CANADA Canada - Shelly Bacsu, 16, Hinton, AB, 3 May 1983

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SAMS said:
Was the bf questioned? Did anyone other than him see her leave the trailer? Was it normal for her to walk or did she normally call parents or someone for a ride? MOO
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The boyfriend was cleared of any wrongdoing, early in the investigation.
 
The Doe Network: Case File 28DFAB
Case File 28DFAB

SBacsu.jpg
SBacsu1.jpg
SBacsu2.jpg

Left and Center: Bacsu, circa 1982; Right: Age-progressed by NCMEC to age 22.

''Shelly Anne Bacsu
Missing since May 3, 1983 from Hinton, Alberta, Canada.''
  • Date Of Birth: April 7, 1967
    • Age at Time of Disappearance: 16 years old
    • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'0; 90 lbs
    • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes.
    • Medical Conditions: Bacsu has rheumatoid arthritis and a hearing impairment.
    • Marks, Scars: Bacsu has freckles on her face and a small scar on her forehead.
    • Clothing: A gray & burgundy jacket, a purple sweater, a red/burgundy velour sweater, blue jeans and
      blue & gray Cougar running shoes. She was carrying a blue binder.
    • Jewelry: She had a ring with a green stone, opal stone earrings and a necklace with two red hearts.
    • AKA: Shelly Anne Urban
    • Dentals: Her teeth were in perfect condition at the time of her disappearance
    • rbbm.
Circumstances of Disappearance
Bacsu was last seen at approximately 8:30 PM on May 3, 1983 as she walked down Highway 16 towards her home near Highway 40 in Hinton, Alberta.

Following her disappearance, articles of her clothing were found near the Athabasca River, but she has never been recovered.
At first, authorities suspected that she had run away, but after the articles of her clothing were found, they believe foul play may be involved.
 
Fede said:
Is there any trace of blood or body fluids on her clothes? Were they ripped? Or does it seem that she took off them and throw them?
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Mother still desperate for answers 37 years after teen daughter Shelley-Anne Bacsu disappeared while walking home in Hinton, Alberta, Canada

This link contains more detail than I've seen elsewhere. About the DNA question specifically:

Staff Sergeant Jason Zazulak told Dateline the unit decided to take a fresh look at Shelley-Anne’s case at the request of the family. Throughout the years, they have followed up on new tips, re-interviewed witnesses and had DNA samples tested. DNA found at the scene belongs to an unknown individual who Sgt. Zazulak considers a “person of interest,” but nothing has yet led authorities to Shelley-Anne.
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I wonder about the vagueness of the phrase used elsewhere about no DNA sample "that would lead to a suspect". Is the quote from the Dateline interview accurate? What exactly is wrong with the DNA sample found: is it incomplete? degraded? or simply hasn't been matched to a suspect?

Obviously DNA evidence is complicated and cross-checking is not as simple as it sounds. But I wish there was more clarity in this case, especially because so many people, especially in Western Canada, are emotionally invested in it.

Does anyone know of any Canadian cold cases solved with the use of genealogical databases? I'm aware that this is also not as simple as it sounds, especially since things have recently changed so that people uploading DNA samples have to take extra steps to opt-in to giving law enforcement access to their data. But I'm sure if the RCMP put out a public appeal for people in that part of the country to take those steps, many who want to see this case move forward would volunteer.

Unrelated: comments blaming Shelly are totally unnecessary and inappropriate. Even if the dangers of hitch-hiking on that highway were well-publicized in the early 80s, which I don't believe they were, every case other than Shelly's was from BC. It was a different time, she was 16, and given the time of year, it may have still been light out when she left her boyfriend's home. Even if that was not the case, we're still talking about a murdered child here. For all we know, her killer pulled over to ask for directions, she got close because of her hearing impairment, and he grabbed her. It also doesn't seem to have been established why she was walking. Even at a brisk pace, it would have taken nearly two hours for her to get home. Even if she had made it, her mother still would have been worried sick. So why no call? There is something we haven't been told here, and only comments that move things forward should be shared.
 
pinkclinker said:
Mother still desperate for answers 37 years after teen daughter Shelley-Anne Bacsu disappeared while walking home in Hinton, Alberta, Canada

This link contains more detail than I've seen elsewhere. About the DNA question specifically:



I wonder about the vagueness of the phrase used elsewhere about no DNA sample "that would lead to a suspect". Is the quote from the Dateline interview accurate? What exactly is wrong with the DNA sample found: is it incomplete? degraded? or simply hasn't been matched to a suspect?

Obviously DNA evidence is complicated and cross-checking is not as simple as it sounds. But I wish there was more clarity in this case, especially because so many people, especially in Western Canada, are emotionally invested in it.

Does anyone know of any Canadian cold cases solved with the use of genealogical databases? I'm aware that this is also not as simple as it sounds, especially since things have recently changed so that people uploading DNA samples have to take extra steps to opt-in to giving law enforcement access to their data. But I'm sure if the RCMP put out a public appeal for people in that part of the country to take those steps, many who want to see this case move forward would volunteer.

Unrelated: comments blaming Shelly are totally unnecessary and inappropriate. Even if the dangers of hitch-hiking on that highway were well-publicized in the early 80s, which I don't believe they were, every case other than Shelly's was from BC. It was a different time, she was 16, and given the time of year, it may have still been light out when she left her boyfriend's home. Even if that was not the case, we're still talking about a murdered child here. For all we know, her killer pulled over to ask for directions, she got close because of her hearing impairment, and he grabbed her. It also doesn't seem to have been established why she was walking. Even at a brisk pace, it would have taken nearly two hours for her to get home. Even if she had made it, her mother still would have been worried sick. So why no call? There is something we haven't been told here, and only comments that move things forward should be shared.
Click to expand...
Welcome to Ws pinkclinker!
There have been a number of cases solved in recent days/months through the use of DNA ect, one of the earliest involved a young couple from BC..
Ws threads..

DNA Solves Cold Cases/Parabon Nanolabs & GED/Match.

GUILTY - WA - Jay Cook, 20, & Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, Skagit County, 24 Nov 1987
 
Hi there,
I do not feel shaming or blaming a young girl, who is not here to defend herself is at all nessecary. The eighties were a different time and the town was small and quiet. I know, I lived in Edson at the time and us kids all ran around all over the place until late into the evening without a care in the world. We would regularly go to Hinton with our families as shopping was better there at the time, no one worried while parents shopped, we hung out around town.
Things changed when Shelly went missing. No one went anywhere alone after the that.
I do believe Shelly left sunset about 8 pm and then her boyfriend, at the time called her house around 9 pm. That was when her mother got very concerned. The police past her off as just a runaway or that would show up later. Police did not begin a search until three days later when some of her belongings were found down on east river road area. Witnesses saw her getting into a late model blue van with B.C. plates. Three men were seen in the van and the van had been seen around town for about three days before her disappearance.
 
pinkclinker said:
Does anyone know of any Canadian cold cases solved with the use of genealogical databases? I'm aware that this is also not as simple as it sounds, especially since things have recently changed so that people uploading DNA samples have to take extra steps to opt-in to giving law enforcement access to their data. But I'm sure if the RCMP put out a public appeal for people in that part of the country to take those steps, many who want to see this case move forward would volunteer.
Click to expand...

I believe "Septic Tank Sam" was identified this way in 2021, after his body had been found in a rural area of Alberta. The killers have yet to be identified, but at least the family has closure. His name was Gordon Sanderson, and he had moved from Manitoba in the 70s to find work in Alberta.
 
pinkclinker said:
Mother still desperate for answers 37 years after teen daughter Shelley-Anne Bacsu disappeared while walking home in Hinton, Alberta, Canada

This link contains more detail than I've seen elsewhere. About the DNA question specifically:



I wonder about the vagueness of the phrase used elsewhere about no DNA sample "that would lead to a suspect". Is the quote from the Dateline interview accurate? What exactly is wrong with the DNA sample found: is it incomplete? degraded? or simply hasn't been matched to a suspect?

Obviously DNA evidence is complicated and cross-checking is not as simple as it sounds. But I wish there was more clarity in this case, especially because so many people, especially in Western Canada, are emotionally invested in it.

Does anyone know of any Canadian cold cases solved with the use of genealogical databases? I'm aware that this is also not as simple as it sounds, especially since things have recently changed so that people uploading DNA samples have to take extra steps to opt-in to giving law enforcement access to their data. But I'm sure if the RCMP put out a public appeal for people in that part of the country to take those steps, many who want to see this case move forward would volunteer.

Unrelated: comments blaming Shelly are totally unnecessary and inappropriate. Even if the dangers of hitch-hiking on that highway were well-publicized in the early 80s, which I don't believe they were, every case other than Shelly's was from BC. It was a different time, she was 16, and given the time of year, it may have still been light out when she left her boyfriend's home. Even if that was not the case, we're still talking about a murdered child here. For all we know, her killer pulled over to ask for directions, she got close because of her hearing impairment, and he grabbed her. It also doesn't seem to have been established why she was walking. Even at a brisk pace, it would have taken nearly two hours for her to get home. Even if she had made it, her mother still would have been worried sick. So why no call? There is something we haven't been told here, and only comments that move things forward should be shared.
Click to expand...

The Christine Jessop cold case from 1984 was solved by genealogy databases although the killer was deceased by then.

Canada - Christine Jessop, 9, Queensville, Ont, 3 Oct 1984 *killer identified* #3

DNA solves 1984 murder of Christine Jessop, suspect dead: Toronto police | Globalnews.ca
 
Does a Dateline episode actually exist for this case?
 
The NBC article from 2020 has a link to Muriel's FB page, and although no news about the case, she has posted her sentiments as recently as March 7.

From: Mother still desperate for answers 37 years after teen daughter Shelley-Anne Bacsu disappeared while walking home in Hinton, Alberta, Canada

“You would think after 30 years, it would get easier,” Muriel said. “But it doesn’t. I’m going to be 76 next month and I don’t want to leave this world without knowing what happened to my girl.”

In 2013, Muriel started a Facebook page in an effort to share memories of her daughter and to attempt to gather any piece of information that could help solve the mystery surrounding her disappearance.

Hopefully the DNA of whoever that unknown individual is will some day result in resolution through advances in genealogical research.

Many of us know the pain of losing children and it never truly goes away. It lessens somewhat over time, but the love never stops and they are in your heart every day, no matter how long it has been.

My heart goes out to Muriel with a wish that Shelly's case will be solved.

Muriel's page about Shelly
 
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