Lynne Harper

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Cheryl Lynne Harper (August 31, 1946 – June 9, 1959) was a schoolgirl who was raped and murdered near Clinton, Ontario, on June 9 or 10, 1959. A 14-year-old classmate, Steven Truscott, was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death; his sentence was commuted and he served approximately 10 years in prison. Continuing to maintain his innocence, he won an acquittal in the Ontario Court of Appeal on August 28, 2007.

Harper is buried in the Union United Church Cemetery near St. Thomas, Ontario. As part of the gathering of information for the Truscott appeal, her body was exhumed early in 2006, but investigators said no new evidence was found.

Julian Fantino, commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, stated after the acquittal that the OPP would consider reopening the case, but acknowledged that it may be impossible to investigate properly in view of the passage of time, loss of original evidence and deaths of many witnesses.