Canadian police have announced that they have linked the deaths of four young women nearly 50 years ago to a now-deceased U.S. fugitive named Gary Allen Srery, who hid in Canada from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s. Authorities believe that Srery may also be linked to other unsolved murders and sexual assaults in Western Canada. The breakthrough in the case came when DNA evidence was compared to profiles on ancestry websites, leading to a match with Srery who died in 2011 in an Idaho state prison while serving a life sentence for sexual assault.
The four Canadian cases linked to Srery include the murders of Eva Dvorak and Patricia McQueen, both 14-year-olds who were last seen walking together in downtown Calgary in 1976. Their bodies were found under a highway underpass the following day. In the same year, 20-year-old Melissa Rehorek, who had moved to Calgary for new opportunities, was found dead after going hitchhiking. Another victim, 19-year-old Barbara MacLean, was found strangled just outside Calgary in 1977. Semen was collected from all four crime scenes, but technology at the time did not exist to find DNA matches.
Authorities revealed that Srery had an extensive criminal record for forcible rape, kidnapping, and burglary when he fled to Canada from California in 1974. He used multiple aliases and frequently changed his appearance, residence, and vehicles. Srery lived a transient lifestyle, working as a cook in Calgary from 1974 to 1979, then in the Vancouver area from 1979 until his arrest and conviction for sexual assault in 1998. He was deported to the U.S. in 2003, convicted of sexually motivated crimes in Idaho, and sentenced to life in prison where he passed away in 2011.
Alberta RCMP is asking the public for any information that may further link Srery to unsolved cases in Canada, believing that there are more victims connected to him over decades and multiple jurisdictions. Authorities are seeking assistance in tracking Srery’s movements and timeline in Canada, as they believe he may be responsible for additional crimes that have gone unsolved. Despite Srery’s death in 2011, the investigation continues to uncover connections between the fugitive and cold cases in Western Canada.
The cases of the four young women murdered in the 1970s in Western Canada have finally been linked to Gary Allen Srery, who escaped to Canada from the U.S. and lived under multiple aliases for several decades. Due to advances in DNA technology and the comparison of evidence to profiles on ancestry websites, authorities were able to connect Srery to the unsolved murders. The link to Srery has raised concerns about potential involvement in other cold cases and unsolved crimes, prompting a call for public assistance to provide any additional information that may help solve these cases.
The revelation of Srery’s connection to the unsolved murders in Western Canada has shed light on the fugitive’s criminal history and transient lifestyle. With an extensive record of sexual assault, kidnapping, and burglary, Srery evaded law enforcement for years before being arrested and convicted in Canada and the U.S. Alberta RCMP is urging the public to come forward with any information that could aid in furthering the investigation and potentially identifying more victims of Srery’s crimes. Despite Srery’s death, the search for justice for the victims and closure for their families continues as authorities work to uncover the full extent of his criminal activities in Canada.
