CANADA Canada - Kelly Cook, 15, Standard, AB, 22 April 1981

[Janelle84]

In no way am I ruling ANYONE out!
My feelings towards this again are based on my opinion only. I have seen the crime beat episode on YouTube as well as listened to the podcast which is literally just verbatim to the YouTube episode and like everyone I have my own theories here but all I’m saying is this feels like a long shot to say the least.

 

[Janelle84]

In no way am I ruling ANYONE out!
My feelings towards this again are based on my opinion only. I have seen the crime beat episode on YouTube as well as listened to the podcast which is literally just verbatim to the YouTube episode and like everyone I have my own theories here but all I’m saying is this feels like a long shot to say the least.

In no way am I ruling ANYONE out!
My feelings towards this again are based on my opinion only. I have seen the crime beat episode on YouTube as well as listened to the podcast which is literally just verbatim to the YouTube episode and like everyone I have my own theories here but all I’m saying is this feels like a long shot to say the least.

 

[Gina20]

In no way am I ruling ANYONE out!
My feelings towards this again are based on my opinion only. I have seen the crime beat episode on YouTube as well as listened to the podcast which is literally just verbatim to the YouTube episode and like everyone I have my own theories here but all I’m saying is this feels like a long shot to say the least.

Fair enough. We are all entitled to our opinions.

Four decades have passed since someone murdered Kelly Cook. I'd be disappointed if this new information about Davis, provided by DNA advancements and genetic genealogy, did not lead to further investigation of unsolved murders in both Canada and the U.S., including the murder of Kelly Cook.

 

[Janelle84]

As for my theory:
https://murderpedia.org/male.F/f/fowler-bobby-jack.htm
Bobby Jack Fowler | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

This individual ticks almost every single one for me. Age fits, career fits, even has the nose…

On his travels he ends up in the hotel in Standard (this is where the call to Stacey was traced to) and comes across the newspaper article about “Stacey” figure skating. This is when he picks her.
After realizing that he’s running out of time in the area possibly decided that he wasn’t leaving the area empty handed…this is when poor Kelly got the call
The second call to Kelly came from

What’s absolutely crazy to me is there was a convicted murderer with the name William Christenson in 1981-82 but I can’t put together how he would’ve been in that area at the time of Kelly’s disappearance but that doesn’t mean someone didn’t use his name!

Fair enough. We are all entitled to our opinions.

Four decades have passed since someone murdered Kelly Cook. I'd be disappointed if this new information about Davis, provided by DNA advancements and genetic genealogy, did not lead to further investigation of unsolved murders in both Canada and the U.S., including the murder of Kelly Cook.

 

[Janelle84]

As for my theory:
Bobby Jack Fowler | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

This individual ticks almost every single one for me. Age fits, career fits, even has the nose…

On his travels he ends up in the hotel in Standard (this is where the call to Stacey was traced to) and comes across the newspaper article about “Stacey” figure skating. This is when he picks her.
After realizing that he’s running out of time in the area possibly decided that he wasn’t leaving the area empty handed…this is when poor Kelly got the call
The second call to Kelly came from

What’s absolutely crazy to me is there was a convicted murderer with the name William Christenson in 1981-82 but I can’t put together how he would’ve been in that area at the time of Kelly’s disappearance but that doesn’t mean someone didn’t use his name!

Sorry, I wanted to elaborate on what I said “career fits”.
In September of 1981 the West Edmonton Mall was opened and was of course North America’s largest mall until into the 2000’s. This construction job was HUGE! Contractors were literally pouring into the area to get work. Just a theory yet again but it definitely has a fitting element there.

BUT!
I’m sure being aware of this case you must also be aware of the Margaret Ellen Fox case that took place in 1974 in NJ also using the babysitting ruse This particular case again has never been solved. However your potential suspect was located in that area at the time as well which would show (some) connection if that were to be the case.

Like I said, it’s all just theory but the bouncing of ideas can’t hurt at this point. I can’t imagine the pain a family would feel after 36 years of never having gotten the answers they’ve needed for so long. My heart truly feels for them deeply.

 

[Gina20]

Sorry, I wanted to elaborate on what I said “career fits”.
In September of 1981 the West Edmonton Mall was opened and was of course North America’s largest mall until into the 2000’s. This construction job was HUGE! Contractors were literally pouring into the area to get work. Just a theory yet again but it definitely has a fitting element there.

BUT!
I’m sure being aware of this case you must also be aware of the Margaret Ellen Fox case that took place in 1974 in NJ also using the babysitting ruse This particular case again has never been solved. However your potential suspect was located in that area at the time as well which would show (some) connection if that were to be the case.

Like I said, it’s all just theory but the bouncing of ideas can’t hurt at this point. I can’t imagine the pain a family would feel after 36 years of never having gotten the answers they’ve needed for so long. My heart truly feels for them deeply.

As you know, Bobby Jack Fowler worked as a roofer in Prince George, B.C. He has been linked by DNA to the Highway of Tears murder of Colleen MacMillen, and is strongly suspected in other HOT murders. His appearance changed a lot over the years.

Who is Bobby Jack Fowler?

RCMP ties American serial killer Bobby Jack Fowler to 1974 ‘Highway of Tears’ murder in B.C.

Alberta during the boom years before the collapse of oil prices in 1981 was full of transient workers coming and going for construction projects and oil and gas jobs. I've mentioned irrigation/dam projects before, as well. The offices for the irrigation district were nearby, in Strathmore. Kelly was found in an irrigation reservoir. Kelly's father worked at a gas plant in the area. Kelly's killer wore a jacket with some kind of corporate logo. Kelly's killer drove a late model car, whereas BJF drive old vehicles.

I don't know if BJF ever went to the lengths Kelly's killer did to plan ahead and premeditate. He returned to the community after his initial attempt failed.

The babysitting ruse was also used by another predator in Alberta, around the time of Kelly's murder. That man was caught. He was from Louisiana, and was once a suspect in Kelly's murder. He is now deceased. Knowing how many people Kelly's killer talked to, I think somebody would have mentioned a Louisiana accent, which is quite distinctive, and not at all like a rural Alberta accent from 1981. Standard is a small community, and strangers stood out back then.

Kelly's parents have both passed away. Her sister has stated something to the effect that she hopes resources will be put to use solving other crimes now.

 

[Gina20]

Richard William Davis was transient, and travelled often on holidays when he was working. He redressed his child victim in Montana, after sexually assaulting her. Kelly was clothed when her body was found. Other killers like Bobby Jack Fowler left victims in water, but did they ever redress victims after sexually assaulting them?

 

[Janelle84]

Richard William Davis was transient, and travelled often on holidays when he was working. He redressed his child victim in Montana, after sexually assaulting her. Kelly was clothed when her body was found. Other killers like Bobby Jack Fowler left victims in water, but did they ever redress victims after sexually assaulting them?

This of course is making the assumption that she had been sexually assaulted at all. There is no way of knowing whether or not she had been sexually assaulted. It could’ve also been a struggle with Kelly early in the abduction (like the 10:30 pm call from Hussar that Kelly most likely tried to make when he caught her and killed her at that point as I’m sure he was then aware that “the jig was up”). The abductor potentially didn’t even get a chance to sexually assault her leaving her fully dressed at the time he tried to dispose of her body.
I may be way of base with my logic but I see this being more plausible.

 

[Gina20]

This of course is making the assumption that she had been sexually assaulted at all. There is no way of knowing whether or not she had been sexually assaulted. It could’ve also been a struggle with Kelly early in the abduction (like the 10:30 pm call from Hussar that Kelly most likely tried to make when he caught her and killed her at that point as I’m sure he was then aware that “the jig was up”). The abductor potentially didn’t even get a chance to sexually assault her leaving her fully dressed at the time he tried to dispose of her body.
I may be way of base with my logic but I see this being more plausible.

How could police and a coroner make a determination that someone was not sexually assaulted, when their remains were under water for two months? No clue. Forensics have advanced in the past 40 years, but I'm not sure if that determination could be made even now.

It was stated that Kelly Cook was fully clothed. Just because remains are found fully clothed does not mean an assault did not occur. Example: Richard William Davis and the murder of Siobhan McGuinness near Missoula, Montana in 1974. Davis took the time to dress Siobhan after sexually assaulting her. He left her in a drainage ditch.

I stand firm in my belief that Davis should be considered as a possible suspect in murders on the Canadian side of the border, including Kelly Cook's murder. Davis was a sexual predator whose victim preference was for girls. We know nothing about how Kelly died, but Davis had his own preferred methods. Kelly's case file should be reviewed with respect to Davis, as her file has been reviewed over the years with respect to other sexual predators and murderers, some of whom were eliminated as suspects.

 

[Mapgirl]

There is a podcast called Crime Beat from a Calgary Crime Reporter named Nancy Hicks. She did a 2 part podcast series on the Kelly Cook case called "The Back-up Babysitter" it can be found on Spotify and Apple

Part 1

Part 2

 

[Mapgirl]

Is there sketch of this guy? That description would probably fit at least 75% of Canadian men in that age group.

 

[TheRedLipClassic]

Bumping for Kelly. I think about this case often.

 

[readingrain]

While studying this case, I noticed some strange or untypical aspects.

The main thing is the way to hide the body. I think it's pretty obvious that this was planned in advance. It was necessary:

- Prepare concrete blocks
- Prepare a rope and understand how to tie blocks to the body so that the knots do not come undone
- Most likely, the killer knew what happens to bodies under water, that they swell and float, so a certain weight is needed to keep the body at the bottom and it needs to be calculated. Which was done, because the body did not surface, but was discovered due to drought two months later.
- It was necessary to choose a suitable place to hide the body in advance
- I don’t quite understand how he drowned the body, apparently he threw it into the water from a boat, but then it also had to be prepared in advance (I won’t think about it much for now)

The way he hides the body is not like the typical actions of a serial killer or pedophile, who often dump the body in the forest or leave it not far from the highway or sometimes in a garbage dump or throw it in a well, but they do not hide the bodies so carefully. Not always, but it is unusual.

And now I have a question, if he was so well prepared to hide the corpse, why didn't he take care to:

- No one remembered him or saw him in person
- Why did you drive your car right up to Kelly’s house?

He might not have called from the gas station or made a fuss about the change at the bar or asked the waitress, but simply found the right number in the phone book or simply collected information more carefully. And calling the school is generally stupid, it’s obvious that they won’t tell a stranger anything. It looks like he's trying to get noticed. But judging by the way he hides her body, he is not a stupid person at all and is able to control himself.

Based on all this, I came up with a theory. The killer's actions at the beginning - in order to find the victim and his actions with the body after, if you divide it into two parts, looks like the actions of two different people. Or perhaps this is the same person who is trying to make his actions similar to the actions of a serial killer, trying to be remembered, but he has a completely different goal. My guess is that Kelly had a relationship with someone and he tried to hide this fact in order not to end up in prison, or she saw something illegal and could tell. The person with whom she was associated may have turned for help to another, some kind of criminal, and together they presented the case as if it was a serial killer - a kidnapper of girls. One pretends to be looking for a girl, any girl, but Kelly is the one he needs, the other plans everything. The first one, who called and was wearing glasses, lives far away, the second one is somewhere nearby. I understand that this is somewhat similar to conspiracy theories, but there are certain points that cannot be ignored.

 

[TheRedLipClassic]

Bumping again for you, Kelly

 

[bluestsocks]

This case reminds me so much of Amy Mihaljevic’s case. I don’t hold out a ton of hope for catching Kelly’s killer, because of the forensics issues, but I’d love to see at least one of them get justice.

 

[dotr]

Crime Beat podcast: Narrowing in on a killer — the Kelly Cook story | Globalnews.ca

Global News crime reporter Nancy Hixt shares the latest leads in the hunt for Kelly Cook's killer.

globalnews.ca

' Premiered Oct 10, 2020 #CrimeBeat #GlobalNews
In 1981, Kelly Cook took a job to babysit for someone named Bill Christensen. The 15-year-old girl was never seen alive again. Her body was found two months after in an irrigation canal in southern Alberta.Nearly 40 years later, her murder remains unsolved. What most people don’t know is that Kelly was not the killer’s first choice. She was the “backup babysitter.” This episode includes an exclusive interview with the original target of “Bill Christensen”. It’s the first time she’s ever spoken to a journalist.'

 

[dotr]

For the first time (apart from the sideburns) the sketch in above post, reminded of child killer DMH, fwiw, imo, speculation.

HUNTER: Did cops turn out the lights on child killer Dennis Melvin Howe?

Old detectives are haunted by the killers who got away, the cases that went unsolved.

torontosun.com