DNA helps link killings of 4 young women to an American man who lived in Canada illegally after 45 years of investigation 

After 48 years of investigation, the Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police have identified the man responsible for the deaths of four young women in the Calgary area during the 1970s. This man, a serial sexual offender, is suspected of committing numerous other violent crimes until his death.

The police revealed that Gary Allen Srery murdered junior high school friends Eva Dvorak and Patricia McQueen, both 14, in 1976, and later killed Melissa Rehorek, 20, and Barbara MacLean, 19, within a year. According to Alberta RCMP, Srery’s criminal activities spanned decades and multiple jurisdictions, with numerous aliases, suggesting there may be additional victims.

Although DNA was collected during the initial investigations, the technology at the time was insufficient to identify a suspect. In 2003, DNA evidence linked the same suspect to the murders of Rehorek and MacLean. In 2021, further analysis of crime scene evidence from the Dvorak and McQueen cases connected them to the same suspect responsible for Rehorek and MacLean’s deaths.

The Alberta RCMP explained that the same unknown male DNA profile was found on both Dvorak and McQueen, matching the DNA from the Rehorek and MacLean cases. This led them to conclude that a single male offender was behind all four murders.

Recent advancements in forensic science and the use of forensic investigative genetic genealogy—combining DNA analysis with traditional genealogy research—have facilitated these breakthroughs. Using genetic genealogy, police identified Srery, an American who died of natural causes in an Idaho state prison in 2011 while serving a rape sentence.

Interpol and Idaho State Police Forensic Services helped confirm that Srery’s DNA matched the unknown male DNA profile found on all four Calgary victims. During the time of the murders, Srery was living illegally in Canada, having fled the US in 1974 after posting bail for a rape charge in California. Before arriving in Calgary, he had a significant criminal record in the US, including charges of forcible rape, kidnapping, burglary, and sexual perversion.

Srery resided in Alberta and British Columbia from the mid-1970s until his deportation in 2003, using various aliases such as Willy Blackman and Rex Long. David Hall of the Alberta RCMP noted that investigators tirelessly pursued the identification of those responsible for these murders for over four decades. While identifying the perpetrator does not bring back Eva, Patsy, Melissa, or Barbara, Hall expressed hope that the families can finally find some closure regarding their loved ones’ fates.