Kelly Cook - Unsolved Murder \ Standard Alberta 1981

[Chris]

Wow, I just discovered a simular abduction happened 3 weeks earlier in Olds ALberta. 15 year old girl, but he took her right off the street and drove to Edmonton with her before being arrested:
http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/newspapr/np_page2.asp?code=nn1p0236.jpg

[Chris]

Here is a sketch of the suspect:

He was 30 - 40 years old.
ABout 5 foot 10 inches and 160 pounds
Medium to heavy build
Round face with swarthy complexion
Hands and face were weather beaten
Clean shaven, short fark hair
Had a blue windbreaker with possible complay logo or emblem on it.
Driving a 1978 or newer (remember, this is 1981) Chysler or GMC full size, light color, possibly pale with Alberta plates.

[Chris]

Hi Chris,

I lived closer to Rockyford.  I attended high school in Standard and was in grade 12 when this happened. I did not know Kelly personally. My younger brother was in Kelly's class.

Some of the details I remember....  it is quite fuzzy, 27 years is a long time.

The first contact was with a waitress (she was a friend of mine). As I recall she gave him the number of one of our other friends; who was not free to babysit, so she  in turn gave him Kelly's #.

I think it was the waitress and/or one or two other people who were in the restaurant at the time who helped create the sketch.  I think some of them may have also underwent hypnosis to try and recall details.  I know there was a sketch, but I cannot for the life of me invision it. 

Standard does not have a newpaper, but Strathmore does. http://www.strathmorestandard.com/
They may have the sketch in their archives.

I had forgotten about the call from Hussar.  I don't think Hussar had a gas station; but as some one has mentioned there was a payphone on the main street.

Not sure why, but I am convinced it was not anyone local.  There was talk at the time (and it makes sense); that this person just picked up the phone book and picked out a name to use; one that was quite common.  That, IMO does not take much planning.

As someone has mentioned Standard is not "on the way" to anywhere. The major cities in southern Alberta are Calgary, Lethbridge, Drumheller and Medicine Hat. To travel between any of them, you would not need to go thru Standard.

It is however very close to the Trans Canada hwy, which of course would offer easy getaway; it could be that Standard's proximity to the main highway corridor lent to convenience.

I have posted a link to this site on classmates.com ..... maybe others will visit here and be able to add more than I can.

Thanks for the link First Lady, I hope more info can be added here.

I was the one who has mentioned that Standard is out of teh way, not really a place you just end up at. Same with Hussar, which I am sure still has a gas station. Hussar is small then Standard, but still seems to have a few business's. I have been to all these towns including Rockyford before.

Since he is not recognized by anyone, I would think it is safe to assume he was not from there. SOmeone would have been able to ID him I think, those places you seem to know everyones face (I live in a smaller Sask town now myself).

THere was a person on here who said a man in Warner AB was considered a suspect, but he has since died.

It does seem like this guy knew what he was doing and i think it was just a chance thing it worked out. By going to Hussar, he wasted no time getting her away.

It would be nice if this could solved. With DNA and all sorts of advances, it is still very possible as long as he is still alive. In fact, it is also likely the police already know 'who', but because our laws favor criminals so much now, they may not be able to proceed.

[haunted]

Thanks for the sketch Chris! Didn't think to see if the local newspaper might have it in archives. That is definitely the sketch I remembered for all those years ago.

I did some more looking at the Olds newspapers to see if there was follow up on the abduction that took place in Olds, which was 3 weeks before Kelly was abducted. The newspaper ran a follow up story around April 22 or so that said that the abductor was being sent for a psychiatric evaluation for May 4 1981. It appears he was in custody for the duration from March 28 when the Olds girl was abducted until after May 4, which would make me think he was later sentenced or extradited to the USA, pending whatever else. Long and short, does not appear he could be the same SOB that was responsible for Kelly's  murder. Keeping fingers crossed that someone will see the sketch and it will jog a memory from a long time ago, or that the murderer is dead or incarcerated and someone who knows something will feel safe enough to offer up some information.

Still hope someone from Warner might have some information.

[Chris]

The one thing about the pedo in Olds was that he drove all the way to Edmotnon. He was in no rush. Was he planning on meeting another fellow pedophile?

I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, but I do know that pedophiles have worked as partners before. It just seems weird.

[Desespere]

It does seem weird, the idea to come all the way from the States, up to Edmonton and then likely back to the States. A very odd occurrance anytime but three weeks before Kelly's abduction and murder. They may have came up together and went their separate ways. Or maybe reading about the Olds case was a trigger and maybe the guy travelled a lot. Maybe, if there were two guys, they have been up this way before together before, many times. The one abductor did go a long, long way. We have to find out more about that guy.

I had to look up "swarthy complexion" in webster's. It means of dark colour, complexion or cast. He's also weather beaten, which could mean out door work, long years of out door work. The car could be a rental, it was just after Easter. The clothes he was wearing are interesting too, the jacket, dark windbreaker with a company logo. And what about the glasses? The written description doesn't say anything about glasses. 

So that's a lot of clues really, maybe this is why the people in Warner feel they know who the killer was.

What time of day did the killer ask for a babysitter at the restaraunt? Was it on the same day as Kelly's abduction?

Is it true someone called the school looking for the gymnast and that gymnast is also the waitress? Was there four days between the call to the school and the visit to the restaraunt? Wow. Thanks for posting here. I just want to say it is good more people are speaking up and out about these cases, such as Kelly's, Alexandra's, Clayton's,

[haunted]

Des, the weather beaten/tan skin made me think this guy could be either a farmer which would be consistent with southern Alberta or perhaps and construction worker (perhaps road construction) that put him up in hotel off the TransCanada where he would have seen the paper of the figure skater in March. Not sure if that would be too early in the season for road construction? Anyway to determine if there was road construction at a certain period of time and where? Anyone out there familiar with Gov of Alberta Department of Highways records?

If not road construction maybe house construction (although less likely because of the slump in the economy and high high interest rates). The farmer thing might hold water - might be consistent with the Warner suspicion.

Appears this guy was seen by more than one person in the restaurant.

From what I gather the figure skater was working in the restaurant and was first approached in person to babysit but could not so gave him a friend's name who could not, so that friend then gave him Kelly's name. He was persistent and wasn't going away until he got what he was after. Would be interesting to know what the phone records revealed from those calls? Payphone from the area, if so, what town? Long before the days of cell phones.

This guy was brave and thought he was very smart and did not think he was going to get caught so he wasn't afraid to show his face. Why? Not from there..........or never going back there..............or has done this over and over in one form or another and confidence keeps building. The car appeared to be with AB licence plates - could be a rental, could be his own car, or could have been a stolen car.
Wonder if police checked with car dealers in southern alberta to run purchases of vehicles from the year or two around the age of the car involved, to see who bought light colored GMC/Chev full size or Chrysler/Dodge full size cars. Newer cars might indicate decent paying job. can't see the guy using a stolen car because it might create more attention, with the risk that it is ID'd as a stolen car.

Wonder if police checked with car rental agencies across the province to see about any cars out during that time, especially if one was not returned  etc.........

 

[Desespere]

Link to picture of a 1978 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham 4-Door Sedan (it's a flash thing and can't get the photo)
http://www.chooseyouritem.com/classics/files/97500/97938.html

This is a 1978 Malibu Landau, considered medium size car so it's not a Malibu


Die cast model of a 1978 Chev Impala - Four door - is this considered a full-size car?


1978 Chev Caprice 4 door


1978 Chevy Nova - 4 door - Cop Car model


Fancy 1978 Buick Riviera 2-door


1978 Cadillac (there appears to be several types of Cadillac)




1978 Buick Le Sabre


What other kinds of Chev or GM full size cars were there in 1978 - 1981
Thing I learned tonight about the two models is that in 1978 GM marketed to higher income target than Chev.

[haunted]

Thanks Des

I am sure this guy would not have had a Cadillac, in a town of 300 people a Cadillac would definitely draw attention. I would think the same for the Riviera, they're fancier and are noticed. Can anyone remember which car the RCMP used back then? I am thinking the Caprice but not certain and again, if that is the case people tend to notice a car that looks exactly the same as the ones the RCMP use but driven by a civilian, (just like how a driver slows down for an oncoming car that appears to be a police car by its make and model but upon passing it you realize it wasn't!). Probably a Dodge or Chevy Malibu or Impala, maybe a Buick Regal or something like that, that would tend to blend in, in a small town. He totally blended in because it wasn't until Kelly was gone for an hour or so that her parents began to worry. No one else in the town seemed to have issue with this guy until Kelly was gone. I have to say that the southern part of the prairie provinces are much different than the northern parts. It is not transient there and outsiders are noticed. A lot of people in the south homesteaded there and immediately can tell someone who is not from the area.  Making me think the Warner connection might be more and more possible since it too is southern alberta, rural and not much different all and all from Standard.

[Chris]

Making me think the Warner connection might be more and more possible since it too is southern alberta, rural and not much different all and all from Standard.

It is sooo simular to Standard except a big highway goes thru town. Same size, same industries, same type of folks. I'm thinking more and more about that connection myself.

I really hope at some point someone who knew a bit more about that would share some more info with us.

[Desespere]

Can anyone remember which car the RCMP used back then?

I'm pretty sure it was the Nova.

[Chris]

Gran Fury was used too. Caprice Classic was used in this 1981 Terry Fox photo:

[Desespere]

Thank you Chris so there were several types of cars used.
There's not an endless supply of full size 1978-1981 Chev or GM cars so the type of car has to be one of the above or another not shown. Are there any cars missing from the above list - full size Chev or GM made models (buick only?)

[Chris]

Not sure. I think like now, most cars were of a certain model, which in those days was the Caprice. Other models of cars and trucks and vans were used, but not as common.

I'd say Caprice was likely the most commonly used basic cruiser at that time as it was most of the 80's until it appears they switched the Crown Victoria's.

[Desespere]

Okay thanks that's good to know.