CANADA Canada - Unsolved murders of young people in London, Ont, 1960s-70s

[hellkat2]

I came across this Jehovah Witness Crime Cases URL when i did a google search on David Bodemer after watching the program on London Ontario. He is apparently still living in the area.

 

[hellkat2]

I came across this Jehovah Witness Crime Cases URL when i did a google search on David Bodemer after watching the program on London Ontario. He is apparently still living in the area.

 

[rosesfromangels]

ONTARIO v. DAVID BODEMER was a 1971-72 Ontario Canada KIDNAPPING-RAPE-MURDER prosecution of a Jehovah's Witness Minister and father of five children, named David Bodemer, then age 27, of Kitchener, Ontario. Although David Bodemer confessed in late 1971 to the kidnapping-rape-murder to some of the Elders at the Aylmer, Ontario Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Bodemer pled "Not Guilty", and was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1972. Tyically, in Canada, David Bodemer was released from prison in 1982. It is not known whether the currently PROMINENT Kitchener, Ontario JW Minister, "David Bodemer", is one and the same person, or possibly a son, or other relative.

In February 1966, Georgia Jane Jackson, a 20 year-old female member of the Aylmer, Ontario Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, went missing while walking home from work at the Aylmer Dairy Bar. David Bodemer, then age 21, and also a member of the Aylmer Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, participated in the "searches" for the missing fellow Jehovah's Witness. Georgia Jackson's corpse was not found until nearly a month later -- having been raped and smothered to death.

An interestingly part of this case is Dave Bodemer's confession. Dave Bodemer was employed as a sectionman by the Canadian National Railway. In 1970, the then 25 year-old Bodemer's secret criminal activities began to be publicly exposed. First, Bodemer was investigated by the police for theft and fencing of property stolen from CNR railcars. Shortly thereafter, Bodemer was arrested in Kitchener on charges of Breaking/Entering. That was followed by an arrest for Exhibitionism. All of these criminal activities resulted in multiple ongoing interactions with a "Judicial Committee" at the Aylmer Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. By Fall 1971, the Elders comprising Bodemer's Judicial Committee suspected that David Bodemer may have been the person who had raped and murdered Georgia Jackson back in 1966. Those Elders confronted David Bodemer with the WatchTower teaching that Armageddon was going to occur in October 1975. Bodemer was told that if he did rape and murder Jackson, and did not confess before Armageddon, that he too would be destroyed along with all other non-JWs. Bodemer confessed, and was disfellowshipped. Bodemer's confession was also reported to the police. Bodemer's arrest, prosecution, and conviction followed.

Interestingly, David Bodemer's father-in-law, Albert Crooker (daughter Elaine Crooker Bodemer), was the Congregation Servant of the Aylmer Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, but was demoted after Bodemer's arrest in January 1972. Critics claim that Crooker had covered for Bodemer for years with local law enforcement -- dating back to the initial police investigation of Georgia Jackson's murder in 1966 -- and that Crooker also had manipulated his fellow Elders at the Aylmer Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses until he could no longer do so due to Bodemer's well-publicized crime spree in 1971.

More interestingly, although Bert Crooker no longer controlled the Aylmer Body of Elders by 1973, when Daniel D'Haene's INCEST and child molestation was revealed to the Aylmer Congregation in 1973, D'Haene's crimes too were covered up by the Aylmer Congregation, and NOT REPORTED to police. Critics claim that given the recent BODEMER SCANDAL that there is no way in the world that the new Aylmer BOE would also have covered up this second D'HAENE SCANDAL unless they were directed to do so by the Legal Department of the WatchTower Society of Canada.Jehovah's Witness Crime Cases Page 5 of 5

Well you certainly answered my question, didn't you!
I could say so much about this, but would certainly offend more than a couple people....so I'll just refrain. OTHER than to say your post really illustrates the far reaching damage one prolific Perp can do. I think it's especially important to note how he ramped up with various infractions. I'm going to take that learning and apply it to another thread I am participating on.

Thanks for your thorough post - very interesting.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[hellkat2]

The ramping up of infractions ....caught my attention as well.

 

[Richard]

Late in the evening of 3 July 1964, in Northwest Detroit, Michigan, two boys - Francis "Pat" Brown (17) and Sheldon Miller (14) were shot to death by an unknown killer with a .22 caliber revolver.

Theirs was a particularly violent murder with little or no determined motive. They were shot down in a public playground adjacent to an elementary school. The crime remains unsolved to this day, 56 years later.

Detroit, Michigan is across the river from Windsor, Ontario and there was much traffic and commuting between the two cities daily. Is it possible that the killer of these two boys was from Ontario - or perhaps involved in some of the murders there?

LINK:
MI - MI - Francis "Pat" Brown, 17, & Sheldon Miller, 14, fatally shot, Detroit, 3 July 1964

 

[Fraser]

I was a long time member of Unsolved Canada and was involved in the London unsolved murders threads. I was "Have Faith" on that forum. FYI, I finally emailed the owner of UC recently to ask what happened, and he said the site was broken and it would take thousands of dollars to fix it. Not sure why or how that happened, but I thought former UC members would like to know what he said.

Thank you - I was a member too and couldn't figure out what happened to it. I was under the name Ohna until there was a problem with it, then, switched to Fraser. There was a lot of really good work done on that site.

 

[dotr]

Thank you - I was a member too and couldn't figure out what happened to it. I was under the name Ohna until there was a problem with it, then, switched to Fraser. There was a lot of really good work done on that site.

Welcome to Ws Fraser, happy to have you here!

 

[torasu43]

Hi there,
it seems that this forum has not been used for quite some time. I am learning about these cases more and more as I have read both Murder City and the Forest City Killer. Interestingly, I grew up in London (and still live there now) without any knowledge regarding the horror and extent of these cases up until a year or two ago. My grandfather grew up in London, and was employed at the old Ford factory just south of here. My grandfather informed me that he personally knew Russell Johnson, as Russell Johnson worked the opposite shift to my grandfather. Johnson was known as a weirdo, and my grandpa never enjoyed talking to him. One time, my grandfather said his coworkers went out to Michigan (Detroit probably) for a weekend and Russell was not seen for the entirety of that weekend (so I wonder if he is connected to cases in the states, I haven't looked into this).

Anyway, another really interesting connection is that my Grandfathers 2nd grade teacher or something was Glen Fryer! My grandfather recalls Fryer to be disliked by the other staff of the elementary school, and was generally ignored. My grandfather always felt pity for Fryer because Fryer contracted Polio as a child and had a stunted leg because of it. There is some more stories surrounding Fryer that my grandfather remembers, I will have to give gramps a call.
Furthermore, (I have lots to tell) my grandmother moved to London in the mid-60's and remembers someone trying to break into her 3-story walk up near Cheapside and Adelaide through the balcony. She was only a year or two older than me (in her early twenties).
Lastly, my mother went to the same high school as Jacqueline Dunleavy and we live down the road from where the Alsops lived.
I think majority of these are coincidences because of the small nature of London. But I am intriuged at these cases and would love to see a resolution for the families of these victims. If there is anyway to get involved or to help gather more information, I would love to help.
thanks guys.

 

[Snoopster]

Hi there,
it seems that this forum has not been used for quite some time. I am learning about these cases more and more as I have read both Murder City and the Forest City Killer. Interestingly, I grew up in London (and still live there now) without any knowledge regarding the horror and extent of these cases up until a year or two ago. My grandfather grew up in London, and was employed at the old Ford factory just south of here. My grandfather informed me that he personally knew Russell Johnson, as Russell Johnson worked the opposite shift to my grandfather. Johnson was known as a weirdo, and my grandpa never enjoyed talking to him. One time, my grandfather said his coworkers went out to Michigan (Detroit probably) for a weekend and Russell was not seen for the entirety of that weekend (so I wonder if he is connected to cases in the states, I haven't looked into this).

Anyway, another really interesting connection is that my Grandfathers 2nd grade teacher or something was Glen Fryer! My grandfather recalls Fryer to be disliked by the other staff of the elementary school, and was generally ignored. My grandfather always felt pity for Fryer because Fryer contracted Polio as a child and had a stunted leg because of it. There is some more stories surrounding Fryer that my grandfather remembers, I will have to give gramps a call.
Furthermore, (I have lots to tell) my grandmother moved to London in the mid-60's and remembers someone trying to break into her 3-story walk up near Cheapside and Adelaide through the balcony. She was only a year or two older than me (in her early twenties).
Lastly, my mother went to the same high school as Jacqueline Dunleavy and we live down the road from where the Alsops lived.
I think majority of these are coincidences because of the small nature of London. But I am intriuged at these cases and would love to see a resolution for the families of these victims. If there is anyway to get involved or to help gather more information, I would love to help.
thanks guys.

Welcome to Websleuths torasu! There was definitely more than one serial killer roving through London back the 60s and 70s.
In addition to Russell Johnson and Christian Magee, the 'unsolved' murdered children were killed by others...surely more than one.

 

[dotr]

.

 

[Richard]

Jackie English:
15-year-old Jackie English was abducted on her way home from her waitressing job at the Metropolitan on October 4, 1969. The restaurant was located in the Treasure Island Mall. She went outside to wait for the bus. According to a witness Jackie got into a car instead of getting on the bus. It was the last time Jackie was seen alive.

Five days later, in a rural area about 45 minutes from where Jackie was last seen, her body was discovered in a creek. She was nude. There were signs of sexual assault—two semen samples actually. One internally, the other on her underwear. Her clothes were found strewn along the highway a few days later.

Her cause of death was blunt force trauma most likely from a crowbar or hammer.

Jackie English age 15

Jackie kept a detailed diary that may hold clues. She wrote part of the diary in code. But tucked away in the pages was a picture of an unknown man. Below is that picture...

Mystery Man

LINK:
The Forest City Killer - The Murder Squad

Does anyone think there is a resemblance between the Mystery Man and John Norman Collins? Although Collins was in a Michigan jail as of the end of July 1969, he did have a few close companions who were not. Did Jakie's killer know her through Collins? Or could the photo have been placed with her to implicate him?


John Norman Collins,
Michigan Murderer

LINK:
MI - MI - JOHN NORMAN COLLINS Co-Ed Murders 1967-69, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti

 

[Richard]

Here is a list of some of the murders which occurred in the vicinity of London, Ontario, Canada in this time frame:

1966 - Georgia Jackson (whose murder was solved) was found in a woodlot, not far from other related sites, and her clothes were found staged in the same areas.

January 1968 - Jacqueline Dunleavy, 16, disappeared on her way home from work at a variety store. Her body was found less than 2 hours later a few miles from work, dumped in a parking lot in the northwest area of London. She had tissue stuffed down her throat, and had been strangled with her own scarf.

February 1968 - Frankie Jensen, 9, disappeared on his way to school only a couple of miles from where Jacqueline Dunleavy's body was found. His body was found a couple of months later in a river northeast of London, with his clothes 'disturbed'. He had tissue stuffed down his throat.

March 1968 - Scott Leishman, 15 or 16, disappeared while hitchhiking home near a village northeast of London (Thorndale). His body was found in the mouth of a creek, near Lake Erie, southeast of London. His pants were 'disturbed'.

30 September 1968 - Wanda Dekiel, 22, was murdered. She was found 1 October 1968 in a lane way. She had been strangled with her own scarf. She was described as petit. "solved"

11 October 1968 - John Bortolon, 13, was last seen walking on Oliver road. His body was found about 3 weeks later in dense bush off a side road. He had been strangled. "solved"

14 November 1968 - Lynda White, 19, a Western University student (from Burlington) in London Ontario, disappeared after writing an exam. Her skeletal remains were found many miles SW of London in Norfolk county on 9 May 1973. She was nude and in a very shallow grave.

7 June 1969 - Robert Bruce Stapylton, 11, disappeared while playing outside his house in London. His body was found a few miles north of his London in a woodlot. Police could not determine the cause of death and there was no evidence of sexual assault.

4 October 1969 - Jackie English, 15, disappeared on her way home from work after being seen getting into a car on the London Wellington Road overpass at Highway 401. Her nude body was found in Big Otter Creek near Tillsonburg on 9 October 1969 and her clothes and personal belongings were found in various places south and southeast of London in Oxford and east Elgin Counties.

14 August 1970 - Soraya O'Connell, 15, disappeared while hitchhiking home from a community youth drop-in centre near Fanshawe Park Road and Highbury Ave. in London at 10 pm. Her body was found on 26 May 1974 outside Stratford, many mile east of London, under limbs and leaves.

4 March 1972 - Priscilla Merle, 21, was last seen getting into a car in London. Her dismembered body parts were found in various separate locations later.

13 October 1983 - Donna Jean Awcock, 17, of London, was last seen leaving a convenience store near her Cheyenne Avenue housing complex. Her strangled, partly clad body was found about 15 metres down an embankment overlooking Fanshawe Dam. She had been sexually assaulted. Donna Jean Awcock (1966-1983) - Find A Grave...

 

[Lacrosse]

It's been reported that the police have dna from Jacqueline's killer. It's time to make use of genetic genealogy. This has gone on far too long. She deserves justice! The tool to deliver that justice is available, but not used. What a shame.

 

[whiterhino]

Jackie English:
15-year-old Jackie English was abducted on her way home from her waitressing job at the Metropolitan on October 4, 1969. The restaurant was located in the Treasure Island Mall. She went outside to wait for the bus. According to a witness Jackie got into a car instead of getting on the bus. It was the last time Jackie was seen alive.

Five days later, in a rural area about 45 minutes from where Jackie was last seen, her body was discovered in a creek. She was nude. There were signs of sexual assault—two semen samples actually. One internally, the other on her underwear. Her clothes were found strewn along the highway a few days later.

Her cause of death was blunt force trauma most likely from a crowbar or hammer.

Jackie English age 15

Jackie kept a detailed diary that may hold clues. She wrote part of the diary in code. But tucked away in the pages was a picture of an unknown man. Below is that picture...

Mystery Man

LINK:
The Forest City Killer - The Murder Squad

Does anyone think there is a resemblance between the Mystery Man and John Norman Collins? Although Collins was in a Michigan jail as of the end of July 1969, he did have a few close companions who were not. Did Jakie's killer know her through Collins? Or could the photo have been placed with her to implicate him?


John Norman Collins,
Michigan Murderer

LINK:
MI - MI - JOHN NORMAN COLLINS Co-Ed Murders 1967-69, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti

Wondering why Jackie wrote parts of her diary in code? Wonder if anyone has tried to "decode" it? Jackie seemed like such a sweet, caring soul... it's so sad.

Also yes, there is very much a similarity but I don't think they're the same person JMO. It would be great if we could see Mystery Mans right ear for comparison.

@torasu43 Those are some interesting anecdotes! I've heard some of the stories too. My grandparents talked about Glenn Fryer saying that everyone thought he was strange and how he had polio. My parents went to school with Jackie English and Jacqueline Dunleavy and lived in the same area as Russell Johnson. Once, I found an old red pencil crayon that said "Jackie" on it and thought it belonged to her That was my intro to amateur sleuthing lol!

 

[Vern]

And Lynne Harper on 9 June 1959 in Clinton, ON which is just north of London and Sarnia.

Much like the Christine Jessop case and the wrongful conviction of Mr. Morin, 14 year old Stephen Truscott was convicted and sentenced to death for the crime ... which he did not commit. This was the case that ended the death penalty in this nation after it went all the way to the supreme court.

This is a case I most personaly hope to see solved as Lynne was stationed at RCAF Station Clinton when she was murdered and I want to see complete vindication of Stephen via DNA (some out there still think he did it). Many of us Canadian Military folks are very familiar with this case and still track developments - hoping desperately for a solve.

Some viable suspects in the attached link:
Case not closed: The enduring tragedy of the Harper – Truscott murder case – Canadian Military History (militarybruce.com)

 

[dotr]

And Lynne Harper on 9 June 1959 in Clinton, ON which is just north of London and Sarnia.

Much like the Christine Jessop case and the wrongful conviction of Mr. Morin, 14 year old Stephen Truscott was convicted and sentenced to death for the crime ... which he did not commit. This was the case that ended the death penalty in this nation after it went all the way to the supreme court.

This is a case I most personaly hope to see solved as Lynne was stationed at RCAF Station Clinton when she was murdered and I want to see complete vindication of Stephen via DNA (some out there still think he did it). Many of us Canadian Military folks are very familiar with this case and still track developments - hoping desperately for a solve.

Some viable suspects in the attached link:
Case not closed: The enduring tragedy of the Harper – Truscott murder case – Canadian Military History (militarybruce.com)

Ws thread (noticed othram liked a post on that thread, hopefully they are considering taking on the case), imo, speculation..

CANADA - Canada - Cheryl 'Lynne' Harper, 12, Clinton, Ont, 9 June 1959

 

[Vern]

Ws thread (noticed othram liked a post on that thread, hopefully they are considering taking on the case), imo, speculation..

CANADA - Canada - Cheryl 'Lynne' Harper, 12, Clinton, Ont, 9 June 1959

I did request him to take on Lynne's case months ago when he was looking for suggestions.

 

[Starlitnite]

Hi there,
it seems that this forum has not been used for quite some time. I am learning about these cases more and more as I have read both Murder City and the Forest City Killer. Interestingly, I grew up in London (and still live there now) without any knowledge regarding the horror and extent of these cases up until a year or two ago. My grandfather grew up in London, and was employed at the old Ford factory just south of here. My grandfather informed me that he personally knew Russell Johnson, as Russell Johnson worked the opposite shift to my grandfather. Johnson was known as a weirdo, and my grandpa never enjoyed talking to him. One time, my grandfather said his coworkers went out to Michigan (Detroit probably) for a weekend and Russell was not seen for the entirety of that weekend (so I wonder if he is connected to cases in the states, I haven't looked into this).

Anyway, another really interesting connection is that my Grandfathers 2nd grade teacher or something was Glen Fryer! My grandfather recalls Fryer to be disliked by the other staff of the elementary school, and was generally ignored. My grandfather always felt pity for Fryer because Fryer contracted Polio as a child and had a stunted leg because of it. There is some more stories surrounding Fryer that my grandfather remembers, I will have to give gramps a call.
Furthermore, (I have lots to tell) my grandmother moved to London in the mid-60's and remembers someone trying to break into her 3-story walk up near Cheapside and Adelaide through the balcony. She was only a year or two older than me (in her early twenties).
Lastly, my mother went to the same high school as Jacqueline Dunleavy and we live down the road from where the Alsops lived.
I think majority of these are coincidences because of the small nature of London. But I am intriuged at these cases and would love to see a resolution for the families of these victims. If there is anyway to get involved or to help gather more information, I would love to help.
thanks guys.

Thanks for offering assistance. It would be great if you could find out what colour and make of car(s) Johnson drove, and if he said certain lines often. (Some people started or ended sentences with 'yah know', for example). Also, if you could ask what seemed weird about him...or anything else he can remember. Thanks.

 

[Snoopster]

Late in the evening of 3 July 1964, in Northwest Detroit, Michigan, two boys - Francis "Pat" Brown (17) and Sheldon Miller (14) were shot to death by an unknown killer with a .22 caliber revolver.

Theirs was a particularly violent murder with little or no determined motive. They were shot down in a public playground adjacent to an elementary school. The crime remains unsolved to this day, 56 years later.

Detroit, Michigan is across the river from Windsor, Ontario and there was much traffic and commuting between the two cities daily. Is it possible that the killer of these two boys was from Ontario - or perhaps involved in some of the murders there?

LINK:
MI - MI - Francis "Pat" Brown, 17, & Sheldon Miller, 14, fatally shot, Detroit, 3 July 1964

Sorry for the very belated response.
Clearly it is possible that a murderer or two, from the London area was responsible for some murders in SE Michigan. (and vice versa) For instance, the post further up by @torasu43 mentioned that Russell Johnson went on a trip to Detroit. But, I don't recall any of these unsolved murders being caused by a gun. Shootings were very rare in London. Most of the London area victims were strangled or suffocated, and some were stabbed/slashed (i.e. by Christian Magee). So I suspect that they weren't responsible for the horrible shooting of Pat Brown and Sheldon Miller. (I have to look up their case though. How sad!)

 

[Lacrosse]

Do you think the police seriously investigated Russell Johnson for the late 60s murders of young people? Interesting that he lived on talbot Street in 69 which was a mere 1.6 km to Bruce Stapylton's home.