Ernie MacAulay was born and raised in St. Catherine's, PEI and is the grandnephew of the case's victim, Mary Ann MacKinnon. He has a Bachelor's of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Windsor, and worked in federal policing and commercial crime investigations units for much of his career. As a member of the RCMP, he filled a variety of roles including Officer in Charge of the Vancouver Commercial Crime Section and Officer in Charge of Richmond Detachment. This law enforcement background, combined with dedicated academic research and ancestral history, has formed the basis for Ernie's insights into the legal issues at the heart of this story. He retired from the RCMP in 2001 and currently lives in Charlottetown with his wife Ruth.