Revealing stories of the haunting 1960s in Thorndale

A group of Thorndale residents sit around a table with Barb Dorrington, author of Trauma Monster, at the Thorndale Library.

By Nancy Abra

Barb Dorrington, author of The Trauma Monster has been a familiar figure in Thorndale in recent weeks.

Her book delves into the disappearances, assaults and murders of children and young people in the 1960s and early ‘70s in the London area. These homicides have also had a haunting effect on the community of Thorndale, especially with the discovery of Frankie Jensen’s body and the disappearance of Scott Leishman.

In September, Dorrington organized an event at the Thorndale Lions Community Centre inviting author Michael Arntfield, who wrote Murder City, Vanessa Brown, author of The Forest City Killer, and Dennis Alsop Jr., son of Det. Dennis Alsop, lead investigator in most of the murder cases, to speak in front of a capacity audience.

Last Thursday afternoon, Dorrington was a guest speaker at the Thorndale Active Living Centre program as she talked about her journey writing The Trauma Monster, her interviews, her research into assaults and murders in the London area, and especially the ties to the community of Thorndale. Last Saturday, Oct. 18, both Dorrington and Brown were at the Thorndale Library to chat with anyone interested in learning more about their books.

“We thought it would be just a few people dropping in to chat with us,” Dorrington said, “but it was much more than that. It was a very powerful session. People came, stayed and sat around the large table and shared their memories and stories.”

“I was probably the last person to see Scott Leishman alive,” said Dave Dawson, a London resident, formerly of Thorndale. “We played floor hockey with a couple of other boys that afternoon, on our Spring Break, in the hall behind St. George’s Anglican Church. After we finished and cleaned up, I sat on the church’s front steps talking with Scott as he was at the road, thumb up to get a ride home. A white car stopped and Scott got into the back seat. That was the last time I saw my friend Scott.”

“Strangely, I was never interviewed by the police.”

“It was my dad, who was canoeing on the Thames River north of the Thorndale bridge who discovered Frankie’s body,” said Kathy, another Thorndale resident who attended the library event.

“I am grateful that people came to share their stories” Dorrington said, “and perhaps there may be a conclusion to these mysteries.”