Kerrie Ann Brown (1971-1986)

Learn more about Kerrie's case and see exclusive photos.

SKS Team · Posted: Oct 17, 2018 5:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 17, 2018

Kerrie Ann Brown was 15 years old when she was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered on Oct. 16, 1986. (Facebook)

Kerrie Ann Brown was born to Jim and Ann Brown on August 19, 1971 in Burk's Falls, Ontario. She had a brother Trevor, who was a year older, and a half brother Ian, who was four years older. In 1974, the Brown family moved to the northern nickel mining town of Thompson, where Jim began work in the mine at Inco and Ann at the local hospital as a medical transcriptionist.

Kerrie's father Jim, pictured here, worked at the Inco mine in Thompson. (Brown Family)

Trevor, Kerrie and Ian Brown (L-R) moved to Thompson, Man. in 1980. (Brown Family)

Thompson, Man. is known for its mining industry. Pictured is one of the town's many nickel mines. (David Ridgen/CBC)

The night she disappeared

On Oct. 16, 1986, Kerrie and her friends attended a party at a residence on Trout Avenue in Thompson, Manitoba. It was held on a Thursday night because there was no school scheduled for the next day.

Most of the teenage attendees at the party knew each other and went to the same school. (Doug Krokosz)

When a former boyfriend showed up to the party with another girl, Kerrie felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave with her best friend Nicole, whose house she planned to sleep at that night. As the two were heading out, Nicole realized she had forgotten her purse inside and ran back to fetch it. When she returned, Kerrie was gone.

Mysterious killing of Manitoba teen Kerrie Ann Brown explored in CBC podcast

Nicole was one of Kerrie's best friends and the last known person to have seen her before she was killed. (Nicole Zahorodny)

Where Kerrie was found

On Saturday around 2 p.m., less than 40 hours after Kerrie disappeared, two horseback riders discovered her body along a hydro line beyond a horse stable on the outskirts of town. She had been sexually assaulted and severely beaten with branches that were likely found at the crime scene. She was 15 years old.

A leaf-covered trail bends through the woods where Kerrie's body was found. (David Ridgen/CBC)

Kerrie's murder continues to haunt her family and friends, three decades later. (Thompson Citizen)

Kerrie had recently started Grade 10 at R.D. Parker Collegiate at the time of her brutal murder. The tragedy sparked immediate outrage among her friends and fellow students, who rallied together to push police and city council for safer streets.

Kerrie had just started Grade 10 at this Thompson, Man. high school at the time of her murder. (David Ridgen/CBC)

They also raised a significant amount of funds to establish a scholarship in her memory. Named the Kerrie Brown Memorial Bursary, the scholarship still exists today, awarded to a graduating R.D. Parker Collegiate student with the highest grade point average in English.