Sheryl Gardner

About Sheryl Gardner

A native of Ganonoque, Ontario, Sheryl Ann Gardner moved to Toronto from Ottawa in 1978 to pursue a career as a fashion model. With a thriving and promising modeling career, she appeared in both Canadian and U.S magazine photo spreads, catalogs, and advertisements.

Cancelling plans to return home for the Canada Day holiday weekend because of a modelling assignment, on July 2, 1981, Sheryl was brutally murdered in her apartment by 28-year-old sex offender Ralph Ernest Power who schemed his way into her apartment, dressed convincingly as a Bell Canada telephone repairman. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison with no chance of parole for Gardner's murder.

As a result of the tireless work of her sister, Carolyn, the Parliament of Canada passed Bill C-13 in May 2005, which amended the federal Criminal Code to allow for the collection of DNA sample from criminals to be added to a national DNA database and to be used for identifying suspects involved in past crimes.