In the early morning hours of July 5th, 1996, a jogger in the Fraserview neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia stumbled upon a harrowing scene: a sixty-one-year-old woman lying unconscious and bleeding on the grounds of David Thompson Secondary School.
When authorities arrived, the victim was rushed to the hospital. She remained unconscious for six agonizing days, her identity unknown to police until a composite drawing and media photo prompted recognition from one of her children—though even then, the swelling and bruising made her face barely recognizable.
The victim was Cathy Berard, a devoted mother of five who had been subjected to a brutal sexual and physical assault. Despite surviving the initial attack, Berard never fully recovered, and eventually succumbed to her injuries on January 2nd, 1999.
Cathy was a familiar and beloved figure in her East Vancouver community. Described by her daughter Claudette as friendly, outgoing, and deeply family-oriented, She enjoyed simple pleasures like gardening and reading.
On the evening of July 4th, 1996, her sons last saw her around nine p.m., unaware that it would be the final time they would interact with her in full health. Cathy, dressed in a purple blouse and green sweatpants, likely stepped out for a routine errand—possibly to the liquor store at East 47th Avenue and Victoria Drive or to Kingsgate Mall nearby.
What should have been a brief outing turned into a nightmare. Investigators believe the assault began on the sidewalk in the 6900 block of Argyle Street, where signs indicated Cathy was dragged to the southeast corner of the school grounds. The attack was savage: she suffered a broken jaw and cheekbone, eyes swollen shut, and extensive trauma requiring reconstructive surgery. It was a random act of violence against an unassuming woman in a residential area, leaving no immediate witnesses or suspects.
Cathy did regain consciousness, but the road to recovery was fraught with complications. She was transferred to a long-term care facility, where her injuries continued to debilitate her. Pneumonia and other health issues, exacerbated by the trauma, ultimately claimed her life more than two and a half years later.
Tragically, under Canadian law at the time—specifically the so-called “year and a day” rule—her death could not be classified as a homicide because it occurred beyond that timeframe from the assault. This meant her attacker could face charges only for aggravated sexual assault, not murder.
The Vancouver Police Department’s Homicide Unit has treated the case as an ongoing aggravated sexual assault investigation, featured prominently on their Cold Cases website since its launch in 2014. Despite advances in forensic technology and fresh reviews by new teams, no breakthroughs have surfaced. The lack of DNA matches or eyewitnesses has kept the file stagnant, but detectives emphasize that these investigations are never truly closed—tips can revive them at any time.
As of 2025, though, no new leads have emerged, despite periodic renewals of the case through Vancouver Police Department’s cold case initiatives.
Crime Immemorial 