Canadian police made an announcement on Friday, revealing that they have established a connection between the deaths of four young women, which occurred almost 50 years ago, and a fugitive from the United States who took refuge in Canada from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s.
Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt. Dave Hall announced on Friday that Gary Allen Srery could potentially be connected to a series of unsolved murders and sexual assaults in Western Canada. Authorities are seeking the assistance of the public in providing any additional information that may help establish a link between him and other unresolved cases.
During a press conference held in Edmonton, Alberta, it was announced that four unsolved homicides from the 1970s have been linked to a deceased serial sexual offender. Police Chief Hall made the announcement, highlighting a significant breakthrough in these long-standing cases.
Srery passed away in 2011 while serving a life sentence for rape in an Idaho state prison.
Srery was identified by Hall through the use of DNA and criminal databases, which assisted in tracing his family tree.
In 1976, Eva Dvorak and Patricia McQueen, both 14-year-olds from Calgary, Alberta, were attending junior high school. They were last seen walking together in downtown Calgary. Tragically, the next day, their lifeless bodies were discovered beneath a highway underpass west of the city.
In the spring of 1976, Melissa Rehorek, a 20-year-old seeking new opportunities, made the move from Ontario to Calgary. She settled as a housekeeper at the downtown YMCA and was last seen by her roommate before setting off on a hitchhiking trip. Tragically, the next day her lifeless body was discovered in a ditch in a township west of Calgary.
In 1977, according to Hall, Barbara MacLean, a 19-year-old Calgary resident originally from Nova Scotia, had recently relocated to the west. Hall mentioned that MacLean was employed at a local bank and was last spotted leaving a hotel bar. He noted that her body was discovered six hours later, just outside Calgary.
According to Hall, the cause of death for the two 14-year-olds was not determined by authorities at that time. However, it was concluded that Rehorek and MacLean both died as a result of strangulation.
According to Hall, even though investigators collected semen from all four crime scenes, they were unable to develop a DNA profile at that time due to the lack of technology.
According to Hall, if Srery were still alive, he would have turned 81 years old today.
According to Insp. Breanne Brown of the Alberta RCMP, Srery had a long history of criminal activities, including forcible rape, kidnapping, and burglary. He fled to Canada from California in 1974 and lived there illegally until his arrest for sexual assault in New Westminster, British Columbia in 1998.
According to Brown, Srery utilized a total of nine different aliases throughout his life and was known for his constant changes in appearance, residence, and vehicles. He had a knack for obtaining illegal identification and social assistance through these aliases, leading to a transient lifestyle. Brown mentioned that Srery worked as a cook in Calgary, Alberta between 1974 and 1979, and afterwards, he relocated to the Vancouver area in British Columbia, where he continued his transient lifestyle until his arrest and conviction for sexual assault in New Westminster in 1998.
According to Brown, Srery was deported to the U.S. in 2003. He had been convicted of sexually motivated crimes in Idaho and was sentenced to life in prison. He ultimately passed away in 2011.
According to Brown, the Alberta RCMP is seeking the public’s help in uncovering more information about Srery’s activities in Canada. It is believed that Srery, who operated under various aliases, was involved in criminal activities spanning multiple jurisdictions and decades. The authorities suspect that there may be additional victims and are urging anyone with relevant information to come forward.
Canadian authorities are particularly concerned about Srery’s lack of meaningful contact with law enforcement agencies in Canada from the time he entered the country illegally in the mid-1970s until his arrest, charge, and conviction for the New Westminster assault in 1998.
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