Ontario Cold Case: Who murdered Ray Venerus?
More than a decade later, the murder of Milton man Ray Venerus is still unsolved.
The cold case remains prominently featured on the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) website under and continues to ask anyone with information to contact the HRPS homicide unit at 905-825-4747, ext. 8760 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-222-TIPS (8477), by text message to 274637 (CRIMES) or .
Police made a public appeal for information on the anniversary of the now 11-year-old homicide investigation in February 2017. However, Det. Alistair Watt, of the Halton police homicide unit, said nothing was generated as a result from it.
“The homicide unit recognizes that there are still families and communities seeking answers and resolution to those murders that remain unsolved,” police had said about their ongoing efforts to solve cold cases.
“Families of homicide victims will never forget the loss of their loved one, regardless of the passage of time and hope to one day receive news that a perpetrator has been identified and arrested.”
Venerus, a 55-year-old local businessperson, was found shot to death outside his Dublin Line home on Feb. 21, 2007. His body was on the ground, next to his idling vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee — discovered by a passerby.
An autopsy had revealed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
“We don’t believe it was simply bad luck,” said Halton police Det. Sgt. Peter Hodgson, back in a 2007 interview with the Milton Canadian Champion.
Since then, police have followed up on a number of leads over the years, but none led investigators to any suspects or a killer.
When the case had already become a year old, efforts turned to publishing to try and garner any new clues and information from the public.
Another in 2016 and also published online and shared on social media in an effort by police to jog someone’s memory or get someone to have a change of heart and come forward with information.
“There have been leads, which have obviously been followed up. Some didn’t really have any legs to begin with,” Halton homicide Det. Alistair Watt told the Champion back in February 2017.
Venerus’ murder was one of several cold cases Halton police listed during , which it had stated generated a tip, but would not say to which case specifically, at the time.
In 2009, Halton police even for information for another year in hopes of netting some new tips.
Despite it being years of investigating the Milton man’s death, Halton police has said it isn’t giving up.
“We never give up,” Watt said in a previous story, adding he wants nothing more than to bring closure to Venerus’ family and those who knew him.
— with files from Catherine O’Hara and David Lea, Metroland Media