‘The resolution that was reached recognizes that the available evidence cannot answer all the questions’Published Oct 06, 2026Last updated 5 hours ago6 minute readThis image from Google Maps shows the home on Old Route 5 in Millville where Natacha Leroy, a 48-year-old mother of six from Bras d’Or, was stabbed to death in November 2023. Carolyn Ann Dermody, 28, of North Sydney, was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter for the killing. SUPPLIEDArticle contentA Cape Breton woman who killed a mother of six nearly three years ago spent the evening laughing and listening to music with the victim before she stabbed her multiple times.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentArticle contentArticle contentArticle contentIn his sentencing decision released Oct. 5, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Patrick Duncan outlined the details of the killing based on an agreed statement of facts signed by Dermody, who was set to stand trial for second-degree murder before pleading guilty on Sept. 17 to the reduced charge of manslaughter.Article contentIn the document, Dermody said she had known Leroy for most of her life and their families were well acquainted.Article contentOn the evening of Nov. 19, 2023, she was with Leroy and Kevin Forrest Jr. at a home on Little Pond Road in Florence before they agreed to go to Forrest Jr.’s home on Old Route 5 in Millville where he lived with his father, Kevin Forrest Sr.Article contentWhen they arrived at the residence, Cody Russell was there as well as Forrest Sr., who remained on a couch in the living room where he heard the four socializing in a bedroom of the residence, listening to music, laughing, and talking while they consumed alcohol and drugs.Article contentDermody left on one occasion to obtain more drugs before returning to the home.Article contentArticle content Natacha Leroy is seen in this photo supplied by the RCMP after the 48-year-old mother of six from Bras d’Or went missing on Nov. 22, 2023. Her body was found two days later by an RCMP police dog team searching the area. On Sept. 17, 2026, Carolyn Ann Dermody, 28, of North Sydney, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Leroy’s death. Dermody, who was sentenced to eight years in custody, has 1,741 days left remaining in her sentence after accounting for remand credit. Photo by SUPPLIED/RCMPArticle contentArticle content‘VULNERABLE TO THE ATTACK’Article contentDermody admitted that she then stabbed Leroy three times with a knife in the torso and abdomen at some point between the evening of Nov. 19, 2023, and the morning of Nov. 20, 2023.Article contentDermody admitted that while she intentionally stabbed Leroy three times in the area of her vital organs, she did not intend to kill her.Article contentIn his decision, Duncan said the attack was “brutal” and showed a “callous and unprovoked level of violence.”Article contentHe said Leroy was “unarmed and intoxicated and vulnerable to the attack which was made in close quarters,” noting that “it would be obvious that these actions would be life threatening.”Article contentAfter Leroy’s death, Kevin Forrest Jr. told his father not to use the bathroom while he and Russell began cleaning up the home.Article contentThe two men wrapped Leroy’s body in a blanket and took it out of the home.Article contentDermody later told police that she used bleach and a rag to help clean the kitchen area before she left in a vehicle owned by another drug acquaintance.Article contentShe then met up with another man and they used drugs together at various locations in Cape Breton over the next two to three days. The pair then drove toward Halifax. At some point, the man exited the vehicle and Dermody continued alone to Halifax, where she stayed at the residence of two people previously unknown to her. She did not have a phone or clothing.Article contentOn Nov. 30, 2023, police arrested Dermody in Halifax and charged her with murder and indignity to human remains.Article contentForrest Jr. was arrested on Dec. 1, 2023, at a home in Sydney Mines, while Russell was arrested on Feb. 19, 2024, in New Brunswick.Article contentBoth men were charged with accessory to murder and indignity to human remains.Article contentThey later pleaded guilty to interfering with human remains and were sentenced on Jan. 19, 2026, with Forrest receiving 1,172 days while Russell was given 1,052 days.Article contentBoth sentences were ruled fully served based on the time they had spent on remand.Article contentRUMOURS OF MURDERArticle contentThe police investigation didn’t begin until days after Leroy’s death.Article contentArticle contentLeroy’s family members had heard the rumours circulating in the community that she had been murdered and went to the Forrest home on Old Route 5 the evening of Nov. 22, 2023. After observing a fire behind the house and blood outside, they contacted police at approximately 6:15 p.m. Officers from the Cape Breton Regional Police Service and Baddeck RCMP arrived and extinguished the fire, and secured the exterior of the property.Article contentTwo days later, police executed a search warrant at the house and property. A police dog team found Leroy’s remains partially covered by branches and leaves in a wooded area approximately 65 metres behind the residence.Article contentThe medical examiner certified the death as a homicide caused by multiple stab wounds to the neck and torso. Leroy also suffered underlying fractures to her facial bones and lacerations to her face and scalp.Article contentHer body had also sustained post-mortem injuries, including sharp-force injuries to the neck and thermal injuries from fire.Article contentArticle contentInvestigators found Leroy’s blood throughout the residence, including the kitchen floor and a bedroom, as well as a pink jacket in the living room that also had Dermody’s blood on it.Article contentOutside the residence, police discovered Leroy’s blood on the front door and living room window.Article contentLOVE, LOSS, GRIEFArticle contentDuring sentencing, Duncan read victim impact statements submitted by Leroy’s daughters and friends.Article content“First, let me say that my words cannot adequately capture the depth, the sincerity of the expressions of love, loss, grief, and trauma that has been experienced by these individuals and described so poignantly today,” he said.Article content“We heard of memories of small things that she did and the profound effect they had on others. We heard of important life moments in the past with family and friends — of gifts, shared travel, just being there to support and provide her love, especially to her children. We know that there have been many important moments she has not been here to enjoy as she should have been, how she is missed and will be missed at those future events as well and in many other ways.Article content“We are all flawed in some way and as one person referred to today, we are to remember people for their positive traits whatever flaws they might have; to see people in the context of the challenges they faced in life. Ms. Leroy had many such traits: faith in God, love of family, generosity and strength in the face of adversity. Her example can be a guide to those who knew her.”Article contentDuncan also considered Dermody’s presentence report, which described a lifetime of family instability, poverty, substance abuse, mental health challenges, physical abuse and sexual abuse that began at a very young age and continued over several years.Article contentDermody has been on her own since the age of 16 and is on medication to manage depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder.Article contentHer substance abuse issues have included alcohol, opiates since the age of 13 and crack cocaine beginning when she was 15.Article contentArticle contentDermody also has an extensive criminal history that began with an assault with a weapon charge when she was 13 years old and concludes with a conviction for violently assaulting another female inmate at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth on April 27, 2024.Article contentUNANSWERED QUESTIONSArticle contentBefore accepting the eight-year joint sentencing recommendation from the Crown and defence, Duncan also noted Dermody’s conduct after the killing.Article content“She fled without seeking medical assistance for Ms. Leroy. She then fled the jurisdiction to avoid detection and arrest. Her subsequent actions impeded the ability of the family to find Ms. Leroy and further impeded and delayed the police’s ability to investigate promptly. I have heard today from family members who described how, when they arrived at the location where Ms. Leroy was killed and observed the scene, it was a horrific thing to see and that it left emotional scars as described in the victim impact statements,” he said, later acknowledging that the sentences handed down to Dermody, Forrest Jr. and Russell “leave many unanswered questions as to what happened that night.Article content“What we know is that Ms. Leroy was the victim of a vicious attack resulting in multiple and fatal stab wounds. The resolution that was reached recognizes that the available evidence cannot answer all the questions. In the end, however, the evidence that is available supports the outcome.”Article contentWith credit for time already served in remand, Duncan sentenced Dermody to serve 1,741 days remaining in custody, alongside a DNA order and a lifetime weapons ban.Article contentShe is also prohibited from contacting 10 named people, including members of Leroy’s family and her two co-accused.Article content
‘Callous and unprovoked’: Details of Cape Breton woman’s killing revealed in court decision
