the Woman in the Well - Alice Spence (Saskatoon, SK)

2025-10-05

In 2006, a construction crew in Saskatoon unearthed a barrel hidden in an abandoned well, containing the preserved remains of a young woman murdered a century earlier. For nearly twenty years she was known only as The Woman in the Well, as police tried facial reconstructions, DNA testing, and countless appeals for clues. With the help of investigative genetic genealogy, her identity has finally been revealed: Alice Spence, a seamstress, wife, and mother. This episode of Canadian Gothic traces Alice’s life, her erasure, and the modern science that brought her back into m...

In 2006, a construction crew in Saskatoon unearthed a barrel hidden in an abandoned well, containing the preserved remains of a young woman murdered a century earlier.

For nearly twenty years she was known only as The Woman in the Well, as police tried facial reconstructions, DNA testing, and countless appeals for clues.

With the help of investigative genetic genealogy, her identity has finally been revealed: Alice Spence, a seamstress, wife, and mother.

This episode of Canadian Gothic traces Alice’s life, her erasure, and the modern science that brought her back into memory.

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Musical Theme:

Noir Toyko by Monty Datta

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