Joan Hicks, 48, and her 11-year-old daughter Nina Hicks were found murdered in their Moncton, New Brunswick apartment on February 28, 1998. Joan had been beaten, strangled, and her throat was cut with a serrated knife. Nina was found hanging in a bedroom closet after being choked with a rope. The brutality of both killings shocked the community.

Michael Wayne McGray was identified as the perpetrator after a witness placed him at the scene; he was arrested the next day. McGray later confessed to killing Joan, saying he had spent the day using cocaine and was overwhelmed by an urge to kill, admitting he choked Joan against a wall and slashed her throat to ensure she was dead. He denied killing Nina. McGray pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Joan’s death in 2000 and received life with no parole for 25 years; the charge in Nina’s death was initially stayed, and investigators continued to pursue related leads as he implicated himself in other killings.

If anyone knew Joan or Nina, or has information about the case or other unsolved deaths McGray mentioned, please share what you know.