The Murder of Ryan Lane
For this case I watched the latest episode of See No Evil. It’s season 7 episode 6, titled ‘Meet Me at Midnight.’
A 24 year old father is killed in Calgary, Alberta.
Background
Ryan Lane
Ryan Lane was a 24 year old, living with his dad Bruce in Calgary, Alberta. Ryan had moved in with his dad after ending his relationship a few years prior. He had dated a woman named Sheena Cuthill, and they had a 4 year old daughter together named Jordan. Ryan didn’t see Jordan much, but he had an upcoming visit with her and was so excited.
Ryan’s friends said he was an amazing father, and would always talk about Jordan and show them the pictures he did have of her. Ryan was also described as an amazing friend, and he never went a few days without talking to someone.
The Disappearance
On February 6, 2012, Ryan met Sheena and Jordan at a Chuck E. Cheese, around 1pm. Ryan also brought presents for Jordan, and it seemed like they all had a good day, even though things weren’t the best between Sheena and Ryan. Sheena had filed for full custody the previous year, and Ryan didn’t consent to it. They stayed at the Chuck E. Cheese for about two hours, and then parted ways.
Ryan posted several photos online from his day with Jordan, and he also talked to his dad, Bruce, and his friends about it. He seemed to be in good spirits.
At 11:47pm, Ryan told his dad that he was going out after receiving a phone call from someone saying they would help him get custody of Jordan. He told his dad he didn’t know who it was, and his dad was suspicious. Ryan told his dad to follow him if he wanted because he was going.
Bruce followed Ryan, but things didn’t go as planned. Bruce called 911 at 12:57am. He told the police that his son had been kidnapped. The Calgary police raced to the Lane home.
A Kidnapping?
The police asked Bruce to go through Ryan’s day with them. Bruce said Ryan had gone to see his daughter, and then got that weird phone call about helping him with custody. Bruce begged Ryan not to go, but Ryan told Bruce he should follow him.
Ryan and Bruce drove to a local restaurant. Ryan got out, and walked over to an older red GMC pickup truck with wood loaded in the back. Bruce said he didn’t recognize the truck or the male that got out of it. Bruce said Ryan got in the passenger side and they left. This was the last time Ryan was seen.
Bruce said a little while passed, and he tried calling Ryan before finally calling 911. Bruce also told the police that Ryan was last seen wearing a black jacket and white baseball cap.
The Investigation
The next morning, the police started their official investigation. They went to the restaurant where the meeting took place to look for surveillance footage. The restaurant didn’t have cameras.
Next, the police obtained Ryan’s cell phone records to see if they could determine who made that phone call to him. The phone number came back to being from a payphone at a nearby gas station. The police went to the gas station, but they had to wait a few days to get access to the surveillance footage because it had to go through a central server.
When they finally received the footage, they realized the cameras didn’t overlook the payphone, but they did have the description of the vehicle that the suspect was driving.
About fifteen minutes before the phone call to Ryan came in, the red pickup is seen driving into the parking lot. However, they weren’t alone. A red Jeep Cherokee is seen also. Both vehicles then leave around midnight, both going in the same direction.
The surveillance from the gas station
The surveillance footage was too blurry to be able to see the drivers, but the police were able to see a few letters on the license plate on the Jeep. They sent in the footage to the lab, to be enhanced. When it came back, the police were able to see the license plate and determined the car was registered to Sheena, Ryan’s ex.
New Suspects Emerge
The police went to speak to Sheena, and recorded the conversation on video. They asked her if she usually drove the Jeep. Sheena said no, her husband Tim did. Sheena said she usually drove a different vehicle, and pointed to one in her driveway.
Next, the police went to talk to Sheena’s husband, Tim Rempel. He worked at a local garage, and they also recorded this conversation. The police asked Tim if he knew Ryan Lane, Tim said no. Tim was then asked where he was on February 6th, Tim said he was at work until about 8:30pm, and then went home to Sheena. Tim was asked if he drove the red Jeep, and he said yes. He also said they could search his car, house, shed, etc, because he had nothing to hide.
The police weren’t sure if Sheena and Tim were telling the truth, but now they needed to find out who drove the GMC truck.
A Family Business?
It didn’t take the police long to learn that Tim’s brother, Will Rempel, drove a red GMC truck. Will was living 30 miles away from Calgary, in his parent’s basement. The GMC truck was actually owned by his dad.
The police arrived to speak to Will, and this conversation was also recorded. The police asked Will if he knew Ryan, he said no. They asked him where he was on February 6th, Will said he had stayed home from work because he was sick. He said he was home the whole day. The police asked him why his truck was on surveillance at a gas station if he was home the whole day. Will said he didn’t know. The police then asked where the truck was at this moment, and Will told them he sold it, and was given $150 for it.
The police were annoyed because they believed if Will was the killer, then the truck was their crime scene.
A search warrant was obtained for Will’s home, and they found a few suspicious items. They found a salvage receipt inside Will’s jacket pocket. It was dated for February 8, 2012, two days after Ryan disappeared. They also found a car wash debit card, so the police drove to the car wash to look for surveillance footage.
Evidence
The car wash did have surveillance, but first the police asked the employee if they could see the content on the debit card. The debit card had been last used on February 7th, the day after Ryan disappeared.
The police were able to see a male deep washing his car. This footage was played on this episode, and it was very interesting. The occupant got out sprayed the passenger side, under the panel on the passenger side, the mirror and the bed of the truck. Then, the occupant opened the passenger and drivers side doors and power washed the inside of the car for what seemed like forever.
A still from the car wash surveillance
The police believed the occupant was Will, but they wanted more proof. The police asked to see the surveillance from inside the car wash. On February 3, a man is seen putting money on the debit card. The man had a limp, and they were able to identify him as Will Rempel.
The police also went to the salvage yard, where the receipt had been from. The salvage yard employee said he remembered Will because it thought it was odd that he wanted a truck that was in such good shape to be scrapped. The employee said the truck was still in tact, so the police seized it and it was taken in for evidence.
Who actually killed Ryan?
The police believed Will had a hand in this, but they still thought that he wasn’t working alone. The police obtained Tim Rempel’s bank records, and they showed that he wasn’t at home at 8:30pm on February 6, but was actually at a gas station.
He purchased gas, and also went inside the gas station, and on the surveillance footage the police obtained Tim was wearing a light colored sweatshirt and a white and black hat. The police compared this surveillance footage to the footage from the gas station where the phone call was made to Ryan, and the police could tell the driver of the Jeep was wearing a multi-colored hat.
The forensic testing came back from Will’s truck, and inside blood was found on the door frame. The DNA came back as being Ryan Lane’s blood. The police suspected that Ryan was dead, but they still didn’t have enough evidence for any arrests.
A month later, they would get more answers. Detective Christina Witt with the Calgary police learned that Tim and Sheena wanted to talk. They met at a local park, and the conversation was secretly recorded. Tim told the police that he wasn’t honest before. He said he made the call to Ryan, had Will pick him up and wanted to just talk about the custody issues. He said Ryan got upset and pushed him, and he punched Ryan in the face. Tim said it knocked Ryan down, but that Ryan was alive when he left. Tim and Sheena both said Will wasn’t “right in the head,” and probably killed Ryan.
The police still weren’t sure, so they obtained phone records from all three of them. Both Ryan and Tim’s phones pinged off cell phone towers leading them to a deserted 11,000 acre area.
A Murderous Plot
The police searched the area for two weeks, until they finally came across several large gravel pits. The cadaver dogs hit on one of the gravel pits, and a charred barrel was found. The police found bones under some of the ashes and gravel, and the pathologist said it was human remains. They also discovered Ryan’s class ring with his name on it.
The police also went over Sheena and Tim’s text messages, and found some shocking ones. This is what the messages said:
“Sheena: Can I trust Will to have this done without the cops turning up on the doorstep? You’re not going to have any part if I decided this.
Tim: I will respect your decision, know that. But believe you’ll only have to say yes ONCE.”
They exchanged these messages the day before Ryan disappeared:
“Sheena: What r u doing?
Tim: Getting things ready. Scoured the best spot at the pit. ”
These messages were sent the day Ryan disappeared and was killed:
“Tim: Give me the okay.
Sheena: Okay”
The police believed Sheena was the puppet master and that Ryan wouldn’t be dead if Sheena hadn’t planned this.
Arrests, Trial and Conviction
In November 2012, Sheena Cuthill, Tim and Will Rempel were all arrested for kidnapping and murder.
Sheena, Tim and Will
When Sheena was brought into the station, she said it wasn’t supposed to happen. She said that Tim and Will were just supposed to talk to Ryan.
In March 2016, their trial began. The prosecution’s theory was that the three of them planned this for quite some time. Sheena decided when they would do it, Will and Tim lured Ryan out. They kidnapped him, killed him and drove him to the remote area where they burned his body. Sheena didn’t want Ryan to have custody of Jordan, and she wanted her new family with Tim, Jordan and their new baby. She needed Ryan out of the way and created the plan.
On April 20, 2016, Sheena, Tim and Will were all found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
All three have appealed their sentences and all appeals were denied.
Ryan’s parents speaking
FINAL THOUGHTS
I feel so bad for Ryan, his family and his daughter. This little girl lost her dad, her mom and her step-dad all in one night. Sheena wasn’t thinking of anyone but herself. How did she think this was a better alternative to just letting the father of her daughter see his child? She ruined so many lives because she’s manipulative and selfish. Will and Tim are to be blamed just as much, but I think Sheena was in fact the puppet master and without her they wouldn’t have done it. BY THE WAY THESE MEN HADN’T EVEN MET RYAN. EVER. Ugh, this makes me so angry and sad for the victim and their family.
Sources
https://globalnews.ca/news/4023185/calgary-ryan-lane-appeal-murder-convictions/
