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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-04-20, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, April 20, 2016 He left Huron County and days later, murdered Former Seaforth employee killed by serial killer, gone but not forgotten Shaun Gregory Postmedia Network R.J. developed a passion for carpentry during the short time he was employed in Seaforth, but no amount of woodworking could equal the love he had for his chil- dren. It's believed a change in visitations 'forced' the young father to part ways with the job he had grown fond of, an investigation by the London Police revealed he would be murdered only days later. R.J. Ratz, was 31 -years -old at the time and living in the Clinton Ont. area with his father. Not having a valid driving license, the constant distance between his two children Sophie and Robert who are now seven and six - years -old respectively, started to drain him, physi- cally and financially. As the two children resided in Lon- don Ont., the hour car ride twice a week took everything out of him, he knew moving closer was what made the most sense. "In order to get a ride, he was hitchhiking or bumming a ride, which was costing him a fortune," said Dan Blake, owner of Blake Build- ing & Renovations Inc., the person who initially hired Ratz as a labourer. "There were times when he didn't eat because he was sending money to his kids." Being one of the nine employed, all in which Blake considers family rather than workers, he knew immedi- ately Ratz's children were "his Since Jason Cleveland has killed three people, he's considered a serial killer. One of three men to lose their lives to Cleveland was a former Seaforth employee. world." So when Ratz approached his boss in tears and said, "I have to leave, I have to move to London." Blake told the Expositor in his garage that it was no secret "it was for his kids." The crew of carpenters respected Ratz's decision, knowing he did not have a vehicle available, they CAN CUSTOMERS FIND YOUR BUSINESS WHILE SEARCHING ONLINE? Search Engine Marketing (SEM) can help increase visitors to your website, by ranking advertisements higher in search engine results. SEM is an easy solution to help more customers find your business while searching online. Seaforth Huron Expositor can help you implement SEM for your business. Get started today by calling Nancy deGans at 1.519.527.0240 or visiting postmediaadvertising,cam/DMS SIL ron Expositor rp] POSTMEDIA ea ort uronex . ositor.co gave him a lift. That would be his last time in Huron County. The roughly 80 km trek was what led up to his death as a result of a blunt force head trauma. Police found the father of two dead stuffed in a large blue recycle bin in the small apartment that was sup- posed to be shared by he and his killer, Jason Cleveland. "It was a huge shock and the guys that helped him move there, initially felt some responsibility, like my god, we moved him there, stated Blake, 41. "I honestly, from my heart believe, if he hadn't moved to London, he would still be here. He would have been a licensed carpenter." Tracy Cooper, 43, is the half-sister of Ratz, she lived in the apartment building where Cleveland left her bludgeoned brother as well as stashed the lifeless body of Kevin David Walkey, 50, in a couch. "We lived in the apartment where all this happened. I think that's what drew R.J. to hookup with this guy because his family was in the building, she said. Cooper said he was set to move into the apartment between February 21-22, she remembers this specific date because that was the day she left for a vacation to Cuba. The getaway ended and Cooper didn't hear anything from her brother. It was not uncommon to have spurts when they didn't talk. Sean, Cooper's son was rather close to Ratz, she said he Every Set of Lost Keys Has a Story "We lost our keys at a hockey game out of town, including our expensive -to -replace smart key for the car. Our War Amps key tag did its job when our keys were returned to us last week by courier, much to our relief." — War Amps supporter The Key Tag Service — it's free and it works. Nearly 13,000 sets of lost keys are returned every year. trtil 11, 1i The War Amps 1 800 250-3030 waramps.ca The War Amps does not receive government grants. Charitable Registration No.: 13196 9628 RR0001 received a text saying he "went to Ottawa with friends." "We found out later that was actually Jason Cleveland texting my son, so nobody would look for him," stated Cooper in a recent interview. Ken Steeves, constable for the London Police is quite familiar with the case. He said even though Cleveland may possibly be considered a serial killer, due to the fact that he killed another person a decade before, this is not out of the ordinary, particu- larly the way he did it. "There is a case where a body was found dismem- bered and found in a hockey bag," he said in a recent phone interview. "It's certainly a rare situa- tion but unfortunately not unheard of" Last month, Cleveland was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in Shaun Gregory Dan Blake, owner of Blake Building & Renovations Inc. stands next to the shop that employed R.J. Ratz. After leaving the company to be closer to his children, days later, according to the London Police Ratz was murdered. connection to the two men. That makes three males to lose their lives to the hands of Cleveland, which fits the profile of a serial killer. "I'm not happy with the outcome. I don't think he deserves the right to ever get out of jail. Especially every- thing he has done in total, the first one and the addi- tional two," Cooper said. "I am happy he is locked up for a very long time and he can't hurt anyone else." His boss in Seaforth said he would rather not com- ment on what his feelings are towards Ratz's killer. It's been three years since he left the shop and instead of thinking negatively about the bizarre happening, the organization reminisces from time to time. "Every once in a while R.J. comes up and we have a good laugh," he said. "He had a smile and a laugh that could warm up a room and I was proud to have known him." Mike Hensen/The London Free Press/Qmi Agency Forensics officers and coroners staff prepare to lift a large plastic canister carrying human remains into the coroners van at the parking entrance at 85 Fiddlers Green Road on Sunday Mar 31, 2013. R.J. Ratz is pictured here in the middle. It's believed he left his job in Seaforth to live closer to his two children.