The Package
On December 12, 1996, Wayne received a package in the mail through Canada Post. It contained a flashlight and a typewritten letter. When Wayne turned the flashlight on, it exploded. He was killed instantly. His wife Diane and son Justin, were injured in the blast.
No DNA was detected on the postage or the package, but Ontario Provincial Police Detective Constable Paul Johnson says that two hairs were discovered under the packing tape. The root sheath was not present on the hairs, and despite enlisting the help of the FBI to conduct mitochondrial DNA testing, police at the time were unable to come up with a full DNA profile of the suspect.
The box was wrapped in packing paper — hunter green on the inside and white on the outside.
The package was tied with a thin white ribbon.
The box had originally held a Domaine D'or Cabernet red wine but now it had a flashlight, packed with crumpled flyers inside.
A neat rectangle had been cut out from the lid area of the wine box to remove the barcode and serial number, which could've helped police determine where the wine had been purchased.
Several of the flyers inside came from a wide distribution area in Southern Ontario.
But there was only one flyer that was distributed locally — a Castle Building centre flyer from Copeland Lumber on 700 Main Street in Milton.