts of a coroner's report were released to the public showing Elizabeth Worth, 16, was sexualy assaulted a short period prior to her death, this smal, southwestern Ontario town has been gripped by rampant speculation as wel as grief and fear.

Though community members have provided a 'handful' of tips, police stil have no substantive evidence or suspects in the case.

For some, suspicion was primarily directed at the girl's foster parents, and particularly her male guardian, Paul Schantz, 47. Yesterday, however, police officialy cleared Mr. Schantz from any foul play when they announced that he was out of province visiting an il family member over the time of the girl's rape and murder.

'We are aware that cases of this kind bring hardship upon those living close to the events,' Grimshaw Police Superintendent Robert James stated at a news conference. 'One form of such hardship is the way people can muse about possible guilty parties. I am here today to tel you that Mr. Paul Schantz is not under investigation in this case.'

Superintendent James's announcement was made in apparent response to harassing phone cals and anonymous letters the Schantzes have received folowing the release of the coroner's report.

The investigation has now turned to 'other avenues,' police said in response to questions from this newspaper.

Another newspaper clipping, from the Province-Wide News section of The Toronto Telegram.

SMALL TOWN REELING FROM TWO FOSTER

HOME LOSSES

First a Murder and Now Apparent Runaway

from 'Refuge for Lost Souls'

Grimshaw—A search is under way for Roy DeLisle, a 16-year-old foster child who went missing from his home in this sleepy community 150 miles west of Toronto. Mr. DeLisle's disappearance has left many residents of Grimshaw puzzled after the murder just last week of Elizabeth Worth, another child under the guardianship of Paul and May Schantz, the owners of the home where Worth and DeLisle lived.

While police are officialy treating Mr. DeLisle's file as a missing persons case, two sources within the force told the Telegram that they are 'exploring connections'

between the young man's absence and the coroner's findings that Miss Worth was sexualy assaulted shortly before her death.

'I would say that Roy DeLisle could rightly be considered a suspect at this point, yes,' the police source said. 'We'd certainly like to talk to him.'

Though just a teenager, Mr. DeLisle has already compiled a disturbing criminal record and history of violence. The Telegram has obtained court documents showing that, during three of his previous foster home stints, Mr. DeLisle was twice charged with assault (both times the complainants being women), along with one charge of public indecency.

Local police as wel as the O.P.P. are involved in the search, but their efforts have so far been frustrated by little information on the boy, whose parents died shortly after his birth, and who otherwise has no known family Further, no photographs of Mr. DeLisle have yet been made available to investigators. 'It's like he was never here,' commented one provincial police detective.

Finaly, another story in The Grimshaw Beacon, this one published on March 12, 1950, four months after Elizabeth Worth's death.

POLICE STILL FRUSTRATED IN SEARCH

FOR GRIMSHAW TEEN

Roy DeLisle Missing Since November

'Sometimes runaways just don't come back,'

says frustrated Police Chief

By Louis Weir

Beacon Staff Reporter

Grimshaw Police and Ontario Provincial Police conducting a coordinated search for a missing Grimshaw boy who is considered the prime suspect in the murder of his former foster sister, Elizabeth Worth, have announced they are scaling back the resources being applied to their search. Roy DeLisle, who would have recently turned 17, has been missing since Friday, November 18, of last year, when he apparently left home for school in the morning but never arrived.

'We've done everything we can for now,' said Donald Poole, Chief of Grimshaw Police and overseer of the search efforts. 'Roy is out there somewhere, and we are hopeful that a member of the public wil alert us to his whereabouts. We wil find him, but it likely won't be in Grimshaw or the Perth County area or Ontario.

Sometimes runaways just don't come back to where they ran from.'

Paul Schantz, the foster parent who was acting as guardian of Mr. DeLisle for the four months prior to his disappearance, has previously aluded to the boy's

'restless ways,' and in an interview with the Beacon, speculated that Roy may have had a 'wandering spirit.'