Memorial for murdered Saskatoon man destroyed a second time

A memorial recognizing an elderly Saskatoon man’s murder has been destroyed again.

Harvey Myron Zoerb’s body was found near Fairhaven School over two years ago.

Ward 3 councillor Robert Pearce said Zoerb lived in a group home that served breakfast at 8 a.m.

According to Pearce, Zoerb used to wake up early and go to the nearby 7-Eleven for a cold drink before heading back home in time for breakfast.

On the morning of June 12, 2024, however, Pearce said, “Harvey didn’t return.”

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“Instead, he was brutally murdered in the parking lot of a school exiting the park,” Pearce explained.

While paramedics tended to his injuries, Zoerb was rushed to the hospital and died soon after.

More than two years later, the case remains unsolved.

A roughly two-foot wooden cross was set up to the left of Fairhaven’s H.S. Sears Park sign, serving as a small token of remembrance for Zoerb.

Harvey Myron Zoerb, who died on June 12, 2024, loved the Johnny Cash song “Folsom Prison Blues.” Family and friends were shocked and saddened by his “senseless, violent death.” (Dalmeny Funeral Service)

For the second time now, it’s broken.

“To find out that it was damaged again was really, it was just very disturbing,” Pearce said.

For the councillor, it’s hard to imagine the cross’s destruction was an accident.

“We had (the cross) at the base of some of the shrubs and trees by the sign. So, I don’t see anybody walking through there when literally a metre beside it is pure open grass on both sides,” Pearce said.

“I think it would be more difficult to unintentionally break it than to intentionally break it,” he added. “Especially two years in a row.”

A cross next to flowers outside of H.S. Sears Park to remember Harvey Zoerb in 2024.

A cross was first placed next to flowers outside of H.S. Sears Park to remember Harvey Zoerb in 2024. (650 CKOM file photo)

The community still doesn’t know who destroyed Zoerb’s cross the first time, but Pearce said it was also intentional, judging by how it was broken.

According to Pearce, the stake goes about a foot into the ground, making it difficult to knock over.

Plus, after someone broke it the first time, Pearce said the second one used a stronger design.

So, “it’s hard to imagine somebody accidentally breaking it,” Pearce said.

In an emailed statement, the Saskatoon Police Service said it hasn’t received any reports of someone harming the memorial, though anyone who wants to make a report can call the service or visit police headquarters.

Saskatoon police also said their investigation into Zoerb’s death is active and ongoing.

According to Pearce, two community members are already repairing the memorial, and he expects the cross to be back up sometime this week.

The councillor also reiterated that someone must know something about Zoerb’s killers, especially since his murder was so brutal that the attackers likely walked away with a lot of blood on them.

“If anybody has any information, please contact the police or Crime Stoppers,” Pearce said. “We need the city to be safe again.”