Saskatoon man leads police to Karina Wolfe's body, faces murder charges

Five years after she disappeared, Saskatoon police were led to the remains of missing woman Karina Wolfe earlier this month after a Saskatoon man walked into their station and told them where they could find her body.

On Monday, the Saskatoon Police Service held a news conference detailing last month’s investigation that led them to the human remains of Wolfe just outside the northwest corner of Saskatoon.
 
Detective Sgt. Tyson Lavallee said 33-year-old Jerry Franklin Constant came forward on Nov. 10 and provided a story of what happened to Wolfe. He then pointed officers to the location where he allegedly left Wolfe’s body back on July 2, 2010.
 
Police believe she was left in that area for the full five years she was missing. At this point, police have not said how she died.
 
Constant is charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a body in connection with Wolfe’s disappearance and death. A packed courtroom watched as he appeared on a video screen at Saskatoon Provincial Court on Monday morning.

“Today the Crown asked for an assessment to be conducted in relation to him to determine whether or not he’s going to be fit to stand trial,” Crown prosecutor Matthew Miazga said outside court.

During the court appearance, Miazga said Constant indicated he was hearing voices when he gave his statement to police and was later admitted to the Dubé Centre for Mental Health. The judge ordered a psychiatric assessment and Constant will be back in court on Dec. 8.

Police do not believe Constant and Wolfe were in any kind of relationship prior to Wolfe’s disappearance.

Court documents show Constant was a convicted sex offender. In 2001, he was sentenced to two years in jail for sexual assault. A criminal record, including assaults and breaches, followed in 2006 and 2007.

He was then accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2011, a year after Wolfe went missing. Constant said he had consensual sex with the complainant, who the defence argued was a prostitute, six hours before the alleged sexual assault. He was found not guilty after a trial earlier this year.

In 2012, Constant was arrested for failing to comply with the National Sex Offender Registry when he did not report a change in his address.

A mother remembers her daughter

Wolfe’s mother Carol spoke through an interpreter at the police headquarters saying her daughter was stolen from her and her life cut way too short.

“The last memory I have is Karina saying, ‘I love you mom and I will be home later.’ Karina never got to come home,” Carol said. “Karina was taken from our family too early in her journey of life, our family is suffering with a heavy heart we will never get to see her again.”

Police said they searched an area the size of a football field before finding Wolfe’s body just off Township Road 372 and the Airport Authority Boundary.

The family visited the site where Karina’s remains were found this wknd to pay respects, perform ceremony #yxe pic.twitter.com/4eJjY0qYdC

— Saskatoon Police (@SaskatoonPolice) November 30, 2015

Women Walking Together members lay flowers, say a prayer at location where Kadina Wolfe’s body was found #yxe pic.twitter.com/Wg8RcdarI3

— Lasia Kretzel (@lkretzel) November 30, 2015

For reference as to just how close Karina Wolfe’s body was to the road #yxe pic.twitter.com/uA4cy2YWjl

— Lasia Kretzel (@lkretzel) November 30, 2015

#KarinaWolfe‘s body was found just north west of Saskatoon #yxe on a dirt road in a marshy, treed area pic.twitter.com/KvdwdcpFEn

— Lasia Kretzel (@lkretzel) November 30, 2015

Randy Huisman was a lead investigator in 2013. He told News Talk the 20-year-old struggled with addiction issues and lived a high-risk lifestyle, but that she wanted to change her ways and went to treatment from June 22 to July 1, 2010.

The day after she completed the program, Wolfe moved into her mother’s home.

Police said she called a male friend to give her a ride and drop off some belongings. A police news release said they have determined she was later dropped off on 20th Street near Avenue H South by her friend.

A few hours later, Wolfe called him from a pay phone and asked to borrow some money. She was never seen or heard from since.