The Leader-Post
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
05 Dec 1986, Fri • Page 3
Dennis Melvyn Howe is shown in mugshots taken in (left to right) 1957, 1969,1977 and 1982
Police know Howe rode bus from Toronto to Regina
Editors Note: Demis Melvyn Howe,
a 46-year-old Regina-born drifter is one of Canadas most wanted men. A warrant is outstanding for his arrest in connection with the 1983 brutal murder , of a nine-year-old Toronto girl. Fourth-year journalism students at the University of Regina have compiled a jive-part series on the ellusive Howe. Following is the last part in the series. By Randa Burlock Where is Dennis Melvyn Howe? People across North America have reported seeing the accused murderer in Regina, Edmonton, Kansas City, Mexico and elsewhere. The Regina-born drifter is wanted in connection with the brutal rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in Toronto three years ago. The body of Sharin Morning-star Keenan was found Feb. 1, 1983, stuffed in a refrigerator in the downtown rooming house where a man fitting Howes description had lived until his disappearance right after the murder. Howe had arrived in Toronto a year earlier, soon after he was released from the maximum security prison in Prince Albert. His release, on mandatory supervision, came about 18 months before the end of a 14-year sentence he was serving for armed robbery and hostage-taking. Police believe Howe lured the Keenan girl from a playground to his apartment where he killed her. Then he hopped a Greyhound bus to Regina. S.Sgt. Norman Marchinko of the Regina City Police said their investigation found that Olie 01-shaniak, a former resident of Howes boarding house in Toronto, rode the bus to Regina with Howe. Howe, who was using the alias of Wayne King, told Olie a number of stories about his family, their wealth and so on. He (Howe) was a compulsive liar. Hed get into a story that would go on and on and on. He liked to play the part, Marchinko said. He liked to leave the impression he had it all together. The two got off the bus in Regina and went to the Cornwall Centre. Howe said he was going to meet Olie back there later, but he never returned. Marchinko said Howe went to his half-brothers house, borrowed some money, and told him he was heading back to Toronto. That was the last time Dennis Melvyn Howe is known to have been seen. Since then, according to Insp. David Boothby of the Metro Toronto Police, many people think they have seen Howe. Hardly a week goes by without a possible sighting of him being reported, Boothby said in a telephone interview. Unfortunately, none of these have led to his arrest yet. Shortly after police named Howe as their only suspect in the Keenan girls murder, people in Regina, Edmonton, and Calgary phoned police saying they had spotted Howe. But none of the sightings checked out. Toronto police believe Howe went to Regina, then headed south to the United States. Boothby said Howe often talked about going to the U.S. while he was serving time in the Saskatchewan Penitentiary at Prince Albert. While we dont rule out the possibility that he is still in Canada, I really feel Howe is in the States, Boothby said. And I am certain he is using false ID or some other alias, he added. One of the strongest possible sightings of Howe was in April, 1983, in Kansas City, Mo. A worker at a Salvation Army hostel there said a man matching Howes description stayed there. He recognized Howe from a package of information sent to all hostels in North America by the Toronto police department. But by the time the worker called the police, the suspect had taken off. A year later, a tip from a Kingston, Ont., man about Howe being in Mexico, led to a massive search on the Mexican island of Cozumel. Mark Kennedy, who was vacationing on the island, told police he saw a man who resembled Howe in a Mexican bar. He looked familiar but I couldnt figure out why, Kennedy said in a published report at the time. I kept thinking about it and then days later it clicked in my mind. I had seen his picture in the paper. He was a suspect in the killing of that little girl in Toronto. But a month-long police hunt for Howe in Mexico turned up nothing. A search for Howe in Winnipeg was also intensified because his brother lives there, but police had no better luck. ' While authorities continue to take any possible sightings of Howe seriously, many turn out to be cases of mistaken identity. For example, there is a man in Regina who police call a dead ringer for Howe. Supt. Lloyd Anderson of the Regina police said his department talked to many people who saw this man. We got calls every time that guy went out, Anderson said. A sighting of Howe in Goder ich, Ont., hit newspapers all across Canada, a couple of years ago. Two women in the town were convinced they spotted him in a downtown shop. But several days later, a startled travelling salesman from Stratford, Ont., went to police after he read a newspaper story and realized he was the man the women had seen. A Vancouver dentist figured he had Howe as a patient in July 1983 when he saw Howes dental charts and photograph. His suspicions heightened when the man took off without paying his bill. Police picked up the man, but it was not Howe. This summer a tavern owner in Hamilton, Ont., was sure Howe was a regular customer. It turned out to be another Howe lookalike. A $100,000 reward is still up for grabs to anyone who gives the Toronto police information that leads to the arrest of Dennis Melvyn Howe. He is described as five-foot-nine, 165 pounds, with dark brown hair which is greying at the sides. A scar is under his chin. He walks with a quick military-like gait, is a heavy drinker, smokes and often uses the word turkey. According to police, Howe is well-built and about 30 pounds thinner than indicated in his photograph. He has used several aliases, including Michael Burns, Wayne King, Ralph Ferguson and Jim Myers. Boothby is confident police will catch up with Howe eventually. He has got to be looking over his shoulder. A guy can stay in a place for years, but one day his neighbors are going to recognize him and turn him in.
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[URL='https://www.newspapers.com/title_406/the_atlanta_constitution/'] The Atlanta Constitution
Atlanta, Georgia
17 Sep 1987, Thu • Page 6 [/URL]
6 THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION Toronto detective won't give up hunt for suspect in girl's murder ',.
ByJohnBelanger Journal-Constitution Correspondent TORONTO -
If Dennis Melvyn Howe is reading this, he ought to heed the advice of the late Satchel Paige in his 1953 book, "How to ; Keep Young": "Don't look back, , something may be gaining on you." The "something" in this case is ' really a "somebody" Wayne Oldham, 42, a homicide detective with the Metropolitan Toronto Police Department, who knows more about J Howe than anyone else alive. . Oldham, a muscular 6-footer ;, and sandy-haired father of three, has been looking for Howe since Feb. 1, 1983, seven days after Howe , ; allegedly raped and strangled 9- year-old Sharin' Morningstar ' Keenan, leaving her body in. a green S garbage bag in the refrigerator of ', the shabby midtown Toronto room ' he rented. i The girl had been dead for a week. She had disappeared from a ' nearby park late in the afternoon of j Jan. 23, and Oldham has evidence t of how she was enticed to Howe's room, though he won't reveal it be- cause he doesn't want to jeopardize ' his case in Canadian courts. Nor will he reveal forensic evidence in the murder, though he says the case against Howe is ; "substantial." He also says, "Never will I ever forget seeing that body in that fridge. It left such an indelible impression in my whole being." ; Asked if he is obsessed by Howe and the relentless, one-man, 4V4-year search, Oldham says, "I'm not obsessed, but I sure am enthusiastic," The case has been one of the most publicized in Canadian history, highlighted by a national poster " campaign, television appeals, media stories, and a cross-country swing by officers chasing leads. It has led nowhere. Oldham is amazed that Howe hasn't been found, fueling his dedication to the case. Howe is 46, weighs 165 pounds and is 5 feet 9 inches tall. He drinks I beer, could be a braggart, smokes unfiltered cigarettes heavily, has thinning brown hair graying at the sides, and has worked mostly as a common laborer. . A year before the murder, Howe was released from prison in Prince Thursday, Spptrmhfr 1 7, 1 987 , "f" ' UMIAUULl! I fiJ ' ' - ' ' ... ' -i ' 5t fMRMNT I f fa MURDER -Hwe THE GLOBE AND MAIL, TORONTOSpecial Toronto homicide Detective Wayne Oldham says it's 'astounding' that his quarry, Dennis Melvyn Howe, has eluded capture for 4Va years. Albert, Saskatchewan, after serving 14 years of a 15-year sentence for armed robbery and hostage taking. Because of his western Canadian background, Oldham believes Howe may have fled to the southwestern United States and may be hiding in Texas or Arizona. At the time of the murder, Howe needed extensive dental work because of abscesses in his crooked front teeth, and had borrowed $200 from his employer the day after the crime, ostensibly for dental work. Then he promptly disappeared. Despite working on other homicides, Oldham still spends, several The symbols of peace and friend, ship have inspired one of the most memorable creations today. The handcrafted I4K Gold Cfaddagh King. A tradition for some three hundred years, the Claddagh Ring takes its name from a quaint hours a week working on Howe's disappearance. "Looking at his background and his lifestyle and his flight from Toronto after this offense, it's just astounding that he hasn't been arrested. "I've had hundreds and hundreds of sightings from people who believe they've seen Howe," he says, "but to this day not one has been confirmed. "Above everything else, there's the mystery of where this guy is, and the daily question of, 'Why can't I find him?'
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The Morning Star
Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
30 Sep 1998, Wed • Page 44
Cross Canada campaign hunts for man wanted on warrant for murder
Is one of Canada's most wanted murder suspects living in your community? That's a question Detective Bob Wilkinson of the Toronto Police Service wants residents across the country to ask themselves during a community newspaper campaign to catch Dennis Artist's impression of what Melvyn Dennis Melvyn Howe Howe would look llke 'odaY- A first-degree murder warrant was issued for Howe in 1983 following the murder of nine-year-old Sharin Morningstar Keenan of Toronto. Keenan went missing from her neighbourhood park and her body was found in a rooming house refrigerator nine days later. Although a warrant was issued for Howe's arrest, he has managed to evade capture for more than 15 years. Police believe the suspect, now 57, has assumed a new identity and is living in Canada, possibly in a rural area. "Most of his adult life, he was constantly in contact with the authorities for one reason or another," Wilkinson said. "It seems strange a person like this could just up and vanish." Community newspapers across the country are hoping Howe will reappear during their Nowhere To Hide campaign. This week a copy of this story with an age-enhanced photograph of Howe are being distributed to up to 10 million newspaper readers from coast to coast with the help of the Ontario Community g Newspapers Association and the Canadian Community Newspapers Association. It is hoped Howe will be located through the efforts of this campaign. Wilkinson, an investigator with Toronto Police's cold case homicide squad, said Howe, a drifter, is no stranger to "rugged, rural living." Wilkinson said it wouldn't be a surprise to discover Howe is living in the woods somewhere. "But even if you live in the back woods, you have to come to town once in awhile. You have to get some supplies." He may be working as a handyman in a rural area and venturing into town once a week for supplies. "He was in bad health from the word go, so if he was living the life of a hermit, he would probably require medical attention," the investigator said. At the time of the murder, Toronto Police describe Howe as being five feet, nine inches (175 cm) tall, about 165 lb. (75 kg), with wrinkles on his forehead, a gap between his teeth, hairy chest and arms, square shoulders, a scar under his chin and crooked little fingers. Police said he is left-handed, had a deep, jovial laugh, walked quickly, smoked heavily and frequently used the term "Turkeys". Anyone with information about Howe is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about Dennis Melvyn Howe, visit the ' Nowhere To Hide web sit at Howe photographed in 1977.
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National Post
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
05 Sep 2013, Thu • Page 8
Robert James Miller's DNA DNA to prove if man is child killer Idaho man looks like Canadian fugitive: police By Adrian Humphreys A DNA sample from an Idaho appliance repairman is finally on its way to Toronto police, so they can find out if he is a fugitive child killer who has eluded one of Canada's largest manhunts or a bizarre case of mistaken identity. The National Post revealed in July that the FBI had visited Robert James Miller at the request of Toronto's cold case squad that continues to investigate the headline-grabbing 1983 murder of Sharin' Morningstar Keenan. Police were alerted to Mr. Miller because of his striking physical resemblance to fugitive Dennis Melvyn Howe, accused in the rape and murder of the nine-year-old girl. Mr. Miller has also claimed to know what happened to the girl's killer, despite never having been to Canada. The FBI agents, however, neglected to take the genetic sample that is best able to confirm someone's identity. Despite the FBI interviewing Mr. Miller and taking fingerprints, photograph and copies of his birth certificate, detectives are not yet prepared to dismiss his similarities without DNA, said Det.-Sgt. Steve Ryan, head of Toronto police's cold case squad. So the U.S. agents were asked to return and take a sample. "Nothing has been discounted has been collected by the FBI shop in Nampa, Idaho, near Boise. He drew attention to himself by writing a bizarre account on the fate of the man he says is the real fugitive, claiming he turned Howe over to authorities 15 years ago and he was secretly killed by vengeful investigators. He posted his story online. He denies being the fugitive. "I'm definitely not Dennis Melvyn Howe. I'm the one who turned him in," he said in an extensive interview in July. "If I'm Dennis Melvyn Howe I don't see any reason in the world why they wouldn't be after me by now," he said. He said he has "never, never, never," been to Canada. He was not available Wednesday to comment on the new developments in the case. Because of the cross-border nature of the inquiry, progress in confirming that Mr. Miller is not Howe has taken a long time, said Det.-Sgt. Ryan. On Jan. 23, 1983, Sharin' asked her mother, Lynda Keenan, if she could play in Jean Sibelius Park in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood. She was told to come home in half an hour. She never did. Days later, after a public search, Sharin's body was found when a detective opened the refrigerator in the apartment rented by Howe at 482 Brunswick Ave. She had been raped, strangled and stuffed into a garbage bag. Howe disappeared after the murder, but his fingerprints were in the apartment, and his genetic material on Sharin's remains. The Regina-born man has evaded capture despite the largest Canada-wide manhunt at the time and the passing of 30 years. "Like every other unsolved murder, we continue to follow tips," said Det.-Sgt. Ryan.
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2015 looks like last articles I can find concerning Howe
The Province
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
02 Nov 2015, Mon • Page 9
Quirky repairman cleared as suspect despite resembling man wanted for 1983 child sex slaying
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015 ADRIAN HUMPHREYS NATIONAL POST
Robert Miller drew the attention of police by saying he had hired a fugitive, wanted in the 1983 slaying of a Toronto girl, to whom he bore a striking resemblance. otto kitsinger national post files TORONTO A man in Idaho who bore such a striking resemblance to a fugitive in 1983's headline-grabbing sex slaying of Sharin' Morningstar Keenan that Toronto police and the FBI probed his background has finally been cleared as a suspect Robert James Miller, a quirky appliance repairman and offbeat art collector, brought unwanted attention to himself by writing a bizarre account ofhis alleged brush with the wanted man, Dennis Melvyn Howe, and dwelling on the unsolved murder in online posts. Miller fit the profile of the suspected killer and bore a remarkable resemblance to age-enhanced photos of Howe. Both men are about the same vintage, close in height and are physically similar. Both are left-handed. Both were once heavy smokers and handy with machines. Both seem smart but not well-educated. And Miller is married to a woman from Toronto, giving him a tie to the city. Miller seemed his own worst ene- fx"1 "ft r Dennis Melvyn Howe circa 1977. REGINA LEADER-POST FILES my, maintaining he hired Howe to do odd jobs in Nampa, outside Boise, in the 1990s and, after recogniz-mghirn, called authorities. But rather than returning Howe to Canada for a trial, he colourful -ly claims two vengeful, retired cops shanghaied Howe and killed him "most likely from a fall on his way back to Canada from an airplane." When the Post found Miller in 20 12, behind the counter of Miller Appliance and Refrigeration, he was jovial about the unwanted police attention but maintained an unusual edge. He also said he owns several paintings by Rembrandt and Van Gogh, bought at garage and estate sales. Just before the Post's inquiry, two FBI agents visited him with a dossier on Howe sent by Toronto police. The FBI agents took Miller's photo, fingerprints and a copy ofhis birth certificate, he said. They asked him a lot of questions and left Agents returned later for a DNA sample. It took a while for things to be settled because of the cross-border nature of the case and because current murders took precedence. But Det.-Sgt. Steve Ryan, head of Toronto police's cold case squad, finally struck Miller off the list as a suspect. "It's not him," said Ryan. On Jan. 23, 1983, Sharin' askedher mother, Lynda Keenan, if she could play in a nearby park. She was told to return home in half an hour. She never did. Days later, Sharin's body was found. She had been found in a refrigerator, raped, strangled, and stuffed into a garbage bag. Howe had rented the apartment, his fingerprints were in the apartment and his genetic material on the girl's remains.
