Sergeant Michael Pedley

Michael Pedley began his journey into policing at 16, leaving his close-knit family – he was the middle of five brothers – to live and work alongside fellow Metropolitan London Police cadets.

A good student, he qualified to join as a cadet having passed his English, Math and Science classes.

By 19, the six-foot-tall boy from Plymouth was a confident, witty and intelligent Police Constable about central London.

But after visiting his eldest brother David in Canada, he decided to strike out on a new adventure and a new life, he soon left for Canada alongside two other Met officers.

It was an auspicious start as he would meet Diana, who he would later marry, on the Empress of Canada ship along the way just as so many of his countrymen poured into Canada on its centennial year.

After a brief stint working in Sudbury mines, he soon found his way back to policing, joining the ranks of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force on Sept. 19, 1967. He was married to Diana in 1969.

He rediscovered his passion for the work, serving mostly in 13 and 14 Divisions, and finding his niche in investigative roles.

He received the rank of sergeant in 1976, a quick promotion at only age 30 and continued to work in investigative roles as a detective.

That same year he was honoured as Policemen of the Month for pulling a man from a burning vehicle on the Don Valley Parkway.

He played his home country’s sport of soccer often but developed a love of the Leafs and especially the newly formed Blue Jays, taking in their snowy first game at Exhibition stadium and many afterwards.

He raised his family in West Hill, a daughter and son, the former Boy Scout nurturing a love of the outdoors in his own children taking them on camping trips to Sauble Beach.

But it was in early 1982, when he caught one of the cases that would burden him long after. He and his partner were canvassing the neighbourhood where nine-year-old Sharin’ Morningstar Keenan was last seen when a landlord told them about a tenant who had left suddenly.

They followed her to the room he had rented and made the horrifying discovery of the little girl’s body in a refrigerator.

Her murderer was identified but has never been found.

A conscientious and dedicated investigator Pedley later moved to the Hold Up Squad – a highly sought-after role.

It’s not believed that he ever received treatment for any operational stress injuries from the Morningstar case or any the other traumatic cases or incidents he responded to as an officer.

Describing his work, he said that police officers were exposed to many things that most people would never see. He never spoke of those circumstances with his family.

It was a shock to his entire family that he died by suicide as his pain was never made clear to them.

He died because of the line of duty on May 14, 1987, survived by his wife, nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son.

“Dad is often one sentence in a story. There is so much more to him as a police officer and a person beyond how he died,” said his daughter Melissa Busby. “We want him to be honoured for his work and who he was as a person.”