William McIntyre

William McIntyre was a dedicated and effective police officer, a man who could seamlessly blend into the criminal underworld to get the job done. Born in 1951, he grew up in Oakville, Ontario, and worked for three years as an apprentice mechanic before joining the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 1972. In his 11 years of exemplary service, Corporal McIntyre, a heavyset man with a thick beard, found his calling in undercover work. He was so convincing in his roles, often posing as a biker or a hardened criminal, that he could spend time in jail alongside inmates to gather information without anyone suspecting he was an officer. He was part of an undercover squad known as "the sultans," and he was respected for his ability to fit in with the very people he was investigating.

On April 21, 1984, the danger of his work followed him home. The body of 33-year-old William McIntyre, a male, was discovered inside his locked, second-floor apartment at 1300 Marlborough Court in Oakville. He had been killed by a single, close-range gunshot wound to his head from a.22-calibre firearm. His personal and undercover vehicles were both in the parking lot. McIntyre was off-duty at the time and had been preparing for an out-of-town assignment in Kingston, having called his handler to say he was going to a meeting. There were no signs of forced entry, and investigators later learned that McIntyre had given out as many as six keys to his apartment.

The investigation into the corporal's murder was complex from the start, handled jointly by the Halton Regional Police Service and the OPP. McIntyre's service revolver was located, but it was quickly ruled out as the murder weapon, which has never been found. The list of potential suspects was vast, given the nature of his undercover work among bikers, mobsters, and other criminals. One early theory centered on Rex Yates, a master bank vault thief who had vowed revenge on McIntyre. The officer had posed as a fellow thief to elicit a confession from Yates, which led to a conviction. Detectives suspected Yates might have made a key to McIntyre's apartment to ambush him, but Yates had an alibi placing him out of town. He later drowned in what was described as a mysterious boating accident after serving his prison sentence.

Over the decades, the investigation has explored numerous leads and theories, some more unusual than others. Around the time of the murder, a neighbor saw McIntyre leaning over his balcony talking to a young man who was holding a motorcycle helmet, but this individual was never identified. An even stranger event occurred at McIntyre's funeral, where a relative witnessed an unknown man stand alone by the coffin, place a small, shiny object—possibly a key—inside with the officer, and then disappear. Detectives only learned of this months later, and a request to exhume the body was denied by the family. Police also pursued a theory that McIntyre was secretly gay and may have been killed by a lover or even fellow officers, a suggestion his family vehemently denied.

The case took another bizarre turn in 1994 when a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable, Arturo Nuosci, was sentenced to 90 days in jail. He pleaded guilty to fabricating evidence, having tried to implicate a former male lover and another man in McIntyre's murder. This act further complicated an already difficult investigation. Despite the passage of time and the many dead ends, law enforcement has never given up on finding justice for their slain colleague. Retired Toronto Star reporter Cal Millar, who has followed the case closely, noted that while McIntyre has no surviving immediate family, his extended family includes thousands of police officers across the country who have not forgotten him.

As of April 2024, the murder of Corporal William McIntyre remains an active and unsolved cold case. In early 2020, a new joint-force team of Halton Regional Police and OPP investigators was formed to re-examine the evidence. They hope that with the passage of time, allegiances may have changed and someone with crucial information will finally come forward. A combined reward of $100,000 is being offered by the Halton Regional Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Halton Regional Police Service at 905-825-4776. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers.