Sharmini Anandavel: A Beautiful Life Cut Tragically Short.
Fifteen-year-old Sharmini Anandavel had plans to save up for new shoes for her upcoming 9th-grade graduation, which is why she left her Toronto apartment in June 1999, heading to what she told her parents was a new job. She never came back.
It took four months before her body was discovered in a shallow grave beside the Don River. During those months, conflicting accounts emerged about her final days. Her parents believed she had been set up with a job by a neighbor, but by the time they went to seek him out, Stanley Tippett and his family had already moved away. Witnesses reported seeing Sharmini in different locations on the day she disappeared, but no one could pinpoint her activities in her final hours.
The search for Sharmini involved numerous volunteers, police officers, and helicopters scouring the area. However, it was a father and son taking a walk in the parkland nearby who eventually found her body. By that time, her remains had been scattered by coyotes, making it impossible to obtain DNA evidence or determine a definitive cause of death.
Piecing together the clues after Sharmini Anandavel went missing
Despite the lack of concrete evidence, both the police and Sharmini Anandavel’s family were convinced they knew who was responsible for her death. Suspicion quickly fell on Stanley Tippett, the neighbor who was believed to have arranged the job Sharmini was heading to when she disappeared.
Tippett had a troubling history, including several incidents involving impersonation of a police officer and other legal issues dating back to his teenage years. Born with Treacher Collins syndrome, Tippett had a distinctive facial structure and lopsided ears, which, according to his mother, led to significant bullying during his youth.
By the time of Sharmini’s disappearance, Tippett was in his early 20s, living in the apartment below Sharmini’s family with his wife and young child. He had cultivated a reputation in the building for being friendly with the children, often taking them swimming at a nearby pool. This connection with local kids made his involvement in Sharmini’s case all the more alarming.
Stanley Tippett becomes a suspect in Sharmini Anandavel’s disappearance
Sharmini Anandavel had been secretive about the details of her new job, particularly with her parents. Her friends believed she was going to work undercover for a police anti-drug operation. However, when authorities searched her room, they discovered a fake application for a nonexistent organization called the “Metro Search Unit.”
Although suspicions centered on Stanley Tippett, the evidence against him remained circumstantial. There was no direct link between Tippett and the fake job application or Sharmini’s death. Witnesses did not place him with her on the day she disappeared, and there was no forensic evidence tying him to the crime. Tippett had sold his car for just $10 shortly after being questioned by police, but while the authorities managed to recover the vehicle before it was dismantled, they found no incriminating evidence inside.
With no solid proof to connect Tippett to the crime, the police had no choice but to release him. More than twenty years later, the case remains technically unsolved and classified as a cold case. “When I retired, I found myself apologizing to the Anandavel family,” Matt Crone, one of the lead investigators on Sharmini’s case, told CBC News. “I think they deserve resolution for this, which they haven’t had, which nobody’s given them.”
Tippett’s continued run-ins with the law
Though Stanley Tippett was never charged in connection with Sharmini Anandavel’s death, he continued to encounter legal troubles in the years following her disappearance. After moving from Toronto to Ontario, Tippett faced multiple accusations of stalking, which led to a brief incarceration for harassing a neighbor.
Following his release, Tippett allegedly approached a 12-year-old girl and another young woman with offers of a fake job at the YMCA. When the second woman reported him to the police, authorities searched his home and seized his van. Inside, they discovered items that suggested potential criminal intent, including duct tape, rope, plastic sheeting, cable ties, and a hammer and knife. Tippett pled guilty to criminal harassment and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Upon his release, Tippett found himself in legal trouble again, this time facing accusations of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. According to court records, Tippett had picked up two visibly intoxicated girls just after midnight, offering them a ride home. After dropping one off in a park, he allegedly assaulted the other, leading to police intervention following reports of screaming.
Tippett’s defense claimed he had been carjacked by two men who were responsible for the assault, but this explanation did not hold up in court. In 2009, Tippett was convicted on seven counts related to the crime, despite his claims of innocence. He was classified as a “dangerous offender” and has been denied parole as recently as 2018. As of now, Tippett likely remains behind bars.
Stanley Tippett arrested
The arrest and incarceration of Stanley Tippett may have removed a potentially dangerous individual from the streets, assuming the allegations against him are accurate. However, this does little to clarify the tragic death of Sharmini Anandavel. Tippett continues to deny involvement in her case, referring to it only as the “Don Mills incident” and avoiding mention of Sharmini by name in interviews.
Despite the strong suspicions of investigators like Matt Crone, who remain “absolutely certain” of Tippett’s guilt, there has never been sufficient evidence to formally charge him in Sharmini’s murder. As a result, the case remains unresolved, classified as Cold Case Homicide 36 for 1999. Both authorities and Sharmini’s family continue to grapple with the lack of closure that a definitive charge—whether against Tippett or another suspect—might have provided.
src: the-line-up.com
