Karen Ewanciw - April 24, 1975 - Age 11 - Edmonton - KARE

[CraftyGal]

I found this calendar at the site: http://www.christianitysite.com/ChristianCalendar2008.htm.  It is the list of the important religious dates that Christians celebrate.  The church that my husband and I attend is considered Anglo-Catholic, so some of the days that we celebrate coincide with Catholic celebrations.

Please note this date:

March 25     Tuesday      Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary   Catholic/Some Christians
                                 Passion Sunday     

CraftyGal
   

[Chris]

Hi waabzy,

I do understand how you feel and I know you are very upset. Maybe I am an optimist, but I am hoping we can work these out and seek a way to find common ground. I know that in the past (and Adrian can tell you that) I was a poster who opinionated and pushy myself once and am glad that other folks had the patience and grace to give me a chance to show who I really am (a decent guy I hope.)

Let's give it another shot and see if we can see this thru OK?

[Adrian]

Hey, If I can stick with Chris, and my sometimes volotile, and explosive posts, and opinions, any one can. Ha!

Chris, I always believed in you. I always felt you cared.You were with us from the beginning on KARE.Ok, You could at times be a handfull, but your sense of humor was great, and I just knew you were a good guy!   

[Syiena]

my only posting for this thread will be -

waabzy has done a very difficult job that some may never be able to do.  Like myself.

Waabzy - I commend you for doing this.  It's not easy whatsoever.  And I hope you don't allow anyone to ever discourage you or to walk away from this.  We need you.

If we didn't have your website - I'm so afraid the victims will be forgotten.  To be quite honest, I never knew there was that many murders/missings of Aboriginal people.  Guess what, now I do. 

The question of whether Karen should be on Waabzy's website - I can't believe we're actually even discussing this.   I'm a little unsure to why you would be upset about Karen being on this website.  I still don't really understand.

Actually, what we should be upset about is Karen's killer's still on loose.  Not because she's on a website for aboriginals victims.

[sandy]

Dear Maggie,

I would first like to thank you for responding to this discussion & I appreciate you sharing your perspectives & concerns with regards to what I had posted earlier on in this discussion.  I want you to know that I have edited some of my prior comments, out of respect for what you have said & because I found them to be very inappropriate, judgemental & inaccurate.  So thank you for pointing that out to me.  I just want to assure you that I have no intentions of ever contacting family members or posting a picture of Karen on the internet.  Please know that I have the utmost compassion & respect for Karen's family & would in no way want to cause more grief for any family member or their friends.  You are a good friend Maggie & I respect that you are wanting to protect people you care about.  I am truly sorry for any misconceptions I may have created & I hope you can forgive me for my lack of integrity & bad judgement.

I would also like to say that I applaud Waabzy on her website & I think what she is doing is a wonderful thing.  I hope & pray feelings can be sorted out between you both.

Sincerely, Sandy

[Desespere]

Yeah mauve, I understand that there are children out there surviving on the streets, but, Karen wasn't one of them.  I guess it shouldn't have bothered me so much that waazby said 'there isn't any indication'.  Knowing the family as I do, that just didn't feel strong enough.  I really needed to say 'no, she was absolutely NOT into anything along the lines'.  She was a little girl, playing with the friend with whom she was supposed to be delivering the flyers they were ditching in the ravine.

I have no axe to grind along the lines of 'hookers deserve what they get'.  No damned way.  I don't believe any little girl dreams of the day she can charge strangers to invade her body.  I believe that circumstances in their lives put them into that circumstance, that the unaddressed crimes against them in their lives are what puts them in stranger's cars.

Hi Maggie,
I want to explain why I wrote what I wrote about Karen not being the 1975 unsolved case.

Kare says they have unsolved cases going back to 1975 in Edmonton of high risk women.

The only unsolved case from 1975, that I have found, is Karen's. So I'm saying "I hope that's NOT who they are referring to." How could they call her high risk, how could they call her anything other than a child.

When a teenager or even an 11 or 12 year old is missing and they are or engaged in prostitution, they are tended to be called "women" even at the age of 12.

When teenagers are victims of crimes and are not engaged in 'high risk' they are called girls or children or teens, not women.

But any child involved in high risk is not there of their own making. We all know and agree on that.

I didn't mean to offend, particularly Karen's family. Really, I would like to know who Kare and EPS are referring to when they say high risk women dating back to 1975 in Edmonton.

[thehills]

 I remember Karen Ewanciw's murder very clearly.  I was 12 when it happened and I remember it vividly.  It turned out that murderers could find little girls on the Canadian prairies and after that, we were no longer so unknowing about the ways of the world.  I attended Forest Heights for grades 1 & 2 and moved to Strathearn after that.  I remember Lori Ewanciw and I think I remember her sister Kathy.  Lori started there in grade 8 after her sister's death, and I think her sister was in grade 9.  As soon as we heard her name, we knew who she was.  I was so sorry to read of  their both passing on.  I was also very familiar with the ravine area near where it happened.  We used to walk to the daycare at the convent after school from Forest Heights.  I'm not sure if the convent is still there, I don't live in Edmonton anymore.   That ravine area became a pretty sinister place after that, I can tell you.  We were told in no uncertain terms to stay away from it unless we were accompanied by adults.  One of the things that stuck in my mind was a brief segment on tv, a bulletin or news update maybe of a size appropriate person modeling a down filled jacket that was found near the crime scene and asking if anyone recognized it.  Does anyone else remember this? No one else I've asked seems to.  I had always hoped that poor little girl's murder would be solved.  This is the one that has come back to me time and again in the last 30 some years.  I hope her family with find justice in their lifetime.  I'm also very glad to see this forum and that she hasn't been forgotten.

[Chris]

Hi thehills,

That must have been very scary. I am sorry kids have to experience that. We too hope justice is served one day. Thanks for pposting.

[maggie]

Hello hills.  I still live in Forest Heights.  Though she was a friend of my sister at the time of the tragedy Cathy and I became close friends and cohorts as adults.  To have 3 of 4 girls in the family not make it to their 50th birthday has been quite the tragedy for the family.  The ski jacket is vaguely familiar.

As for justice, I don't know that anyone will ever be punished for killing young Karen.  Even though new officers pick up the case every few years I can't imagine them ever finding resolution.  The family survived and lived their lives.  They never let Karen die in their hearts or the minds of others.  She is still present in this community.

The 'McNally Bush' area has nice walking and biking trails through it, but, once you're off the path it's just as wild any other part of Edmonton's ribbon of green.  I think the daycare moved to St Kevin's, but, the convent is still there. 

[friend]

hello , I was a friend of karen , yes I remember a light colored downfilled was found near the crime. If my memory is correct rubbers gloves were also found . I hope some day justice will be found .I can,t believe this person has not told anyone what he did .

[Chris]

Rubber gloves? That should be testable for DNA. I hope it is true and they can.

[mauvelilac]

Maggie: I don't think you should despair of ever finding justice for Karen. We've had three cases in Ontario in the last year solved after thirty to fourty years. If it can happen here, I'm sure it can happen there as well. It just takes the right officer and perservereance on his/her part.

[Desespere]

The news about the Dutch sadist arrested for horrible crimes against children has spurred a question of whether he could be responsible for Karen's death.

I have reread from beginning to end again and there are some factors that might implicate this person. Although he would have been quite a bit older in 1975 than the 20-30 year-old description given by a witness. He would have been about 50, probably grey. It's just a thought. After rereading this thread I see there was a suspect, a highly possible suspect (??) who has died. Perhaps Karen's case is considered solved? I'm not entirely sure if that's what is most likely according to those closest to the family.

This is the link on unsolved where I learned of the guy recently arrested.

http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php/topic,2553.0.html

[Maxwell]

I was eleven years old at the time. Karen was my friend! She lived down the block from me. I have never forgotten
her and while we still have the same questions we did back then let this be known: If her family or any one else who knew Karen reads this know that she was a friend and will always hold a place in my heart during my young life. We were not told a lot that day they found Karen and parent's were quick to usher us inside we did feel pain and a sense of helplessness that we even as children were not there to help her. Karen's family moved away soon after and I never got a chance to tell them that she was a wonderful friend and very missed. Karen you were very special and still are remembered and missed even after 33 years. :(Thank-you Karen for being part of my life!

[Chris]

Very sorry about your friend. it is very sad. It sounds like no one gave you a chance to express your feelings or answer your questions back then. It must have been hard. It is too bad this is not solved, but I really do hope this case will be solved wtih modern science.