Alexandra Flanagan - 33 - Murdered - July 2007 - Barrie, ON

[Hazel Main]

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3341573

Unless my eyes are reading what they want to see, I think they've found more remains. 
And YES That monster was charged with indignity to her body.

RIP Alexandra.

[MissB]

If the remains were not visible from the path that goes through there, it makes sense that they weren't found until now. Due to the fact that this small section of bush is right next to the Police Station, people don't hang out there, like other bush areas in Barrie, and those who do go through there, are just using the path to get to Bayfield St. Tow trucks and cabs park there sometimes when waiting for calls, but more than likely don't venture into the bush area on foot. Other than the path, and the small parking area, there really is no reason for anyone else to be over there where they would come across the remains.

Im so glad they made an arrest.......it makes me mad that he has been living free for 4 years, while her family suffered, wanting & needing to know what happened to her. At least now they get some closure. RIP Alexandra

[Chris]

Nice to see you back Hazel!

I am so glad they solved this case, it is remarkable as I thought maybe this one just could not be solved. It goes to prove that sometimes it appears police forgot, but in reality, they are doing a job that takes patience and lots of details to be gathered.

The person arrested did a great job covering up his work, it will be interesting to see what finally proved he did it.

The family must be feeling bittersweet now, that makes me happy!

Chris

[Hazel Main]

Thanks Chris!
This board has come a long way, you and your members continue to do a great job. I'm so pleased at what I see whenever I get a chance to visit. 

Yup the police kept at it even when it may have looked like they had forgotten <--- good police trick imho   I also have to add the community, specifically her family and army of friends did a world of good work in Barrie along side of the police.

[Concerned]

Norm, thanks for expressing that. When reading the post you mention, my heart sank. A grieving daughter looking for answers on why her mother would be found face down in water she would not have ventured into. A story is found on http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php?topic=3136.0

But, I surely feel bad that by bringing that up, Diane would be assailed. She didn't bring it up recently, she brought it up a long time ago wondering if there are similarities. Even if none, I too still respect her highly for the love she had for her mother. And, the need for answers. And looking at every avenue.

Let's face it, we all didn't plan and we certainly don't enjoy looking for our loved ones in places and under theories we never imagined our brains would entertain.

As for Alexandra, I wonder how long the remains have been there. They likely have been scattered perhaps at different times since they were also located in very different places. It wouldn't be unusual to have them placed where law enforcement already looked, would it? And, right under their nose is actually a message, so it seems.

Hazel, the cases that peak my interest are the ones where single women, older than their 20s, are taken from their homes with no clues. No sign of entry. While they were doing everyday things...cooking, breakfast, minding their own rather quiet lives. I just don't understand why they are targeted. And what happens to them.

[eyeswideopen]

not sure if this link has been posted , so here it is
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/162686--innisfil-man-charged-in-barrie-woman-s-2007-death

[Mom]

I don't mean to sound "small-townish".... but I spent the weekend in Barrie visiting relatives and on two separate occasions I heard some very interesting information:

1)  A reliable source told me that a co-worker of Andrew Keene's said that Andrew turned himself into the Police.  Apparently, he is full of remorse and couldn't live with his secret any longer.  He has a baby about a year old and just wants to end the goose chase.

2)  I was in a professional office today and I overheard two secretaries talking about the case.  The said that Andrew was a Person of Interest early on in the investigation and that the Police were waiting for him to slip up.  They too also said that Andrew confessed to Police AND provided information as to the whereabouts of more remains.

Interesting, no?

[history_major]

Mom,

You are right in the sense that they had their eyes on Andrew right from the beginning.  They searched his house back in 2008 (correct me if I'm wrong about the year).  When I was in school, a friend worked with Andrew and said police had been interviewing people that knew Andrew.  I didn't hear that he turned himself in, in fact I believe the police went to his home and arrested him.  But I did hear that he confessed and told the police where the find the rest of her remains.

[Concerned]

Does anyone know his connection to Alexandra?  His past record? Was he in trouble before? He was a POI early on for what reason?

[Mom]

Who is Andrew Keene?

BARRIE - In the eyes of Alexandra Flanagan’s family and friends, and to Barrie police, he was a suspect from the beginning.

Andrew Robin Keene, 29, was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder in Flanagan’s death and indecency to a body.

The charges have yet to be proven in court.

Keene was a new friend of Flanagan’s, and her mother was suspicious of him from the get-go.

Wendy Flanagan told The Toronto Star in October 2007 she believed Keene was interested in an intimate relationship with her daughter, but the feelings weren’t reciprocated.

Barrie police officers spoke to Keene early on in their investigation, and after bones were found near Lackies Bush Oct. 5, they obtained a search warrant on his Rose Street apartment. Starting Oct. 24, 2007, Officers spent three days combing through his home, but didn’t lay any charges.

Const. Julie Reynolds said officers won’t comment on why Keene was a ‘person of interest’ in 2007.

In 2008, Barrie police again had a search warrant to look through Faurecia automotive plant on Bayview Drive, where Keene worked at the time of Flanagan’s death.

Then Thursday, Keene was arrested at Precision Waste in Innisfil, where he worked.

General manager Dave Murray said company staff is “quite shocked and surprised” with the arrest, but couldn’t offer more.
“We really don't know anything other than what we hear in the press,” he said.

News of the arrest has also hit Keene’s family hard.

A year ago, their family was suffered tragedy when Keene’s nephew, seven-year-old Devlin Britnell was diagnosed with meningitis.

After recovering from a high fever and subsequent stroke last year, Britnell is now back at home heading to school shortly.
Britnell’s grandfather Joe Lawrence said the Keene family is a “mess” after the arrest.

“His mother and father are basket cases. All I know is that he’s always been a good family guy. We just don’t understand the whole thing,” said Lawrence.

The 29-year-old suspect in the Alexandra Flanagan case has also created a lot of buzz in the social media world.

Flanagan’s friends who may have also known Keene have been asked to refrain from making any comments about him on the Facebook page, Action for Alex.

“This page will not be used as a venue to post pictures of the accused or as a witch hunt of the accused or his family and friends on Facebook,” said Angelina Briggs, a friend of Flanagan’s. “We are all very emotional, but this is not the way, any inappropriate comments have and will be deleted.”

She said the connection between Keene and Flanagan will come out in the trial, and wants to ensure the trial isn’t prejudiced by any comments posted on the page.

http://www.simcoe.com/news/crime/article/1231144

[Mom]

'We do have all the remains'

BARRIE - The search for evidence has been renewed after a major breakthrough in the murder of Alexandra Flanagan last Thursday.

Monday, divers took to Kempenfelt Bay as Barrie police cordoned off yet another site in connection to the 2007 case.
Six OPP divers were called to search the lake near St. Vincent Square Park and Kempenfelt Drive. And while Barrie police Det. Brett Carleton couldn’t elaborate exactly on what officers were searching for, he said it wasn’t for more bones.

“We believe we do have all the remains, there are no further remains sites,” said Carleton.

He said he couldn’t elaborate on the specific evidence being investigated because of a publication ban issued by the court last Friday.

“I can’t comment how this area came to light, it was through investigation,” said Carleton.

He expected the search to last for two days, and said that area of the North Shore Trail would remain closed to pedestrians.

Last Thursday, Barrie police officers charged Andrew Keene, 29, with first-degree murder and an indignity to a body.

Flanagan was 33 when she was killed and dismembered in 2007.

Within hours of Keene’s arrest, officers were combing the wooded area at Rose and Bayfield streets, and found more remains. A post-mortem is expected today (Tuesday) to confirm the identity of those remains.

http://www.simcoe.com/news/news/article/1231198

[MissB]

Update on the search of Kempenfelt Bay - CTV Barrie News - Police expected to be on site for 2 full days, but wrapped up around 2pm yesterday afternoon. They were searching the waters for "evidence", and tools used included an underwater metal detector.

IMO, they were looking for the weapon(s) and the fact that they left the scene so much sooner than expected, tells me they have found what they were searching for. Police stated that at this time of year, the visibility under water is very clear, so it makes it much easier to perform the search efficiently.

As far as how this happened, here is my theory.........

I think that Keene was wanting a relationship with her, and was following her around. According to Police reports, she was saying good-bye to a male friend at Sunnidale Park. He may have given her a hug, and possibly a kiss, depending on what level their friendship was. If Keene was following her, and saw this, it may have triggered a jealous rage, and he hid & attacked her when she passed by. AKA Crime of Passion. IMO, only this kind of jealousy and rage can drive someone to kill and dismember someone. Thats personal......... not just a typical murder.

It seems that he is co-operating with the investigation, as they must be getting the information of these locations from him. He's gotta be the only one who knows.

I cringe at the thought of how many hundreds of times in the last 4 years, I have driven right past where they found the last of her remains. Poor girl............ at least now she can be put to rest properly. RIP Alex ~ Finally some justice for you!!

[jobo]

Here's another up-date:  http://news.ca.msn.com/ontario/barrie/another-secret-search-in-flanagan-case

[Concerned]

Possible connection with April Dobson case.

Arrest heats cold case
Police say arrest of suspect in Flanagan case sparks new clues in April Dobson murder
By Lance Holdforth – Special to the Examiner

Posted 17 days ago
With a first-degree murder charge laid in the Alexandra Flanagan case, Barrie police are also receiving new information regarding another unsolved case.

After 29-year-old Andrew Keene was arrested and charged with Flanagan's murder last week, police say it got people talking about the April Dobson shooting.

"Essentially, in terms of Alex Flanagan, that was a bittersweet arrest because of course it was an extremely tragic death, but I think people felt a sense of relief," said Det.-Const. Anna Lamanna, with Barrie's major crime unit. "It certainly has prompted witnesses to come forward in some of our other unsolved cases."

Dobson was was 40 years old when she was shot in the back of the head while sitting on the porch of a friend's Browning Trail townhouse Oct. 14, 2005.

"We have received tips on the Dobson case," Lamanna said. "It (the Flanagan case) has prompted members of the community to come forward and they have taken some initiative to try to help out."

Police are taking the new information seriously, but because each new lead has to be investigated, detectives can't say if tips will lead to an arrest.

"I can't really comment at this stage, because they are preliminary," Lamanna said of the leads. "In terms of April Dobson, we still consider it an open case."

The night Dobson was gunned down, witnesses reported seeing a white male between 16 and 20 years old running from the scene before riding off on a bicycle.

With the passage of time, people may find themselves more eager to talk to police about ongoing investigations, but science also plays a factor, Lamanna said.

"Sometimes witnesses come forward, whether it's because the threat is gone in their life or because of revenge," she said.

"Sometimes time is (also) on our side because of scientific advancements and new technology,"?she added.

Officers with the crime unit tackle each case as a team, brainstorming ideas and poring over new evidence as it is presented.

But in many cases, city residents hold the key information.

"We strive to spend the same amount of attention on each case, regardless of the victim," Lamanna said. "I also feel the community has a responsibility in assisting to achieve this goal."

After Keene was arrested in the Flanagan case, police were soon at the Highway 400 on-ramp between Bayfield and Rose streets where they believe Flanagan's final remains were found, police say.

"We do believe that we do have all of the remains. And at this point, we do not have any more remains sites," said Det.-Const. Brett Carleton, the lead investigator on the Flanagan case.

"There was a post-mortem conducted (Tuesday), which I was present at, but that is going to be an ongoing process and we won't have results from that for some time,"?Carleton said.

With the assistance of Ontario Provincial Police divers, city police searched the water near St. Vincent Park for evidence, but police are tight-lipped about the findings, if any.

"That area came to light and that's how we ended up searching that area. It was an evidence search," Carleton said. "We feel that the searches at this period of time are complete."

The area of water is close

to where some of Flanagan's remains were found by a hiker near Johnson's Beach back in February 2008.

Flanagan was 33 years old when she went missing July 8, 2007, near Sunnidale Park after parting company with a friend.

Partial skeletal remains were found Oct. 4, 2007, in Lackies Bush near Little Avenue and Bayview Drive. Those remains were later positively identified as Flanagan's through dental records.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3347880

[Concerned]

'It didn't have to happen': Wendy Flanagan
By MARG. BRUINEMAN, Barrie Examiner
Updated 1 month ago
There was relief in her voice when Wendy Flanagan talked about the arrest of a 29-year-old man in connection to the killing of her daughter, Alex.

She's been waiting for answers for more than four years.

But she couldn't help but think about the senselessness of it all.

"It didn't have to happen," she kept saying.

Alexandra Flanagan's life was cut short at age 33. She was last seen July 8, 2007.

It wasn't until the following October that some of her remains were found, a kilometre apart, at Lackies Bush in the city's south end, that her death was finally confirmed.

And then, four months later, on the opposite end of the city, more of her remains were recovered in February 2008.

Police were actively looking, and clearly they had leads.

They searched a home on Rose Street, near St. Vincent Street, where they stayed for a few days that first October.

A year later, in November, officers with the major crime unit searched the Faurecia automotive plant on Bayview Drive, near Lackies Bush, for clues.

What finally led to the arrest Thursday, police haven't said.

There was a promise of some kind of revelation later, possibly at a press conference scheduled for Friday morning.

As police shut off parts of Rose Street, the northbound Highway 400 on-ramp and a turning lane on Bayfield Street, they were looking for something.

In among the search area is where Caroline Hebner lives. She happens to know Wendy Flanagan; they once worked together at Sears.

"It's so sad, but it's good to hear it's finally over," Hebner said.

Some sort of closure should somehow help the family, she figured.

Alyssa Nesbitt has also been looking for answers. She was more of an acquaintance than a friend of Alex's, but she couldn't help but become involved following the mysterious disappearance during the summer of 2007.

"I'm really lost for words," Nesbitt said about the arrest. "It's about time. The family can finally move on.

"It's wonderful news."

The arrest means the closure of one chapter, but the start of another as the case now begins its journey, potentially a long one, through the justice system.

"We have very mixed emotions, but we're very, very happy that there was an arrest," Wendy said. "It was a shock."

She can't perfectly relate what she's been feeling these last few years. But clearly, that feeling hasn't gone away.

Three weeks ago, Wendy Flanagan wrote a letter to The Examiner asking the killer for some kind of closure. Lead her, police, anyone, to the rest of the remains, the mother pleaded. Exactly who was behind the killing wasn't as important, she wrote.

But, Thursday's arrest did have an impact; it allowed her something she hasn't yet had.

"I'm very, very happy," she said, but tempered that with, "I know I'm not going to get Alex back alive.

"I made a promise to Alex, I'd work for her ... I'll keep going until it was resolved."

But, in the end, she said, it never should have happened. Her daughter is gone and Thursday's arrest means that another life is now forever affected.

"What has this achieved?"

mbruineman

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3341295