The Pictou County District RCMP is continuing to investigate the fatal hit and run of Anthony Gerard Burke and is appealing for anyone with information to come forward by releasing a video featuring his story.
On March 27, 1985, 29-year-old Anthony (Tony) Burke was killed when he was struck by a vehicle near 97 Wellington St. in Pictou. Burke had been at a gathering with friends at a home on Wellington St. After an altercation in the home, Tony left the residence on foot at about TIME.
A passing motorist witnessed the incident and attended to Tony, who succumbed to his injuries and died at the roadside. The witness described a blue car, possibly an AMC Gremlin as being involved. The driver of the vehicle left the scene and never returned.
"We have reason to believe the car may still be somewhere in the province, and we're retesting exhibits we seized at the time using the modern technology available to us now," says Cst. Daniel Ronaghan, investigator with the Pictou County District RCMP General Investigative Section. "These steps will help, but we're releasing this video too, hoping someone will come forward with information that answers outstanding questions about what happened to Tony."
Anyone with information about Tony Burke's death is asked to contact Pictou County District RCMP at 902-485-5441. To remain anonymous, contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.
Video
RCMP investigators release video in effort to solve 40-year-old fatal hit and run - Video description
[somber piano music]
[photo of Tony Burke]
[text on screen: Help us find answers for the family of Tony Burke, Nova Scotia RCMP, RCMP Pictou County District]
[Pictou District RCMP Detachment]
[Inspector Mike Ingles stands on the side of Wellington Street]
Inspector Mike Ingles: I'm Inspector Mike Ingles, Operations Officer with the Northeast Nova District RCMP.
[1985 black and white image of Wellington Street transitions to video of modern-day Wellington Street]
Wednesday, March 27, 1985, was a clear evening in Pictou, Nova Scotia. That night, at approximately 9:48 pm, Anthony Gerard Burke was killed when he was struck by a vehicle near 97 Wellington Street.
[A signpost for Wellington Street and a stop sign]
The 29-year-old, known as Tony, had been at a gathering with friends at a home on Wellington Street when an altercation occurred.
When Tony left the residence, he was seen walking down the street.
Moments later, Tony was struck by a vehicle described as a blue car, possibly an AMC Gremlin.
The driver of the vehicle left the scene and didn't return.
A passing motorist who witnessed the incident attended to Tony, who succumbed to his injuries and died at the roadside.
[Constable Daniel Ronaghan walks down a hallway and enters a room inside Pictou Detachment]
Constable Daniel Ronaghan: I came to the unit in November, and I started working on it then as the lead investigator.
[Constable Ronaghan standing in a file storage room]
[text on screen: Constable Daniel Ronaghan, Pictou County District, General Investigative Section]
Any exhibits that were seized on the night of the accident back in 1985, we still have all those exhibits
[A white binder sits on a table. There is print on the binder that says, "1985-375 converted to 2019-1651071 fatal hit and run of Anthony "Tony" Burke, Constable Daniel Ronaghan, Pictou County GIS"]
and we're re-testing to see if there's anything that we can
[Two RCMP police vehicles parked in a driveway from 1985]
use modern technology against
[Red evidence tag with 85-04-02 handwritten on it]
that wasn't available in 1985, DNA being one of them.
[Tony Burkes' clothing laid out on the table]
We've got some information that the car is around.
[Constable Ronaghan standing in a file storage room]
We're working on that to see if we can narrow it down.
[Constable Ronaghan removes clothing in evidence bags from a locker]
The family is very much involved. I'm in close contact with his daughter and she would just like some closure, as would we.
[Constable Ronaghan standing in a file storage room]
Just to see what happened that night.
We want the truth of what happened, and we're hoping someone out there will help us.
[Picture of Tony Burke hugging a tawny brown dog]
[text on screen: Voice of Shauna Collier, daughter of Tony Burke]
Shauna Collier: I know that at the age of 12 years old, I was told my father was killed in a car accident.
I carried this mystery, I went to see my grandmother several times, and I asked her about what had happened, and she clearly was grieving the loss of her son.
It was very hard for her to speak about it and tell me about it.
But eventually she did tell me - that he was killed by someone in the
[Picture of newspaper article from 1985 entitled "Anthony Burke victim of hit and run accident"]
town in a hit and run accident. She also told me that he was hit so hard that he was unrecognizable, and that the hit was intentional.
[Picture of Anthony Burke's obituary from a newspaper. The title reads "Anthony G Burke, 29, of Pictou"]
Whatever your reasons, you left Tony dead, defenseless.
And because of that choice, I've had to live my life without him.
[Stella Maris cemetery in Pictou, Nova Scotia]
Do you ever think about what you did?
[Tony Gerard Burke and Stella Therasa Burke gravestone]
Do you ever wonder about the daughter you hurt? His family?
[Close up of text on grave marker: "Ever loved, sadly missed by mother"]
His mother? Who died with a broken heart, mourning her son.
[Picture of Tony Burke hugging a tawny brown dog]
I think about the moments lost.
The memories stolen from me.
You took them away from me before I even got a chance to know him.
I'll never know what parts of him live in me.
His ways, his laugh, his mannerism.
Would he be proud of me?
But instead, he was killed instantly. And he deserves better.
And his life mattered.
If you know something, or anything, about what happened to my father, I'm asking you to come forward.
For 40 years, I've lived with unanswered questions, carrying the weight of the loss of - his loss - without knowing the full truth.
[photo of Tony Burke]
[text on screen: To help bring answers to the family of Tony Burke, contact Pictou County District RCMP, 902-485-4333 or Crimestoppers 1-800-222-2477. RCMP logo, Pictou County District RCMP, General Investigative Section]
Mike: Anyone with information is asked to contact any RCMP detachment, and if you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact the Nova Scotia
Crime Stoppers at one 800 222 Tips or 1-800-222-8477.
[music stops]
[Screen fades to RCMP crest and signature: Royal Canadian Mounted Police / Gendarmerie royale du Canada]
[RCMP copyright: © His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2023]
[Screen fades to Canada wordmark]