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STRATFORD VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 21
17 FREE
JANUARY 9, 2026
Jennifer Anderson
Jamie Gerber
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519-276-7995
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Police offering $10k for info on Derek Ritz
GALEN SIMMONS
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Nine years after Derek Ritz was last seen at a home in Sebringville, in the Township of Perth South, at around 1 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2016, investigators with the Stratford Police Service are hoping to entice first-hand witnesses to come forward with new information that could close the City of Stratford’s only cold case. On Jan. 1, Stratford police announced it is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the confirmed whereabouts of Ritz and the closure of this case, and/or the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible. The city’s police service officially took over the missing-persons investigation from Perth County OPP in April 2019, just over two years after Ritz, who was 51 at the time, was reported missing to OPP on Jan. 7, 2017. “For me, the Stratford police and the (Stratford police services) board, and the investigator with Please Bring Me Home, I don’t think the case has ever really gone away,” acting deputy police chief Mark Taylor said. “We’ve pushed and pushed and interviewed as many people as we possibly can. We’ve got lots of information, just not that final piece to close the case for us. I think this reward is just a reminder and maybe a little bit of an incentive for people to come forward with further information that benefits the case, benefits us and helps everyone in trying to close the case for us.” Since the Stratford police took over the search for Ritz, investigators have interviewed more than 100 potential witnesses and conducted exhaustive searches of properties in the area for evidence of what happened to CONTINUED TO PAGE 2
(GARY WEST PHOTO)
A major winter event late December froze the region, like this stretch of road in South Easthope Township pictured on Dec. 28. Area roads and highways were closed due to accidents and local police were busy pulling drivers from the ditch.
Winter wonderland turned to hazardous conditions this holiday season
GALEN SIMMONS
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A powerful mix of freezing rain, rain and persistent snowfall kept road conditions difficult this holiday season. What began as heavy freezing rain early on Boxing Day quickly turned to rain as temperatures rose, loosening a layer of ice that had begun forming on local roads and sidewalks. Later that evening, the weather shifted again, with snow continuing to fall on the area for the
next several days. Road conditions deteriorated enough to prompt Perth County to declare a significant weather event on Dec. 28. In response, officers with the Stratford Police Service were out in full force in hazardous conditions over the holidays, responding to stranded and stuck vehicles, and ensuring residents of St. Marys, Perth South and Stratford remained safe during the worst of the snow and ice. “It’s a stressful situation for everyone in the community, including the emergency services workers who are CONTINUED TO PAGE 2