Nearly five weeks after Alicia disappeared, investigators revisited the next-door neighbor, Daniel Sylvester. What began as an attempt to eliminate another potential suspect ultimately produced a stunning breakthrough. Sylvester eventually admitted responsibility and described how Alicia had died and how he had disposed of her remains. The forensic investigation that followed uncovered a disturbing trail of evidence — discarded clothing, blood evidence, carpet, plastic sheeting and other materials connecting Sylvester to the crime.

Investigators also discovered evidence that provided insight into his disturbing fixation on Alicia. At trial, Sylvester attempted to have the killing treated as manslaughter, but the Crown proceeded with second-degree murder. After four hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict. For Kevin Bryan, however, the case represents more than a murder conviction. It is a lesson about investigative tunnel vision, the danger of relying too heavily on a single piece of evidence, and the importance of continually challenging your assumptions.

Because sometimes the person you’re looking for isn't across town. They're right next door.

In August 2005, 25-year-old Alicia Ross disappeared from her family home in Thornhill, Ontario. What began as a missing-person investigation quickly became something much more serious when police arrived at the house and discovered a series of unsettling clues. Alicia’s car was still in the driveway. Her purse, phone and other personal belongings remained inside. Outside, investigators found the flip-flops she had been wearing and the wine glass she had been carrying when she said goodnight to her boyfriend. The positioning of those items immediately raised suspicion. They appeared to have been placed rather than dropped during a struggle, suggesting that the scene had been staged. Homicide investigators became involved almost immediately, and the investigation initially focused on Alicia’s boyfriend, Sean Hine, as well as a former boyfriend. Sean became the primary focus after his cell phone appeared to connect with a cell tower in Oak Ridges after he said he had gone directly home. Surveillance was conducted around the clock, his communications were monitored, and the media increasingly portrayed him as the likely killer.

But the investigation was going in the wrong direction.