Picture this: You’re a plumber, snaking a drain, expecting hair, grease, maybe a stray toy. Instead, you pull out pounds of what looks like flesh—meat, sinew, something that shouldn’t be there. The stench is overwhelming. The couple upstairs is desperate for relief, but the real horror is lurking below, in the basement apartment of a man named Adam Strong.

When police arrive, Strong opens the door and, with chilling calm, announces, “The jig’s up. It’s a body.” He’s not panicked. He’s not running. He’s almost proud. Outside, in the squad car, he volunteers even more: “If you want the rest of her, she’s in my freezer. She’s pretty defleshed.” Officers, stunned and sickened, open the freezer and discover a human head, severed limbs, and a tattoo that confirms the victim’s identity. The nightmare is just beginning.

Rory Hashett: The First Tragedy

Rory Hashett’s life was never easy. Born in 1999 in Oshawa, she was bright, kind, and tough—a two-time Army Cadet of the Year. But her family history was as troubled as they come. Her grandfather, Bernie “The Frog” Guindon, was the founder of Satan’s Choice, Canada’s most notorious biker gang. Her uncle, Harley Davidson Gwion, was a Hell’s Angel with a prison fight record tattooed on his back. Drugs, violence, and chaos were never far away.

By 14, Rory was hooked on crystal meth, spiraling into addiction and darkness. But she fought back, got clean, found love, and in August 2017, learned she was pregnant. Hope was on the horizon—until a mysterious fire injured her mom and killed her dog. The trauma sent Rory into a tailspin. On August 29, she was seen on hospital CCTV, alone and distressed. She left before being treated. No one knew it, but this was her last day alive.

The Torso in the Lake

Two weeks later, a grandfather and grandson fishing in Oshawa Harbor spotted something strange floating in the water. They reeled it in, expecting trash or maybe a dead animal. Instead, they found a female torso, mutilated, severed, tossed away like garbage. Police scrambled to identify the victim, but with no pelvis and no clear signs of pregnancy, it took months. DNA finally confirmed what Rory’s family feared—the remains belonged to her.

How did Rory end up in the lake? Who killed her? Where was the rest of her body? The questions piled up. The answers seemed impossible.

The Plumber’s Gruesome Discovery

That December, the blocked pipes in Adam Strong’s apartment became a portal to hell. Plumbers pulled out flesh, bone, and tissue. Police arrived and found Strong disturbingly unfazed, almost eager to talk. When they searched his apartment, the horror escalated: restraining devices, adult toys, a hammer with Rory’s DNA, her running shoes soaked in blood, and a bomb—yes, a bomb—waiting to be detonated by the bomb squad. But the most shocking find was in the freezer: Rory’s head, tattooed with the word “Alive.”

Strong confessed to knowing Rory, dining with her, and dismembering her body on Christmas Eve 2017. He claimed procrastination kept her remains in his apartment for months. He was charged with indignity to a body, but the evidence pointed to something far darker.

# The Knife That Solved a Decade-Old Mystery

Among the weapons in Strong’s kitchen was a specialty hunting knife. Forensics tested it for Rory’s DNA—but found something else. The knife carried the DNA of another missing woman: Candace Fitzpatrick. Candace, a streetwise 19-year-old with a drug problem, vanished in 2008. Her family had searched for her for years, always fearing the worst. Now, ten years later, the truth was finally surfacing.

Police pressed Strong for details. He admitted to knowing Candace, but refused to confess to her murder. No body was found, but the DNA evidence was damning. Strong’s depraved online history—obsessed with gore and death—painted a picture of a man who blurred the line between fantasy and reality.

The Courtroom Circus

Adam Strong’s trial was a spectacle of arrogance and depravity. He delayed proceedings, refused to meet with his lawyer, and complained about being tired. Two ex-girlfriends testified about his love of bondage and choking—sometimes consensual, sometimes not. The prosecution argued that Strong was a predator who seized opportunities to kidnap and kill vulnerable women. The defense tried to suggest accidental overdose, but Rory’s head injuries told a different story.

Despite no confession and no body for Candace, the evidence was overwhelming. In March 2021, Strong was convicted of first-degree murder for Rory Hashett and manslaughter for Candace Fitzpatrick. He received an automatic life sentence.

Closure—But Not Peace

In July 2021, Strong finally revealed the location of Candace’s remains to a prison guard. Police recovered her body at an intersection in Oshawa, offering her family a measure of closure after a decade of agony. But the scars linger. Rory’s family—connected to the Hell’s Angels and Satan’s Choice—vowed that Strong would never be safe inside. “You can’t kill a biker’s granddaughter and get away with it,” one convict warned.

Yet the biggest mystery remains: What happened in the nine years between Candace and Rory? Did Strong have other victims? How did he evade detection for so long? The prosecution believes these were crimes of opportunity, but the true extent of Strong’s evil may never be known.

The Monster Next Door

Adam Strong wasn’t a criminal mastermind. He was a gas station attendant, a film set security guard, a man who blended into the background of Oshawa for years—until a blocked pipe exposed his horrors. His arrogance, his cruelty, and his chilling lack of remorse make him one of Canada’s most disturbing killers.

As you read this, ask yourself: How many monsters live quietly among us, hiding in plain sight? How many cold cases could be solved by a simple plumbing job? And how close have you come to evil without ever knowing it?

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