A family linked to one of Canada’s most enduring cold cases is seeking new information from Halifax police, seventy years after grocer Michael Resk was murdered in Halifax.
“We’re getting older and want clear answers,” said Carole Curtis, the eldest daughter of Michael Resk. “We’ve heard a lot of rumors, but nothing concrete. It feels like we’re spinning our wheels.”
To separate rumor from fact, the family formally requested access to the case file, but the request was denied.
The 1955 case
Michael Leo Resk ran a grocery store on Gottingen Street and was found shot in the back of his delivery van in the early hours of December 9, 1955. A hard-working small business owner, Resk kept late hours but reserved two nights a week to be home with his wife and five children. He spent the night watching TV at his west-end home before locking up the store, but never returned. His body was discovered in the van near Acadia and Roome streets around 2 a.m.
Resk had served in the navy and was a well-known figure among local merchants and members of the Lebanese community. His store sat on land that would later become the Halifax North Memorial Public Library.
Family pursuit of new information
In summer 2023, the Resk family met with police and submitted a freedom of information request to the Halifax Regional Police to view their father’s file. The request was denied on the grounds that releasing it could compromise investigative techniques and personal privacy. The family found this outcome frustrating and discouraging.
“I always felt this was my destiny, to help seek justice for the family,” said Janet Mackay, who was about six months old when her father died. Mackay first approached the police at age 20 to request the file, which was denied. She remains determined to learn more.
The sisters are most pained by what their mother Annie faced: becoming a widow at 36 with five children, a burden she bore with courage until her death in 1992.
“Mom was brave, stoic, and strong,” Curtis reflected, noting that their mother urged her children to keep moving forward to find peace.
“We left it to the police to uncover the truth, but that never happened.”
Genetic analysis and the possibility of a breakthrough
Brian Curtis, Carole Curtis’s stepson, has researched the case on behalf of the sisters and their stepmother. He recalls a Halifax Regional Police suggestion to file an FOI request for information.
Curtis notes that while the potential of genetic genealogy to solve cold cases is recognized, he has heard that the clothing and shoes of Michael Resk have not undergone DNA testing. He says a police source indicated the odds were poor and that DNA testing might not be feasible.
Experts weigh in on the potential of genetics
Mike Arntfield, a former detective and current Western University professor, points out that genetic genealogy has solved several Canadian cold cases even when the perpetrator is deceased. He notes that the aim of law enforcement is to obtain a sense of closure, whether or not a case goes to trial.
Arntfield also acknowledges that family requests to view police files are sometimes denied. He explains that police cannot easily sift through decades of investigative notes to determine what should be released, especially without clear guidelines for redaction.
Yet he argues that after many decades with no progress, releasing new information could still spark fresh leads and bring memory to light. If anniversary reports and routine inquiries haven’t yielded answers, it may be time to consider sharing additional information that might jog someone’s memory.
Halifax Regional Police declined an interview about the Resk case. Const. Martin Cromwell provided a written statement confirming the investigation remains open and that information is not released through FOI requests due to privacy laws. Investigators did share what they could in a meeting with the family.
Cromwell noted that multiple investigators have worked the file, with the latest assigned in 2024. He emphasized that most unsolicited information tends to be rumors or theories, and that no new firsthand physical evidence or eyewitness accounts have emerged. He also explained that prior to the advent of modern DNA analysis in the late 1980s, evidence handling differed, complicating retrospective forensic testing.
Despite consultations with HRP and the RCMP, no DNA analysis has been recommended for this case.
A family marked by memory and loss
Each Christmas, Michael and Annie Resk’s three daughters visit their parents’ grave in Lower Sackville. The headstone bears the inscription, “Ever Loved.” The ongoing investigation remains a painful reminder of the unresolved tragedy.
In a move to mobilize public participation, the family launched a website, whokilledthegrocer.ca, inviting tips from the community.
“I’ve talked about this my entire life, and I’m now 77,” said Linda Resk. “It’s painful because it never leaves my mind.” They seek closure, but acknowledge it may never come.
The Resk case continues to be part of the province’s major unsolved crimes program, and the family remains hopeful that new information—or new perspectives—will finally break this seventy-year-old stalemate.
Would this case have reached a different outcome today with modern investigative tools? What kind of information could still make a difference, and how should authorities balance privacy with public interest to help families seek answers?
