Sharon Rosenfeld
Appearances
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
The following morning, he got up about 10, and I asked him if he would take in some dry cleaning and pick me up something at Shoppers Drug Mart, which was only about two and a half blocks from our home. And that morning, for some reason, I walked him down the steps to get to the front door. And we had a glass window on the side of our door, and I watched him until I couldn't see him anymore.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
I watched that familiar jaunt of his, and he was flipping his hair. And I was so proud because he was 16, and I was so filled with joy. with so much pride and love in that, because he was growing up. And he wanted to come and live with you again. Yes, yes. And things, I thought, were going to be well again.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
12.30, 1 o'clock, we were getting concerned. And it was in my mind again, oh my goodness, this kid. You know, what's he doing now?
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
Gary, I knew, came home at 3 o'clock. Darren still wasn't home. I mean, I was just beside myself by that time. So Gary went looking. Again, I just stayed by the phone all the time. And of course, the other two children were coming home from school. So then Gary went driving. He was gone for a couple hours. By the time he came home, we said, okay, it's time to probably call the police.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
We were sitting at the kitchen table and there was two officers and one of them said, we will not do anything with this for 48 hours. And he put his pencil down. He said he's likely run away. He said Vancouver is full of young people that run away. And so they got up and they walked to the door. And I said, so, like, what do we do?
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
And he said, Mrs. Rosenfeld, if you don't know your child by now, chances are you never will. Gary started going to neighbors across the street. He went to Shoppers Drug Mart. He went to the dry cleaners. He went to every little business that was in that small outdoor shopping mall. And he was so surprised and very, very upset that nobody had been there.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
No police had been there to question any of the shop owners. There was no investigation at all. And then we wanted to make posters of Darren. And we went to the media. And the media said that they would need police confirmation before they would do printing of posters for the newspaper. And police wouldn't give their permission. Why? Because they felt that maybe he was a runaway.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
I got another phone call. Mrs. Rosenfeld, I'm sorry, I guess that was your boy after all. That was the death notification. And I just, I, at that time, I remember screaming and I knew my children were at home. And I remember screaming, Gary, Gary, it's Darren, it's Darren. And Gary picking me up off the floor. Our lives as we knew them died with Darren.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
He was 11 years old and there was a specific place where he was to pick up his newspapers to deliver. And so I went to meet him and I seen him sitting on the curb and he had his head in his hands and he was crying and I said, what's going on? What's the matter? And he pointed at the newspaper and there was Darren's picture.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
So I took it out at the binding so I could look at it, and under the bottom of his picture it said, Darren Johnsrud's nude, raped, bludgeoned body was found along the banks of the Fraser River. I had no idea. I had asked the police if he had been found with his clothes on or off. That would give me some indication. They said they could not give us that information.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
And so I respected everything that they told me because the last thing we wanted to do was mess up any type of investigation that they had going. So we had no idea that he had been raped.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
He was this little, beautiful little blonde-haired boy, and to know that or think that somebody could harm a child. Like, it just didn't make sense. Sharon Rosenfeld, Darren's mother. It was overwhelming to us. All of us felt very, very sad, very hurting, even though our children were either missing or had been found murdered.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
They were older than Simon, and I think Simon's age and just the look of Simon, I think affected everybody.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
He had no idea what was out lurking about in individuals. He had never been hurt by anybody. He was very straightforward and seemingly not afraid of anything, but extremely vulnerable. This is Sharon Rosenfeld describing her son, Darren. I feel so strong in my heart that if Clifford said to him, do you want to stop and ask your mom? He would have said no.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
Like he would have felt he was old enough to make his own decision on that. He wasn't a mommy's boy anymore.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
My little guy was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and I was a 19-year-old mother. He was an inquisitive child. He really liked to be around people. He loved our family. We were a close-knit family, so he loved playing with his cousins. And he always made friends very easily.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
I thought he was growing up too fast. He wanted to have more freedom, and he was always chumming with kids who seemed to have more freedom. And I didn't like that at all.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
He was brought home by the police and the reason for the lighters was it was a silly game that the kids did at that time. They would throw the lighters very hard on the floor and the lighters would explode. I guess they got a thrill out of that. Anyway, it was the theft that really, really, really bothered us.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
Usually one or two of the children have a few problems. My other two children were fine, but Darren was just, he was more of a daredevil, more of a, he wanted to be his own boss. He had that type of personality.
Sea of Lies from Uncover
S33 E2: Something Monstrous | Calls From a Killer
And he said, I want to come home. And I was so thrilled.