The Mr. Big Confession: What Happened to Jennifer Hillier-Penney?

About this episode

The episode explores the haunting case of Jennifer Hillier-Penney's disappearance and the subsequent undercover operation that led to a confession from her estranged husband.

On the morning of December 1, 2016, a teenage girl woke up to the sound of her mother's cellphone alarm ringing endlessly from the kitchen table. Jennifer Hillier-Penney's purse was still there. Her coat was still there. Her boots, passport, vehicle, and personal belongings had all been left behind. Jennifer was nowhere to be found. What followed was one of Newfoundland and Labrador's most haunting missing persons cases. For years, Jennifer's family searched for answers while rumours spread through the small town of St. Anthony. Many believed they knew what had happened, but the police made no arrest, and Jennifer's body was never found. Then, behind the scenes, the RCMP launched one of the largest undercover Mr. Big operations in the province's history. Over four years, undercover officers built an elaborate fake criminal organization designed to gain the trust of one man: Jennifer's estranged husband, Dean Penney. Seven years after Jennifer disappeared, a confession on a boat in Vancouver Harbour would change everything. Sources: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/dean-penney-charged-in-mr-big-sting-found-guilty-of-first-degree-murder/…

Topics covered

• missing persons
• true crime
• undercover operations
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• murder confession

Keywords

• Jennifer Hillier-Penney
• Dean Penney
• missing persons case
• Mr. Big operation
• true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: RCMP

Places: St. Anthony

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