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

[AutumnFalls]

@AutumnFalls Thanks for your insight into small town living in Alberta. Given your points that he likely was a traveler, I wonder what his connection to the area was. Of all the small towns, why focus there? Seasonal farm labor? Could he have had a history of having worked in the area as a ranch/farm hand there in the past?

Also you mentioned that from what you could tell the Calgary RCMP were likely involved in investigating and that you could see them not being trusted by the town. Could you elaborate on that lack of trust for someone not familiar at all w/ the area? Thanks

I'm basing it on my experience so I could be totally wrong, but there are 3 basic types of cops around. Now, I can't remember for sure what it was in the early '80's so they may have only had local cops and RCMP. But, there are the RCMP which focus on federal crimes and laws, the local city police forces which focus on local crime, and the peace officers which have more limited authority and roles. They usually are in smaller towns and focus on small crimes.

In my small town, we only had the local RCMP detachment for cops for the whole time I was growing up These officers would patrol multiple towns so you didn't see them too often. They patrolled the town maybe once a week. They almost operated like a peace officer in that they act more as a deterrent and are often seen as an annoyance since they will pop into town, write a few speeding tickets, etc. and then leave again. From what I remember, there were usually 2 or 3 different officers that were part of the local RCMP.

Now, in my town, we had a series of bad RCMP officers that ranged from incompetent to downright criminal. The one cop was part of a drug ring and would get the drugs in town and resell them! A couple of the others never penalized anything and at least one was really stringent.

I think the antipathy comes from the fact that they are outsiders to the town and the town's way of life. In small towns, some things are taken for granted, like walking in the middle of the street, leaving your door open, or generally being a bit lax about things. A cop who comes into the town with no knowledge of it or how things are generally done, can be seen as an unwanted authority poking his/her nose into your business and at the same time not doing enough about the problems that actually exist. Now, they aren't all bad but I've found that people are much more welcoming to a cop who lives in the town and interacts with its people often, than one who only goes there occasionally.

There is truth to the idea that things are done differently in the city vs in small towns. One small example comes to mind from when I recently my hometown. They had recently redone part of the high school and I was curious what changes had taken place so one day (this was during summer) when the school doors were open, I poked my head in. I saw a few teachers/staff from town, said hi to them and just poked around. All was well and good until a superintendent saw me and chewed me out for basically trespassing. Now, the teachers and even the principal of the school were fine with it because they knew me/my family and the town atmosphere. But the one person from the city had a problem with it. I hope that the little anecdote and my long explanations help a bit.

 

[dotr]

Thinking of reasons why a non-local might make several visits to a small town if not for work, family, ect. and one thing comes to mind- food!
Many would make sporadic trips to little known, out of the way places, if the town had a specific draw, such as the best pizza, specialty cakes, art, home-style restaurant, ect. ect.
Would there be any attraction there to give a perp reason to pop by every now and then?

It does look like a pretty place to live.
https://www.villageofstandard.ca/
''Standard has easy access to larger centers with Strathmore being 37km (25 minutes) away, Drumheller is 58km (45 min.), and Calgary east is 80km (60 min.). Residents can enjoy a quiet country life with access to the big city! Other communities close by are: Hussar, Gleichen and Rockyford.

Our Village is an enthusiastic sports community for both summer and winter sports. We have an indoor skating arena with ice from October to March, with a new outdoor ice surface currently under construction. There is also a Curling Club, with a new viewing lounge being constructed! Outdoor tennis courts are lit up in the evenings, with a volley ball court adjacent. There are numerous ball diamonds in the Village, a running track, as well as children’s playgrounds.''

 

[KKYYC]

Written by
Cat Leigh
rbbm.
Babysitter Lured To Her Death With Fake Job Offer
"At 8:30 PM, a full-sized cream colored North American car pulled up to Kelly’s house and honked. Her mother watched as she got into the front passenger seat and the car drove away."

"The phone call between Kelly and “Bill” that morning was traced to a local gas station.

"Interestingly, one of Kelly’s friends came forward to tell police she had also received a call from a “Bill Christensen” on April 18. He asked her to babysit but she was busy and gave him Kelly’s number. This phone call was traced to the Standard Hotel Bar. The staff remembered overhearing a man talking to a babysitter over the phone because he had been rude to them when he asked to use the phone."

"According to rumors, a man called the local school just a month before Kelly’s disappearance. He wanted information on a female student that belonged to the figure skating club and had appeared in the local newspaper. "

Authorities also discovered that at 10 PM on the night of Kelly’s disappearance, an operator received a call from a payphone in Hussar — about a twenty-minute drive from Standard. The operator briefly heard a woman screaming and the call was cut off. Authorities believe it may have been Kelly screaming."

"On June 28, 1981, Kelly’s body was found in the Chin Lake Reservoir near Taber, Alberta, by a couple of teenagers riding motorcycles. This lake is located about two hours and a half from Standard."

"Nevertheless, Kelly was fully clothed and had not been sexually abused. She had been bound with rope and weighed down with cinder blocks"

"While Kelly’s body was at a funeral home in Calgary, a man demanded to see her body. Even though he claimed to be a family friend, he was denied and eventually left. This man has never been identified but authorities believe it may have been the killer."

K, that last paragraph is incredibly creepy. I hadn't heard that but if information about the body viewing before.

 

[KKYYC]

In regards to where this suspect may have been from, your guess is as good as mine. The fact that he drive two hours to dispose of the body seems to show he knew his way around southern Alberta.

For those not from the area, I don't know if people outside Canada fully grasp how much empty space there is! Especially in 1981. Lots, and lots, and lots of lonely highways and back roads in the prairies/ foothills. My guess is it was a "local" as in a local from within a 3 hour radius of Standard which would include major centers like Red Deer and Calgary. He may have even spent X amount of time in Edmonton.

 

[AutumnFalls]

K, that last paragraph is incredibly creepy. I hadn't heard that but if information about the body viewing before.

That is creepy. I hadn't heard that part. I would bet money it was the killer.

KKYC I would add Lethbridge to the mix and maybe Chestemere. Or any of the other small towns around Standard. I tend to know the towns near my hometown better than ones in other areas of the province. That doesn't help much since there are many small towns nearby. He could also have worked in the oil field. I believe the Husky plant has been there since the '80's and there was lots of oil work in Alberta then.

 

[Chewy]

Saw a comment on the video I agree with. Stacy said that she and Kelly were figure skating partners. The way BC immediately flipped from Stacy to Kelly indicates that he knew who Kelly was as well, because of the brazenness of just showing up at her house. He'd have to know in advance that no one in her family would recognize him.

How would he know in advance that her parents wouldn't come down to the car?

He probably worked at the ice skating rink.

 

[Gina20]

OFFENDER (DECEASED) - RICHARD WILLIAM DAVIS | Federal Bureau of Investigation

Another "Bill" for your consideration. This one murdered a five-year-old girl in Missoula, Montana. He had lived in Alaska at one point, and travelled extensively across the U.S.

He "redressed" his Montana victim.

https://medium.com/the-true-crime-edition/richard-davis-had-more-victims-3a1d2bbebdd8

 

[Gina20]

Serial murderer Wayne Nance of Mississoula is mentioned in the previous article. It's hard to miss the distinctive mark on his chin that resembles the one on the composite sketch of Kelly Cook's killer.

Book remembers Missoula killer Wayne Nance

There's another image here.

Wayne Nance, "The Missoula Mauler"

Note the earlobes and lack of sideburns. Some of Nance's victims were close in age to Kelly.

 

[dotr]

Serial murderer Wayne Nance of Mississoula is mentioned in the previous article. It's hard to miss the distinctive mark on his chin that resembles the one on the composite sketch of Kelly Cook's killer.

Book remembers Missoula killer Wayne Nance

There's another image here.

Wayne Nance, "The Missoula Mauler"

Note the earlobes and lack of sideburns. Some of Nance's victims were close in age to Kelly.

Interesting, from links..

Wayne Nance. Photo: Courtesy of Open Road Media

Richard Davis.

The photo released by the FBI. Sour

Feb 23 2021
Crime Beat podcast: Narrowing in on a killer — the Kelly Cook story

Original police report for Kelly Cook. She was abducted April 22, 1981 from Standard, Alta.

 

[Gina20]

Interesting, from links..

Wayne Nance. Photo: Courtesy of Open Road Media

Richard Davis.

The photo released by the FBI. Sour

Feb 23 2021
Crime Beat podcast: Narrowing in on a killer — the Kelly Cook story

Original police report for Kelly Cook. She was abducted April 22, 1981 from Standard, Alta.

Both of these two murderers were outdoorsy types. One was known to carry a knife, and one stole a knife from a crime scene.

The connection to the irrigation dam made me think that whoever killed Kelly might have been someone connected to dams and irrigation. Perhaps this could explain the apparent comings and goings of her killer, and why he left Kelly where she was found. The brusque mannerisms could have been a cultural difference. An American, perhaps?

FYI, this is the dam that holds water for irrigation from the St. Mary River on the American side of the border. The water is controlled under a bilateral treaty, and as the river flows between the countries water is taken out and put back according to the treaty.

Lake Sherburne Dam - Wikipedia

The Western Irrigation District is located in Strathmore, Alberta.

Putting this out there, in case anyone knows what these two were doing in the spring of 1981, when water levels were low on the Canadian side of the border.

The mark on Wayne Nance's chin is reversed in various images.

 

[Gina20]

Written by
Cat Leigh
rbbm.
Babysitter Lured To Her Death With Fake Job Offer
"At 8:30 PM, a full-sized cream colored North American car pulled up to Kelly’s house and honked. Her mother watched as she got into the front passenger seat and the car drove away."

"The phone call between Kelly and “Bill” that morning was traced to a local gas station.

"Interestingly, one of Kelly’s friends came forward to tell police she had also received a call from a “Bill Christensen” on April 18. He asked her to babysit but she was busy and gave him Kelly’s number. This phone call was traced to the Standard Hotel Bar. The staff remembered overhearing a man talking to a babysitter over the phone because he had been rude to them when he asked to use the phone."

"According to rumors, a man called the local school just a month before Kelly’s disappearance. He wanted information on a female student that belonged to the figure skating club and had appeared in the local newspaper. "

Authorities also discovered that at 10 PM on the night of Kelly’s disappearance, an operator received a call from a payphone in Hussar — about a twenty-minute drive from Standard. The operator briefly heard a woman screaming and the call was cut off. Authorities believe it may have been Kelly screaming."

"On June 28, 1981, Kelly’s body was found in the Chin Lake Reservoir near Taber, Alberta, by a couple of teenagers riding motorcycles. This lake is located about two hours and a half from Standard."

"Nevertheless, Kelly was fully clothed and had not been sexually abused. She had been bound with rope and weighed down with cinder blocks"

"While Kelly’s body was at a funeral home in Calgary, a man demanded to see her body. Even though he claimed to be a family friend, he was denied and eventually left. This man has never been identified but authorities believe it may have been the killer."

Did police make an assumption that Kelly Cook had not been sexually abused because she was fully clothed? Kelly Cook's remains were not found for months, during which time she was exposed to the elements and under water. This case predated forensic DNA.

Richard "Bill" Davis redressed his five-year-old Missoula victim after sexually assaulting her.

Kelly's killer could have done the same. Evidence would have degraded before she was found. What proof exists that Kelly was not sexually assaulted? Why else would she have been abducted, if not for sexual purposes? If this was merely an assumption, or a statement made to comfort the family, it could have sent the investigation down the wrong path entirely. Here we are, almost at the 40-year mark, no further ahead than the day it began.

Siobhan McGuinness was redressed after she was abused, and before she was tossed from a vehicle.

American authorities want to know more. My question to them is, "Was Kelly Cook a victim of Wayne Nance or Richard "Bill" Davis?' I have lost faith that this case can be solved from this side of the border.

 

[Gina20]

This is Richard William Davis. Here is where you can report information.

OFFENDER (DECEASED) - RICHARD WILLIAM DAVIS | Federal Bureau of Investigation

 

[MistyWaters]

Gina20 you’ve done an outstanding job with your research. Lot of different aspects click, he sure could be the one.

 

[Gina20]

How many times did Richard William Davis pass through Alberta on his way north to Alaska, and back south again? I doubt he would have taken the scenic route. He was known to have been a trucker later on. If he started in Montana, I'd say he'd use the Sweet Grass border crossing, then head north on Highway 36, connecting to Highway 1 west of Brooks, then over to Highway 2 north to Edmonton, west on Highway 16 (Yellowhead) and on to B.C. or via Highway 43 to Grande Prairie and then onward to Dawson Creek and the Alaska Highway. This could have led him to the places connected to Kelly's murder. There are many routes and many possibilities. It's likely he used more than one.

If you're familiar with Alberta, police believed a serial killer was murdering female hitchhikers in the 1970s on the Trans-Canada Highway. This man could have been responsible for many murders of young women in Canada. Highway of Tears comes to mind.

 

[Janelle84]

This is Richard William Davis. Here is where you can report information.

OFFENDER (DECEASED) - RICHARD WILLIAM DAVIS | Federal Bureau of Investigation

So it states there that this particular monster wasn’t employed as a truck driver until the 2000’s… not seeing a connection at that point.

 

[Gina20]

So it states there that this particular monster wasn’t employed as a truck driver until the 2000’s… not seeing a connection at that point.

This guy lived in Alaska in the 1970s, where he worked as a school bus driver. Americans get to Alaska via B.C. or by driving through Alberta to Dawson Creek, B.C., Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway. Many people prefer the faster, flatter route through Alberta to the Alaska Highway. Standard is just off the Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway. It connects to Highway 2 north to Edmonton, a fast, divided highway. From there, it's westward to the B.C. border and onward to Dawson Creek. Having driven both through Alberta and B.C. to get to the Alaska Highway, the Alberta route is faster and has more services along the way. The B.C. route is more scenic.

Travellers from the U.S. might prefer this route, driving across the Canadian prairies rather than driving through the slower, mountainous roads of Montana.

I think it is likely that this man drove the #1 Trans-Canada route at least once on his way to Alaska. Note: connected to the 1974 murder of a little girl in Montana; worked in late 1974 as a school bus driver in Alaska. Montana is directly south of Alberta. It's likely that he passed through Alberta that time.

There are gaps in his history.

His appearance is stunningly close to the composite sketch of Kelly Cook's killer, IMO.

 

[Janelle84]

This guy lived in Alaska in the 1970s, where he worked as a school bus driver. Americans get to Alaska via B.C. or by driving through Alberta to Dawson Creek, B.C., Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway. Many people prefer the faster, flatter route through Alberta to the Alaska Highway. Standard is just off the Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway. It connects to Highway 2 north to Edmonton, a fast, divided highway. From there, it's westward to the B.C. border and onward to Dawson Creek. Having driven both through Alberta and B.C. to get to the Alaska Highway, the Alberta route is faster and has more services along the way. The B.C. route is more scenic.

Travellers from the U.S. might prefer this route, driving across the Canadian prairies rather than driving through the slower, mountainous roads of Montana.

I think it is likely that this man drove the #1 Trans-Canada route at least once on his way to Alaska. Note: connected to the 1974 murder of a little girl in Montana; worked in late 1974 as a school bus driver in Alaska. Montana is directly south of Alberta. It's likely that he passed through Alberta that time.

There are gaps in his history.

His appearance is stunningly close to the composite sketch of Kelly Cook's killer, IMO.

 

[Janelle84]

I’m sorry but I still don’t see the connection to this man at all. He doesn’t fit the age or actual physical description of the suspect according to the lead detective on this case.

The description of a weathered looking, unattractive, farmer type of individual wouldn’t fit here at all. This piece of human garbage would’ve only been 30-31 during the time of the abduction and murder. The photo above shows what he looked like during the time and honestly I just don’t see it. It is just my opinion.

Again, as stated by the RCMP, that generic composite suspect sketch that was released back in 1981 has caused nothing but problems for the investigation because and I will quote from the investigator here “ we probably would’ve been better off if we had not released that drawing”. Not one credible tip has ever resulted from that composition drawing and has done so much more damage with backlogged tips.

 

[Gina20]

Richard William Davis: born in 1941. He turned 40 years old in 1981.

Kelly Cook's killer: 30 to 45 years old in 1981.

Kelly Cook's killer: 5'10" tall.

Richard William Davis: 6'0" tall.

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

Richard Davis Had More Victims

Some other interesting information about Davis from the medium.com article:

Davis’s known crimes have a few similarities:

• He preferred children, especially females. His age preference seems to be 9–11 years old
• He would have picked them up in a vehicle
• He sexually assaulted Siobhan, re-dressed her, and dumped (rather than buried) her body
• He used blunt force, but he carried both a knife and gun

Kelly Cook was dressed when she was found. Although it was stated that she had not been sexually assaulted, her remains had been under water for a couple of months. Davis re-dressed his victim and dumped her body. Kelly Cook was dumped in water. Kelly was picked up in a vehicle. Kelly was still a minor child, slightly older than David's preferred age, at 15 years old. We don't know Kelly's cause of death.

The description of Kelly's killer was not just from one individual, from whom the composite sketch was drawn. It was from others who saw the man around town. If we discard every detail, nothing is left.

I do hope that Canadian and U.S. investigators consider Davis as a potential suspect in unsolved Canadian murders, including the murder of Kelly Cook. He passed through Canada on his way to and from Alaska. His route likely took him through both Alberta and B.C., and possibly other Canadian provinces. There must be some sort of cross-border cooperation on cases like this. He's not the first. He won't be the last. (Bobby Jack Fowler is one example.)

 

[Janelle84]

Richard William Davis: born in 1941. He turned 40 years old in 1981.

Kelly Cook's killer: 30 to 45 years old in 1981.

Kelly Cook's killer: 5'10" tall.

Richard William Davis: 6'0" tall.

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

Richard Davis Had More Victims

Some other interesting information about Davis from the medium.com article:

Davis’s known crimes have a few similarities:

• He preferred children, especially females. His age preference seems to be 9–11 years old
• He would have picked them up in a vehicle
• He sexually assaulted Siobhan, re-dressed her, and dumped (rather than buried) her body
• He used blunt force, but he carried both a knife and gun

Kelly Cook was dressed when she was found. Although it was stated that she had not been sexually assaulted, her remains had been under water for a couple of months. Davis re-dressed his victim and dumped her body. Kelly Cook was dumped in water. Kelly was picked up in a vehicle. Kelly was still a minor child, slightly older than David's preferred age, at 15 years old. We don't know Kelly's cause of death.

The description of Kelly's killer was not just from one individual, from whom the composite sketch was drawn. It was from others who saw the man around town. If we discard every detail, nothing is left.

I do hope that Canadian and U.S. investigators consider Davis as a potential suspect in unsolved Canadian murders, including the murder of Kelly Cook. He passed through Canada on his way to and from Alaska. His route likely took him through both Alberta and B.C., and possibly other Canadian provinces. There must be some sort of cross-border cooperation on cases like this. He's not the first. He won't be the last. (Bobby Jack Fowler is one example.)