Murder in Cottage Country - The Fifth Estate

Being a church person doesn't make you a good person just like having a piano doesn't make you a pianist.

Elderly abuse, negligent care, embezzlement, possible murder, and even animal abuse. And yet, not a single charge laid against any one of that wretched family. Absolutely despicable.

Hurting the elderly is like hurting a child. It’s unforgivable.

I'm in the USA, I am grateful there is a news agency exposing these cases. Seems like a lot of shoddy and shady police coverups. This is probably the saddest episode I have seen so far.

$700/month for that shed?! You gotta be some kinda evil to take advantage of elderly people like that.

Oh dear God, my dad once worked with Joan (the cat lady) years ago; she was such a sweet woman and her cats were her life. As a child a stray cat gave birth to a litter of kittens in my backyard. My dad got ahold of Joan and she came to collect them - to take care of them. I was promised that I could one day visit the cats but unfortunately it never happened. So sad that I hear her name again after almost 35 years only to find out that she was murdered. God rest your soul Joan, thanks for taking my kittens into your care.

The corruption and coverup attached to this case is beyond belief. How can it be that these people are still walking the streets?! Pure evil.

As a Canadian I am ashamed and disgusted with the legal system that continues to allow this evil family to walk free. All I can say is, the God they pretended to honor has seen it all and justice will be done. RIP dear ones who trusted this evil family.

How is a guy who broke into houses, robbed and threatened the people with a knife or gun, alllowed to work as a domestic repairman!? Surely there should be some kind of law against that..

There is NO reason the "owners" of any retirement home need to have joint bank accounts with the elderly. CANADA..... ARE YOU REALLY THAT LAX IN YOUR LAWS ABOUT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ELDERLY?

This breaks my heart. As one who has been a care aide I just can't imagine someone treating these amazing human beings with such indignity. Normally I would give people the benefit of the doubt...but I too smell a rat, a few rats! Rest in peace dear John, Joan, John and Ralph "Doogie".

I refused to give up my dog and ended up on the streets homeless. We had one one of the worst winters in Texas and I still lived on the streets. He and I survived it!!! The grace of God saved and protected us.

4 people missing for decades. Never reported missing by the landlords. That says it all. Especially how they were taking their money. And no ones been charged after all this time? That's insane.

Joan loved her cats so much she was sleeping in that shed/shack, even in the winter and the law enforcement thinks she's just going to walk off and leave her cats to die, I don't think so, I say she was MURDERED.

SHAME on the local police ! Absolutely disgusting. Can’t a local civil rights group take up the cause of the poor elderly souls ? Their death should not the end of it. Justice should be.

This is so sad. I’ve definitely dealt with slumlords to keep my cats, when I had to leave an abusive husband. Especially since they are my son’s cats, and I wanted a little continuity for him. It’s unconscionable when people take advantage of vulnerable seniors.

Thank you for giving more backstory on Joan. She was a somebody, and she still is. At least one woman remembered her fondly, and now anyone who watches this knows about her too. A crime unpunished still deserves justice decades later, and I hope parties involved are called to justice before they die. Slap on some animal abuse charges, too. R.I.P Joan Lawrence, Ralph (Dougie) Grant, John Crofts and John Semple. You deserved a much better ending than this.

The cat lady had a name: Joan Lawrence. And she was a caring human being who happened to love cats. She lived in abhorrent conditions, I’m surprised she didn’t pass from exposure. That family housing her in that shed should be ashamed of themselves at the very least for that alone. Let alone killing the elderly people which I think that family is responsible.

As a fellow cat lady I would die for my cats too. So heartbreaking! 💔

In watching all of these episodes it seems only one thing is consistent. The Canadian Justice System is incompetent and complicit!