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

[Forest_Wood]

I’m sorry if it was already mentioned, but how old were the Horwoods? Are they still alive? Did they see the picture of CH? I wonder if they said “that’s him”.

Good question and I don’t know their age. They were described as an elderly couple.

 

[Forest_Wood]

We must think alike because I have considered the exact same scenario, right down to him offering to buy the candy and circling around in his car to pick her up.

There was also a report of a car parked near their house around the time she disappeared. I think it was described as dark blue or green. I think he offered her a ride and in her rush she left the bike where it was found instead of using the kickstand. She had her recorder with her since she was excited to show it off. He also may have told her he would bring her to the jail to see her father, like her brother had always thought.

And yes, the older threads are very interesting and informative. There were some posters who put a lot of time and effort into the discussion.

It makes sense to me that she was driven to the store and I think she believed she would be returned home right away, just because of how she left her bike. Nice to hear that you had similar thoughts! The Horwoods described the driver as being “dark”. It’s hard to interpret that word. Dark hair? Dark skin? He could have been tanned at that time of year and his hair is dark. It’s just too bad they hadn’t seen the licence plate, but when things are happening that quickly while driving, it’s very difficult to get details. The fact that they both observed this incident happening just as Christine was considered missing is no coincidence in my mind. And that they were so concerned that they even followed the car, speaks so much also.

 

[Forest_Wood]

deleted duplicate

 

[Keswick84]

Reading the previous threads, some of the earlier posters put so much thought and effort into developing and presenting their theories. It was quite remarkable to read through them and they did such a great job with the evidence they had at the time.

Some thoughts I have had since reading those (and moo) is that CH may have arrived just when Christine was leaving on her bike to go to the store. I think she could have had her recorder in a front pocket of her sweatshirt if she had that type of sweatshirt on — the kind that has the full width pocket across the front of the stomach.

He pulled up in his vehicle and asked where she was going and he offered to give her a ride to the store. “Hop in my car, I’ll drive you there.”

He may have initially hoped to spend only a brief amount of time with her to assault her, like I believe he may have done on occasion during visits. It was reported the family had just been at their home two days previously. I don’t believe he had a solid plan other than to sexually assault her. He wanted to take the contact to the next level.

He needed to get her away from the house and into his car quickly. He may have offered to pay for her candy or asked her to get something for him while she was in the store. She got in his car and he drove her to the store. This would explain why nobody witnessed her going to or returning from the store and why she didn’t take her bike.

The owner of the store was adamant she was there that day. Hoover dropped her off at the corner and drove around the block or he made a maneouver to position his car in front of the store to pick her up again when she came out.

The witness Robert Atkinson saw her outside the store looking like she could have been waiting for someone. He saw a “bag of candy” in her hand and her recorder.

When Hoover repositioned his vehicle, he was now facing eastbound on Queensville S.R. He picked her up in front of the store again and he was desperately trying to come up with the next part of his plan to get in in private.

Once she was in the car again, he may have said something to her to indicate he wanted her to do something with him, such as, “Let’s go park the car and have some fun”. Or maybe he took her hand and placed it on him.

She resisted and said she wanted to go home, take me home! He told he he’d take her home, so he turned left back onto Leslie St to make her think he was taking her home and to calm her down.

At the same time, she suddenly realized the danger she was in and began struggling so CH began pushing her down to control her at the busy intersection. I think the injury to her face may have happened at this time.

The Horwoods in the other car observed this struggle. It stood out to both of them that something was suspicious going on in that car. They followed the car and lost sight of it after it turned into a left side street in a residential section. It’s possible that the couple had to wait a minute or more before being able to turn left while oncoming traffic went by on the busy Leslie Street. This pause may have given the driver of the other car enough time to drive around that circle and exit again before they got a chance to catch up.

I think the sighting by that couple was a very important eye-witness account in this case that was not followed up adequately.

You are correct that it was not followed up on, but it's not clear whether the Horwoods sighting was on Ravenshoe Rd (10 minutes North) or Queensville Sideroad. It's possible police made up a second report of a sighting on Queensville Sideroad after they didn't follow up on the first one.

Either way, one of those scenarios is how he got to where the body was found. He either went East on Queensville to Woodbine or he went North on Leslie toward Ravenshoe.

 

[Forest_Wood]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...l-hoping-for-justice-30-years-later-1.2784486

First time seeing this one. There are some really cute pics of Christine shown when she was younger.

 

[Forest_Wood]

You are correct that it was not followed up on, but it's not clear whether the Horwoods sighting was on Ravenshoe Rd (10 minutes North) or Queensville Sideroad. It's possible police made up a second report of a sighting on Queensville Sideroad after they didn't follow up on the first one.

Either way, one of those scenarios is how he got to where the body was found. He either went East on Queensville to Woodbine or he went North on Leslie toward Ravenshoe.

I’ve been looking for some information on the Horwoods testimony yet cannot find anything. Do you know where to find it?

 

[Keswick84]

Not really, but the Kaufman report touches on it why it wasn't followed up on.

"An inadequate system to ensure that all reports were read and processed in a timely way. The potential for leads and follow-ups to slip through the cracks was present and, unfortunately, this did occur. There was a failure to systematically prioritize and follow up on ‘hot leads.’ In one case (the sighting of a man who appeared to keep a child forcibly in a car) the follow-up came 12 days after the information was passed on to the police."

Executive Summary - Report of the Kaufman Commission on Proceedings Involving Guy Paul Morin - Ministry of the Attorney General

 

[Lacrosse]

I am looking at an unsolved murder in toronto area in the mid 70's. I realize Calvin Hoover would of been young then, but does anyone know where he was living or working in the mid 70's?

 

[Tadpole12]

No, Lacrosse, as of yet that info has not come to light.

 

[Track]

See “Nation River Lady,” for details of unidentified female homicide victim, killed 1974 or 75. Hoover would have been around 18 yrs old then. Clothing disposition (pulled up around victim’s head) and fact a coaxial TV cable found with body, suggest Hoover could have been responsible. See DOE network & Quinte news article.

 

[Tadpole12]

dr paul taylor - Google Search

235 Eagle St. Newmarket

Was wondering where the dental office was located at the time of CJ's abduction. Could CH have driven past and seen JJ's car?

 

[Forest_Wood]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/christine-jessop-investigation-dna-tracing-cousins-1.5828034

 

[photographer4]

Deleted as someone had posted the link right above me.

 

[deugirtni]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/christine-jessop-investigation-dna-tracing-cousins-1.5828034

Very interesting, thank you for posting.

 

[nitsirk]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/christine-jessop-investigation-dna-tracing-cousins-1.5828034

From this article I found this interesting

"Two nights before Christine's disappearance on Oct. 3, 1984, the Jessops had visited the Hoovers at their home, a three-bedroom townhouse in suburban Scarborough, Ont., according to that evidence. "

 

[casesensitive]

From this article I found this interesting

"Two nights before Christine's disappearance on Oct. 3, 1984, the Jessops had visited the Hoovers at their home, a three-bedroom townhouse in suburban Scarborough, Ont., according to that evidence. "

"Jessop was missing for nearly two months before her body was discovered on Dec. 31, 1984. Yet somehow, Hoover had never been a suspect in the high-profile case. The head of the cold case squad at the Toronto Police Service, which took over the investigation in 1995, has acknowledged it appears Hoover was never even formally interviewed by any investigators."

I think we already know why Hoover (and anyone else) was missed by the initial investigation, but how did he also get missed by TPS when they took over in 1995 when GPM was cleared? We all know the police protocol in investigating a murder--they start with family and extend the investigation to friends, co-workers, neighbours etc. I just can't comprehend how CH was missed a second time.

It seems that he was missed a third time with the current TPS cold case investigation. I now suspect that CH wasn't even written up in any files. But I am so thankful for the TPS in reopening the case 25 years later, and funding the manpower and costs to take advantage of the new technology. I hope this success will prompt funding to solve other cold cases.

 

[Satchie]

"Jessop was missing for nearly two months before her body was discovered on Dec. 31, 1984. Yet somehow, Hoover had never been a suspect in the high-profile case. The head of the cold case squad at the Toronto Police Service, which took over the investigation in 1995, has acknowledged it appears Hoover was never even formally interviewed by any investigators."

I think we already know why Hoover (and anyone else) was missed by the initial investigation, but how did he also get missed by TPS when they took over in 1995 when GPM was cleared? We all know the police protocol in investigating a murder--they start with family and extend the investigation to friends, co-workers, neighbours etc. I just can't comprehend how CH was missed a second time.

It seems that he was missed a third time with the current TPS cold case investigation. I now suspect that CH wasn't even written up in any files. But I am so thankful for the TPS in reopening the case 25 years later, and funding the manpower and costs to take advantage of the new technology. I hope this success will prompt funding to solve other cold cases.

I wonder, how did police discover he had a 'neighbour relationship' with the Jessop family? They didn't interview the Jessop's before informing them the case was solved, maybe they contacted his ex-wife? Or perhaps he was in the file, but appeared to have an alibi.

Just speculation but it could be he was overlooked because he was such a trusted, utterly normal friend of the family, the spouse of a good work friend, with children who were playmates of Christine, a frequent host and a guest...how could it be conceived that such a trusted person would inflict torture and murder on the little girl and the family? IMO, that is a profoundly shocking betrayal of every level of human decency. IMO, family and even LE, look for someone who fits the profile of 'deviant', someone you would never trust to begin with.

JMO

 

[deugirtni]

I wonder, how did police discover he had a 'neighbour relationship' with the Jessop family? They didn't interview the Jessop's before informing them the case was solved, maybe they contacted his ex-wife? Or perhaps he was in the file, but appeared to have an alibi.

Just speculation but it could be he was overlooked because he was such a trusted, utterly normal friend of the family, the spouse of a good work friend, with children who were playmates of Christine, a frequent host and a guest...how could it be conceived that such a trusted person would inflict torture and murder on the little girl and the family? IMO, that is a profoundly shocking betrayal of every level of human decency. IMO, family and even LE, look for someone who fits the profile of 'deviant', someone you would never trust to begin with.

JMO

Agreed, but yet it is also generally said that LE starts out at the core (family) and moves out from there, when looking at POIs. You'd think all of the friends, neighbours, coworkers, and especially perhaps people who had permission to just let themselves into a home, might be amongst the first police would've tried to clear. I think in this case, GPM just blinded them to any other possibility. Tunnel-vision is a terrible thing!

 

[Andreee]

I agree! Tunnel vision has cropped up again and again in these types of cases. It just seems obvious now that this monster who murdered Christine should have been one of the main POI at the time, considering all the background to this case. I know hindsight is 20/20 but it is a horrible oversight.

 

[Forest_Wood]

From this article I found this interesting

"Two nights before Christine's disappearance on Oct. 3, 1984, the Jessops had visited the Hoovers at their home, a three-bedroom townhouse in suburban Scarborough, Ont., according to that evidence. "

I, too, find this so interesting. I think this visit to the Hoover’s townhome was the foundation for CH to put his plan into action. I believe something went on during that visit before he abducted her two days later.