Sheryl Gardner

Slim and striking, Sheryl Gardner was a Canadian supermodel whose career burned brightly from 1978 until her life was cut short in 1981. Born in Ganonoque, Ontario, she moved to Toronto from Ottawa to chase her modeling dreams. She appeared in Canadian and U.S. magazine photo spreads, catalogs, and advertisements, quickly making a name for herself in the fashion world. Her work was thriving, and her future seemed limitless.

On July 2, 1981, Sheryl was brutally murdered in her apartment. The perpetrator was Ralph Ernest Power, a 28-year-old sex offender who gained entry by posing as a Bell Canada telephone repairman. He had schemed his way in, and Sheryl, who had cancelled her plans to return home for the Canada Day holiday weekend because of a modeling assignment, never got the chance to go. Power was sentenced to 25 years in prison with no chance of parole.

Her sister Carolyn's tireless advocacy changed Canadian law. In May 2005, Parliament passed Bill C-13, which amended the Criminal Code to allow DNA samples from criminals to be collected and added to a national database, aiding in identifying suspects in past crimes. Sheryl was just 20 when she died, but her memory lives on through that legislative change.