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Crime Beat Season 7 Episode 17
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00:03This program is rated 14-plus and contains scenes of violence and mature subject matter.
00:08Viewer discretion is advised.
00:13This is the spot where Carolyn Case's Mercedes station wagon was found.
00:17There was a small amount of blood in the car and a large quantity of mud.
00:23If you don't have something in the first 48 hours in a homicide investigation,
00:27then you know you're in it for a long haul.
00:30When I arrived at the scene, there was an old Oldsmobile sitting in the driveway
00:34and the officers informed me that there were two bodies in the trunk.
00:3754-year-old Ian Blackburn and his 49-year-old wife Nancy were found murdered.
00:43We were wondering how did they both end up in the trunk of a car in their driveway with a
00:49car up north.
00:51There was all this investigation going on, but at the same time we were dealing with a person
00:55who was breaking into cottages that was named to be cottage hermit or house hermit.
01:00So he started to feel that the person responsible for the death could be the person who's doing these break
01:08-and-inners.
01:08Possibly could be armed.
01:10He could be suicidal and extremely dangerous.
01:19The quiet community of Caledon, Ontario sits just northwest of Toronto.
01:24A place known for its rolling countryside, peaceful surroundings and cottage retreats.
01:30But in the early 1990s, that peaceful reputation would be shattered.
01:35Police began receiving a series of troubling calls that hinted something sinister was unfolding.
01:42Here now is Jamie Dahl with Trail of Terror, Cottage Killer.
01:53On October 2, 1991, Carolyn Case, who had a store on Bloor Street in Toronto, went missing.
02:03She was at her store at 6 o'clock that night, was talking to her sister on the phone,
02:08and said she had to cut it short because a customer came in.
02:12The 47-year-old businesswoman was last seen at the exclusive gift shop she owns and operates on Bloor Street
02:19West.
02:21Six o'clock was closing time, 6-10, 6-15, she hadn't arrived home, which was her norm,
02:28and her daughters tried to be in touch with her.
02:32Several phone calls, and she finally answered and said that everything was okay.
02:36The mother of three spoke to one of her daughters on the night she disappeared.
02:40Case said she'd be home in five minutes, but she hasn't been heard from since.
02:44The daughter commented that she felt afterwards, as she thought about it, just something just wasn't quite right.
02:53They had gone to the store and her car was parked there, the lights were on in the basement,
02:57but she didn't open the door.
02:59Eventually, they got into the store later on at 9 o'clock at night when they got keys.
03:03Noted there was $247 missing from the till, from the cash receipts, and she was nowhere to be found.
03:11Nowhere to be found, and no clues as to where she might be.
03:16Carolyn Case was wearing a white blouse with a white embroidered pattern on the front.
03:20She was wearing a bright pink fuchsia-colored skirt.
03:24It was straight, it had no pleats.
03:26She was wearing low-heel black shoes.
03:30She was carrying a black nylon purse that was approximately a foot by 10 inches
03:35by about 3 inches in thickness with a shoulder strap.
03:40Did you find any evidence there or signs of a struggle?
03:43No, there was no evidence or any sign of struggle other than the fact that the money was missing.
03:48There was nothing that seemed to be out of door.
03:51The door was locked, the alarm was on, and both she and the car were missing.
03:58Nobody at the time knew anything about where she was or what happened.
04:01It was publicized all over the place.
04:04People were looking for her.
04:07Homicide detectives are appealing to the public for help in tracing cases' movements.
04:12Between 7 and 9 p.m., her car was parked in its usual spot behind the Bloor Street shop.
04:18It could have been someone who parked their car in the lot opposite the back of the store,
04:23or a commuter coming out of the nearby Royal York subway station.
04:27As you can see in the area of the parking lot here, there's a number of cars,
04:32and there was lots of activity that particular night on Wednesday.
04:35Also, the Royal York subway station is close by,
04:37and we feel that someone from the public must have seen something.
04:46We're approaching here now where Carolyn Case's Mercedes was found.
04:53The missing person report was put into the Toronto Police Service,
04:57and then at 7 o'clock the following morning, which is the 3rd of October,
05:03Carolyn Case's white Mercedes station wagon was found in the ditch in Caledon Township,
05:09which is north and a little bit west of Toronto.
05:13And it would be quite obvious with the car laying in the ditch on its side,
05:17facing the wrong way, that something was wrong.
05:22It's rural, but it's a fairly populated area.
05:30This is the spot where Carolyn Case's Mercedes station wagon was found.
05:34There was no snow. It was in the fall.
05:37All the foliage had been out.
05:40Caroline Case's blood-stained Mercedes-Benz station wagon
05:43was found rolled over in a ditch in Caledon.
05:46The OPP, when they found the vehicle on the side road,
05:49did a complete search, but they were searching for a live body
05:53because nobody knew about what happened to Caroline.
05:55And they searched all over, you know, using the road as a center point.
06:00The predominant thought at the time was she might have gotten a car accident
06:04and got out and struggled to find her way anywhere.
06:11A subsequent search found a man's belt about three feet from the car,
06:17between that and the fence, and also her gold necklace was found there
06:21that was later identified to belong to Carolyn Case.
06:24There was a small amount of blood in the car and a large quantity of mud.
06:29When the car was found, there was traces of blood that was found
06:33in the back part of the station wagon.
06:35Down the road, it was determined that that was Carolyn Case's blood.
06:39I mean, it was obvious by looking at it that we had a crime scene.
06:43Police say tests on the blood are not definitive,
06:45but do say the blood is not consistent with a car accident.
06:49It's more consistent with the blood being transferred from someone's clothing
06:55to various locations inside the vehicle
06:57as someone is attempting to exit the vehicle through the rear window.
07:01There is absolutely no reason for that vehicle or for her to be in that area.
07:05There's no ties to the Caledon area whatsoever.
07:09Investigators are appealing to anyone who may have spotted a person, male or female,
07:13walking along rural roads or through fields in the Brampton-Caledon area
07:17on the night of Case's disappearance.
07:19They're also asking rural residents to search their properties
07:23for signs of the missing woman.
07:25The OPP took over the investigation in that area.
07:28There was a massive search, including helicopter.
07:34Police dogs, divers went into ponds.
07:42Oh, you can see how the guy would get here and just go right in there.
07:46And a search through the wooded area.
07:49Time is running out for the massive police search along countryside roads
07:53for any clues as to Carolyn Case's mysterious disappearance.
07:59As the days went on, then hope dwindled to the fact
08:03there was anything other than a homicide, that she'd be alive after that.
08:07The search was also broadened to include a nearby gravel pit.
08:11But the police have hinted strongly they may soon have to scale down
08:15their search operation, which has numbered 100 officers.
08:20And there were several days and a lot of resources spent at the time.
08:24And nothing.
08:25And absolutely nothing.
08:27And investigators in Toronto weren't having much luck either.
08:33They combed every nook and cranny in the Humber River area.
08:36They were looking for a piece of clothing, a purse,
08:39anything that might shed some light on the mysterious disappearance of Caroline Case.
08:44This particular area is being searched because of the close proximity
08:47to the store at 3000 Glover Street West.
08:49No clues were found.
08:51It's not known what the next move will be in the search for Caroline Case.
08:55Some investigators feel the answer to this mystery
08:58still lies somewhere in the Caledon countryside.
09:03And then the mystery continues.
09:07Did you have any suspects?
09:09Not at that time, no.
09:12She operated the store, the Jeweled Elephant, on Bloor Street.
09:16And she had imported artifacts from other countries,
09:19brought them in and sold them in the store.
09:21Her husband traveled with his line of work.
09:24He was an economics specialist.
09:27I don't know, it's weird.
09:28The police normally look at friends and family first.
09:33I'm told they were a happy family.
09:35They traveled well.
09:36She had three daughters, two at university, one at home.
09:39And there was no indication of any issues at the store
09:43or with the family or any reasons for this to happen.
09:46There is nothing that was brought up
09:49that would cause an investigation to go towards family,
09:53business, or anything to do with her past clients.
09:57These past few weeks have been a period of great pain
09:59and anxiety for us all.
10:02And we ate for an answer to this terrible mystery
10:05so that we can get on with our lives.
10:07It's the first time they've spoken publicly
10:09since Caroline Case went missing.
10:11Her husband, Alan,
10:13her sister, Rosemary, from Calgary,
10:15her brother, David, from Edmonton,
10:17and Case's oldest daughter, Allison.
10:20If she is alive, we would like to have her back.
10:25Or if she isn't,
10:27we would like to bring a final closure
10:29with a proper Christian funeral.
10:31Her family believes she's either being held hostage
10:34or more likely has been murdered.
10:36But they say they have no idea why.
10:39Was there any other DNA in the car that was not hers?
10:43No, there was not.
10:44DNA was actually just coming in to investigative aids
10:48as far as that goes.
10:50There was blood seriology.
10:51There was fingerprints.
10:53The car was gone through an intense fingerprint process
10:56and no fingerprints were found in the car.
10:59I mean, it was a high-profile case
11:01in the City of Toronto at the time,
11:03but if there's nothing coming in,
11:05then it becomes fairly dormant fairly quickly.
11:07If you don't have something in the first 48 hours
11:10in a homicide investigation,
11:11then you know you're in it for a long haul.
11:14Residents in this quiet Scarborough neighbourhood
11:17are gripped with fear,
11:18wondering when and where the suspect will strike next.
11:22Well, it's worrisome because at that time,
11:24we had other missing and found murders
11:27in and around the Toronto area.
11:30A funeral for yet another woman slain.
11:34Carolyn Warwick was a promising young doctor
11:36when she was beaten to death last February.
11:38Add to the growing list Elizabeth Bain,
11:41missing since June 1990,
11:43and Nina Devillier.
11:44Her body was found shot last month.
11:46They're just a few recent and blatant examples
11:49of violence against women,
11:50and the reason why many of us
11:52now automatically assume the worst
11:54when a woman goes missing,
11:55like Carolyn Case.
11:57When Carolyn Case went missing,
12:00all of that was on people's minds.
12:02That's a scary experience.
12:04It's certainly unnerving
12:05that something like that could happen.
12:07Following months of no leads,
12:10in January of 1992,
12:12a grisly discovery
12:13had local residents dreading the worst.
12:20An OPP chopper scoured the shoreline by air
12:24while divers braved the frigid waters
12:26of Lake Ontario off the Hamilton Beach Strip.
12:29They were looking for more body parts
12:31after a human leg was found floating
12:34in the water on Saturday.
12:35It is believed to be a leg part
12:39of a middle-aged woman.
12:56Welcome back to Crime Beat.
12:58The grim discovery of a human leg
13:01along the shores of Lake Ontario
13:03led many to speculate
13:04it belonged to Caroline Case,
13:06who was reported missing months earlier.
13:08But investigators would soon
13:10have to turn their attention
13:11to another gruesome discovery.
13:16We now return to Jamie Dahl
13:18and Trail of Terror Cottage Killer.
13:23Presently, it's inconclusive.
13:26It's still in the hands
13:27of the pathologists in Hamilton
13:28and we have no information
13:30to lead us to believe
13:31that it is a body part of Caroline Case.
13:34Right now, investigators say
13:36it's anyone's guess
13:37as to who the leg might belong to.
13:39It could be days, possibly weeks,
13:42before forensic tests provide any clues.
13:44There's been a strong onshore wind here
13:47for the past week,
13:48so the body part could have come
13:49from as far away as New York State.
13:51It's just too early to tell.
13:53Tomorrow, divers are expected
13:55to concentrate their efforts
13:56on the Burlington Ship Canal.
13:59It was a red herring
14:00and detectives were no closer
14:02to solving Caroline's murder.
14:04And in April, investigators
14:06were pulled into another investigation.
14:09I was paged at about 10.30 in the evening
14:12about a case and it was told to me
14:15over the phone
14:16that it was possibly a murder-suicide.
14:19The mystery began on Monday night.
14:2154-year-old Ian Blackburn
14:23and his 49-year-old wife Nancy
14:25were found murdered
14:26in the trunk of Nancy's car.
14:28The light blue Chevrolet celebrity
14:29was parked in the driveway
14:31of their North Toronto home.
14:35When I arrived at the scene,
14:37there was an old Oldsmobile
14:38sitting in the driveway.
14:40The trunk was down
14:41and the officers came in and informed me
14:43that there were two bodies in the trunk
14:44and we went and opened it.
14:52And I looked at them
14:53and there was a male and a female.
14:56A nephew made the gruesome discovery
14:58after the Blackburns failed to show up
15:00at a party Sunday night in Caledon.
15:02Police believe the couple had been missing
15:04since Tuesday, April 7th.
15:06At the scene,
15:08I met Jamie Osborne.
15:10These people in the trunk
15:11were his aunt and uncle.
15:13It would have been terrible
15:14to discover both his uncle and aunt
15:16in the trunk of a car.
15:17She had no clothes on.
15:19The female was naked,
15:20the male was clothed
15:22and they were crunched up
15:23and it readily appeared
15:24this was not a murder-suicide.
15:27Ian and Nancy Blackburn
15:28was a couple that lived in Toronto
15:30and Ian was a business realtor
15:32who owned a business.
15:34Nancy was a registered nurse
15:36and she was a health nurse
15:37who worked for the City of Toronto
15:38and both of them lived
15:40on St. Leonard's Avenue in Toronto.
15:42They had no children.
15:44They didn't have debt issues.
15:46They were living a relaxed lifestyle.
15:50They owned property in the Caledon area
15:52and they used it as a summer cottage.
15:56He and Nancy maintained 50 acres
15:58and his sister Susan Osborne
16:01also had 50 acres
16:02of the severed land next door.
16:04They were very tight with their family
16:06with their properties
16:07adjoining in Caledon.
16:09Both hobby farms.
16:10From everybody we talked to
16:11they were lovely people.
16:13So the Osborne's in the spring
16:16would have what they call
16:17the sugaring off party
16:18where they would tap a few trees
16:21and boil a bit of maple syrup
16:23and have a bit of a bonfire in the party.
16:26So on the 7th of April
16:28Ian left his place of residence
16:31and said that he was going up to the cottage
16:33because they planned to go up
16:34for this sugaring off on the weekend
16:36and he left
16:38and that was the last time
16:39that Ian was seen alive.
16:41And where was Nancy at that point?
16:43Nancy was working that day.
16:45She came home around 7 o'clock
16:47and then that's the last
16:49that anybody was aware of
16:51that Nancy had been seen alive.
16:54The thought is that she would have
16:55driven to the cottage that night.
16:57So they're both at the cottage.
16:58When did they go missing?
16:59Well that was on the 7th
17:01and then they were to
17:04go to the sugaring off that weekend
17:06and the Osborne were surprised
17:08that the Blackburns didn't show up for it
17:10because Ian's car was parked at the cottage.
17:14On the 13th they checked the cottage
17:17and went in
17:17and of course they weren't there.
17:20They found Ian's car still at the cottage
17:23but not Nancy's.
17:26They went down to the house in St. Leonard's
17:28they found that mail and newspapers
17:30had been delivered for several days
17:33and had not been picked up.
17:34Their cat was inside and hadn't been fed
17:36and Nancy's car was parked in the driveway.
17:39They looked around inside
17:41and Nancy's purse was there.
17:43They didn't find anything at all
17:45so they reported them as missing persons
17:48and then shortly after
17:50the brother-in-law Oro Osborne
17:52asked his son Jamie
17:54to go back and check again
17:56and then check the car
17:57and that's when the Toronto Police
17:59initiated their investigation
18:01in Toronto on the 13th.
18:04So we were wondering
18:06how did they both end up in the trunk
18:08of a car in their driveway
18:10with a car up north.
18:13With one car up north
18:15and nobody at the place.
18:16So we rather quickly matched up
18:18with the OPP Detective Inspector
18:20Jim Hutchinson and myself
18:21and created a multi-jurisdictional
18:24investigation task force.
18:27I got a call in the middle of the night
18:29about 3 o'clock in the morning
18:30and headed to Caledon
18:32to meet up with investigators
18:34on the morning of April the 14th.
18:39So we arrived here
18:41and there was a cabin
18:42out here at the front
18:43and a Cadillac car parked there
18:46and there was actually a beer can
18:49on top of the hood of the car
18:50which was very strange
18:51and then realized
18:53that there was another shed attached
18:56and at the far back of the property
18:58we could see an octagonal barn
19:00and there certainly was a lot of money
19:02in this area.
19:06We did a crime scene search
19:08of the cabin where we were
19:09and of the car.
19:11There was no apparent place of entry
19:13or forced entry
19:14though there was a possibility
19:16there looked like there could have been
19:17pry marks on one window.
19:18The cottage hadn't been open
19:21for the spring
19:22there was some beer in the tub
19:23there was newspapers there
19:25from December of 1991
19:28at the fireplace
19:29the cottage was very neat.
19:32What stood out to us
19:33was everything was quite normal.
19:36There was one additional detail
19:38that investigators in Caledon
19:40couldn't help but notice.
19:43It's not far from where Caroline Case's
19:45bloodstained Mercedes Benz
19:47was found last October.
19:48The body of the Etobicoke businesswoman
19:51has not been found.
19:52The coincidence is not lost
19:54on this Caledon resident.
19:56It's pretty scary.
19:57It's getting pretty close to home.
20:01We've got three small kids
20:02and it's kind of scary.
20:06As we started investigating
20:08the Caroline Case matter
20:09came up rather quickly.
20:24At the Toronto home
20:25we did a thorough investigation.
20:27There was nobody there.
20:29The Blackburns were last seen
20:30on Tuesday, April 7th
20:32but their movements after that
20:33remain a mystery.
20:34Police are appealing
20:35to the public for help.
20:37The car in Toronto
20:38where the bodies were found
20:40there was a bloody Kleenex
20:41found on the front seat.
20:42There was like a blood smear
20:45and a dab on it
20:46sort of thing.
20:47It wasn't really enough
20:48we thought
20:49to make any real significance
20:50like a real major injury
20:53but we seized it
20:54it was catalogued
20:55it was put into
20:56the Centre of Forensic Science
20:57and was analysed
20:59at a later date.
21:00We are trying to establish
21:02where the scene
21:02of this crime occurred.
21:06Tell me anything
21:06I knew about the driveway
21:07whether the gate was open
21:08or closed.
21:09Ian Blackburn's
21:10Burgundy Cadillac
21:11was found in the driveway
21:13yesterday
21:13raising the possibility
21:15the couple may have been
21:16killed at the farmhouse.
21:17Search went through
21:19the cottage
21:19we did find the specks
21:21of blood on the stairs
21:22upstairs.
21:23An autopsy revealed
21:2449 year old
21:25Nancy Blackburn
21:26was strangled
21:27but police won't comment
21:29on whether there were
21:30any signs of sexual assault.
21:32We are not disclosing
21:33any information
21:33about how she was found
21:34or any of the particulars
21:36of her death.
21:37Police still don't know
21:38how Ian Blackburn died.
21:40An autopsy will be
21:41completed tomorrow.
21:43What did police think
21:44happened to Ian
21:45and Nancy Blackburn?
21:47Somebody was waiting
21:48in the house for Ian.
21:49When he went up
21:50he drove up to check
21:51his cottage
21:51and was confronted
21:53by an individual
21:54in his house
21:55and taken under control
21:57probably right
21:57at the very start.
21:59We did phone records
22:00and this is landline records
22:02looking for calls
22:03to Nancy
22:04and calls to the cottage
22:05up north.
22:06so we were looking
22:07at contact
22:08between them.
22:10We became aware
22:11that there was
22:12a very short phone call
22:14that was made
22:14from the cottage
22:16to the house
22:17shortly after 7
22:19and there had been
22:21two previous phone calls
22:22to the house
22:23about noon.
22:24Very short hang up calls
22:26that were made
22:26from the cottage
22:27to the house.
22:31When the car
22:32was finally searched
22:33several days afterwards
22:35in the back seat
22:36there was a bag
22:37with a full meal
22:38in there.
22:39Certainly it is believed
22:41that Ian asked her
22:43to drive up
22:44to the cottage.
22:45She brought a meal
22:45up there
22:46to bring for the two
22:48of them.
22:48So those phone calls
22:49that were made
22:49do you think he was
22:51making those
22:51under duress?
22:53Yes he was making
22:53those under duress.
22:55It was the belief
22:55that Ian had come upon
22:57an individual in the house
22:58and that he had tricked
23:00Ian into having Nancy
23:01drive up to the cottage.
23:04We were just
23:05trying to figure out
23:06okay Ian must have
23:08asked Nancy
23:08to come up there
23:09and if she got there
23:10then the perpetrator
23:12could have taken
23:13the two of them
23:14from there
23:15in her car
23:16back down to Toronto.
23:18That's what we thought
23:19might have happened.
23:21We believe they were killed
23:23that evening of the 7th
23:24yes.
23:24Both of them.
23:25That's correct.
23:27A picture was starting
23:28to emerge
23:29of what likely unfolded
23:31that fateful night.
23:33And our OPP profiler
23:35indicated that Nancy
23:38was the main individual
23:40in mind for this individual
23:41at the time.
23:42She was the main target.
23:44There was no signs
23:45of sexual assault
23:46but there were signs
23:47of the fact that she
23:48had been tied up
23:49and hung.
23:51Her shoulders were
23:51quite ripped at the top
23:54where she had either held up
23:55or tied up into her arms
23:57tied behind and bound
23:58to her feet
23:59with bruising on her hips
24:00where she had been
24:01picked up and carried around.
24:03She had lupus
24:04and it was a concern
24:05that she was getting older
24:06and she was rather frail.
24:09There was blood found
24:11in the cottage up there
24:13that was Nancy Blackburn's
24:14and I believe
24:15at that time
24:16Nancy was murdered
24:18up at the cottage.
24:20Both died of asphyxiation
24:22but it was quite obviously
24:23that Ian was the one
24:25that drove the car
24:25back to Toronto
24:26with the suspect inside
24:28and with Nancy
24:29in the trunk of the car.
24:30He didn't know
24:30she was in the trunk?
24:31That's the belief
24:32is that he probably
24:33didn't know that she was
24:34in the trunk of the car
24:35at the time.
24:36That is one theory.
24:38There's been many theories
24:39as to when they're killed,
24:40who was killed first,
24:41who was killed second.
24:42We couldn't prove
24:43time of death
24:44for the two of them
24:46was too different.
24:47If one was killed in Caledon
24:48and they drove to Toronto,
24:50it's probably about
24:51an hour and a half drive
24:52tops and then one
24:53killed in Toronto
24:54and found a day
24:55or two days later,
24:56that would be putting
24:57a very heavy load
24:58on a pathologist
24:59to try and see
25:00the exact time of death
25:02for each person.
25:06The results of the autopsy
25:07were manual strangulation
25:09and ligature strangulation
25:10which showed ropes
25:12or bindings of some sort.
25:14For both Nancy
25:16and Ian,
25:17there were strange
25:18marks on them
25:19and marks around
25:20their wrist
25:21and in Ian
25:22marks just above his leg
25:24and they were tie marks
25:26where somebody had tied
25:26a rope around them.
25:28You could tell
25:29he was controlled
25:30during the drive down
25:31and as we believe
25:32asphyxiated with
25:33a plastic bag
25:34over his head.
25:36It would be late at night
25:38that that had occurred.
25:39The house on St. Leonard's
25:40had a fair substantial
25:41amount of property
25:42so I see no reason
25:44that any of the neighbors
25:44would have thought anything.
25:45It was a horrific way to die.
25:46I mean, to be at your own cottage
25:48minding your own business
25:49and have someone invade your home,
25:51kill your wife
25:52and then kill you.
25:53I can't think of a more terrifying experience.
25:59They were substantially
26:00well-off people.
26:02We're looking
26:02at all possible motives
26:04including
26:05anybody trying to
26:09gain monetary
26:12possessions,
26:13monetary money from them
26:14or anything else
26:15or anything else
26:15at this time.
26:17Number one,
26:18we have a realtor
26:18who has his partner
26:20who is going to inherit
26:21a fair amount
26:22if there's a death
26:23of his partner.
26:24We have another family
26:26with nephews and nieces
26:27that, you know,
26:28we're going to inherit
26:29a fair amount of money.
26:31And during our investigation
26:33in Toronto,
26:33we came up with nobody
26:34that was out there
26:36that was a likely person
26:38who is going to gain
26:39anything from
26:40Ian and Nancy's death.
26:42So we had forensics
26:44come and photograph
26:46and do a search
26:47of the cottage
26:47where the blood was found.
26:50I enlisted the use
26:52of the emergency response team
26:53from the OPP
26:54who were trained
26:55in grid searching
26:56and they did a complete search
26:57of the ditches
26:58and the areas,
27:00open areas,
27:01in the complete block
27:03around this concession block
27:04looking for evidence.
27:06There was some tea bags
27:08but also in the ditch
27:09there was a washcloth.
27:11There was a beer can
27:12that was similar
27:13to the beer cans
27:14that were in the Blackburn cottage
27:15and interestingly enough
27:17in the ditch
27:18there was also
27:19some feces
27:20wrapped in newspaper
27:22and the sections
27:23of the newspaper
27:24were the same day
27:25and the same
27:26Toronto Star newspaper
27:28were in the Blackburn cottages
27:30and there was also
27:31these writings
27:32were in the garbage dump
27:33outside the Blackburn cottage
27:35along the ditch.
27:37And this wasn't
27:38the first time
27:39the detective had come across
27:40this kind of writing.
27:42So there was all
27:44this investigation going on
27:45but at the same time
27:46we were dealing
27:47with a person
27:47who was breaking
27:48into cottages
27:49that was named
27:50to be cottage hermit
27:52or house hermit.
27:53At any point
27:54at that time
27:55did you think
27:55about the break-ins
27:57that you had been
27:57previously investigating?
27:59Oh, of course
28:00this person
28:01unknown where he was
28:03was a prime suspect.
28:15The break-ins in Caledon
28:17were in empty cottages
28:19or empty homes.
28:20It wasn't
28:21violence there.
28:24The cottage break-ins
28:26had started being reported
28:27earlier that year.
28:29Tea, food, magazines,
28:31trinkets, etc, etc,
28:32foodstuffs
28:33that was taken.
28:35Seemingly
28:36innocuous at the start
28:37but the perpetrator
28:39appeared to be
28:39gaining confidence.
28:42So in March of 92
28:45Sam and Rose Appleton
28:47came up to check
28:47on their cottage
28:48and all these cottages
28:50during the wintertime
28:51are winterized
28:52and people really
28:53don't come up to them
28:54in the winter
28:54but then they come
28:55in the spring
28:55to see how things are
28:56and Mr. Appleton
28:57had come up to
28:58check his cottage
28:59and meanwhile
29:00go and pay his taxes
29:01at the tiny township office
29:03and when he opened
29:04the door here
29:05went in
29:06and everything
29:07seemed like normal
29:08and then when he got
29:09into the bedroom
29:09all the heat was on
29:10and he was taken
29:11into control
29:12by an individual
29:13with a revolver.
29:16They were in their
29:17late 70s
29:18at that time
29:19and he asked
29:21the Appletons
29:22to drive him
29:23to Toronto.
29:26When the suspect
29:27demanded he be taken
29:28to their primary residence
29:30despite being held
29:31at gunpoint
29:32Sam Appleton
29:33refused.
29:35Mr. Appleton
29:36said to him
29:36you know
29:37you're not going
29:37to defile my house
29:38I'm dying from cancer
29:40now
29:40and you can kill me
29:41right now
29:42but you're not going
29:42to do that.
29:44That probably saved
29:45the life of both
29:46he and his wife
29:47because certainly
29:48if this person
29:49had taken them
29:50to their house
29:51then we have no idea
29:52what would have
29:52happened after that.
29:55This individual
29:56jumped out of the car
29:57at Young and Dundas
29:59in Toronto
29:59and the Appletons
30:00then reported this
30:01to the police.
30:02Mr. Appleton
30:03advised that
30:04during the drive
30:05he had his hand
30:06tied up
30:07and his leg
30:08tied up
30:08and the suspect
30:10was controlling
30:10his movement
30:11so he couldn't
30:11get out of the car
30:12and run.
30:13Well when we heard
30:14that
30:15that linked us
30:16to exactly
30:17what was
30:17the condition
30:18for Ian
30:19Ian Blackburn
30:20having a leg
30:21tied
30:22and an arm
30:22tied
30:23and we thought
30:24it's way too much
30:25of a coincidence
30:26to have this happen.
30:28And the OPP
30:29crime unit
30:30up in the Midland area
30:31went to the cottage
30:32and conducted
30:33an investigation
30:33there.
30:34In that bedroom
30:35they found
30:36where the person
30:36had been living
30:37lots of items
30:38that had been stolen
30:39from other cottages
30:40around
30:41from other
30:41break-and-enders
30:42that hadn't
30:43been reported.
30:43They also found
30:44numerous orange juice
30:46jugs with urine
30:47in it
30:48and then newspapers
30:49that had been used
30:51to deposit
30:51and wrap the feces
30:53of the individual
30:53that had been in there.
30:55Also we had found
30:57sheets of writing.
31:00The writings
31:00are lists
31:02of military planes
31:04from First World War,
31:05other destroyers
31:07and tanks
31:08and military stuff
31:09and it's all listed
31:10in a row.
31:11My father was
31:12in the military,
31:12I grew up in the military
31:14so when I saw
31:15these writings
31:16I immediately knew
31:17it was military equipment.
31:18And there was lists
31:19and lists
31:20of these different names.
31:22And I'm talking
31:23hundreds and hundreds
31:24of pages
31:25all over the place.
31:26We really didn't know
31:28if it meant anything
31:29other than the fact
31:30somebody seemed
31:31to be interested
31:31in military history
31:33and was bored
31:34and was making lists.
31:36Were there any clues
31:37in those writings?
31:38No, there was really
31:39no clues
31:40but there was lots
31:41of fingerprints.
31:42Those fingerprints
31:43were put into
31:44the database system
31:45and there was no
31:46connection to those
31:47fingerprints
31:48to anybody
31:48that had been convicted
31:49of any crime
31:50in Ontario
31:51or prints
31:52that had been
31:52entered into the system.
31:55Mr. Appleton
31:56even though he was
31:57told not to look at him
31:58he did get a bit of
31:59a look at the person.
32:01A compass had drawn
32:03was made
32:03and that was distributed
32:05around the area
32:06of this person
32:07who had abducted
32:08the couple
32:08and had been living
32:09in the cottage.
32:10None of the things
32:11we take for granted
32:12today were present
32:13back then.
32:14Like none of these
32:14cottages had
32:15surveillance cameras.
32:17Today everybody
32:17would have pictures
32:18of him.
32:19We did get tips
32:20through this investigation
32:21all the time
32:22of individuals
32:22who had maybe
32:24come into a variety
32:25store.
32:26Somebody thought
32:27that it looked
32:27like an individual
32:28or somebody
32:29that they had seen
32:30hitchhiking
32:31as far as that goes
32:32but none of them
32:33went anywhere
32:34whatsoever.
32:36Down in the
32:37Caledon area
32:38close to where
32:39Carolyn Case's
32:39car was found
32:40we had reports
32:41of a couple
32:41break-ins.
32:42There was military
32:43drawings there too
32:44also.
32:46And then on
32:47the 29th of March
32:49two couples
32:50went to Green Lake
32:51to check a cottage
32:52again that was
32:53owned by people
32:54in Toronto
32:54to make sure
32:55that it was okay.
32:56Again no sign
32:57of forced entry.
32:58They go into the cottage
32:59and they were
33:00accosted by a male
33:01with a revolver.
33:02The women
33:03they saw what
33:04was happening
33:04and screamed
33:05and ran down
33:06the road.
33:06So this individual
33:07then gathered up
33:09a few things
33:09in a tote bag
33:10and told the men
33:12not to go anywhere
33:13for a few minutes
33:14and then he
33:15disappeared.
33:16Again
33:17the OPP
33:18was called in
33:18for this investigation.
33:20The helicopter
33:20came out
33:21and did a search.
33:22And at that point
33:22did you say
33:23oh this sounds
33:24like the Appleton
33:25case.
33:26Yeah
33:27it's easy
33:27to say that
33:29you know
33:29but there was
33:30again there was
33:31a composite drawn
33:32and the composite
33:32wasn't quite the same
33:34as the composite
33:35from the Appleton
33:36case.
33:37The two sketches
33:38were similar
33:39but you would not
33:40say that's the same
33:41person.
33:41We thought it was
33:42the same person
33:43but it could have
33:43been two different
33:44individuals.
33:44They had a bit
33:45of a better look
33:46at the individual
33:47at the time
33:47and another composite
33:48was done
33:49that was
33:50a similar description
33:51of an individual
33:52who with his hair
33:54and with glasses
33:55etc etc.
33:56That drawing
33:56was taken around
33:58and people said
33:59it faintly looked
34:00like somebody
34:01but they couldn't
34:01recognize him
34:02they didn't know.
34:03At what point
34:04did you connect
34:05the Caledon break-ins
34:06with the Appleton
34:07case?
34:08It was further on
34:09into April
34:10when I became aware
34:11of the homicide
34:12of Ian and Nancy
34:14Blackburn.
34:16So we also
34:17did a complete
34:18ground search
34:18here at the
34:19Blackburn farm.
34:21There had been
34:21a break-and-enter
34:22just down
34:23around the corner
34:24from here
34:24at the Nielsen
34:25residence
34:26where five guns
34:27had been stolen
34:28and about $500
34:29worth of currency.
34:31We found in the ditch
34:32an ammo case
34:33that came from
34:34the Nielsen cottage
34:35and some documentation
34:37that was out
34:38of the Nielsen cottage.
34:39So we started
34:39to feel
34:40that the person
34:41responsible
34:42for the death
34:44could be
34:45the person
34:46who's doing
34:46all this writing
34:47and doing
34:47these break-and-enters.
34:48It seemed to be
34:49a natural jump
34:50even though we
34:51didn't know
34:51who that was.
34:53With the exception
34:54of Caroline Case
34:55who was still missing,
34:57all the evidence
34:58was starting to point
34:59towards the same suspect.
35:02We kept it
35:03close to our chest
35:04for a while
35:04but we decided
35:05to release it
35:06to the public.
35:07So on May 27th
35:08we held a press conference
35:10in Toronto
35:10and released
35:11the military writings
35:12to the media
35:13hoping that
35:15somebody would
35:16recognize them
35:16and would call us.
35:17The Metropolitan
35:18Toronto Police
35:19and Terry Provincial
35:19Police Joint
35:20Investigative Team
35:21are attempting
35:22to locate a male
35:23who was believed
35:24to have been
35:24in the area
35:25of the Blackburn
35:26Calden Cottage
35:27in early April
35:28of 1992.
35:30The man police
35:31are looking for
35:32is described
35:32as white,
35:335'10",
35:34thin-billed,
35:35about 35 years old
35:36with a thin,
35:37long, narrow face.
35:38He has close-set,
35:40dark, piercing eyes
35:41and medium dark brown
35:42curly hair
35:43with some white in it.
35:44He has no beard
35:45or moustache
35:46but several days' stubble.
35:49We were getting calls
35:50where a person
35:51would come home
35:52and say that
35:52they felt that
35:53a door was ajar
35:55and it wasn't
35:55the way he had left it
35:57so we were getting calls
35:58of people thinking
35:59that this person
36:00was skulking
36:00around the area.
36:02We were looking
36:03for any information
36:04that people can tell us
36:05on a person
36:06that they would believe
36:07would be the author
36:08of that type of writing
36:10or any information
36:12that people would have
36:12in respect to
36:13the history
36:15of that type of writing.
36:16Anyone who can help
36:17is asked to call
36:18this hotline number.
36:19The search was on
36:20for the house hermit
36:21and we waited
36:21for the phone to ring
36:22to see if anybody
36:23would identify the writing
36:25and we got one call.
36:38Welcome back.
36:39A series of break-ins,
36:41an armed kidnapping
36:42and a double homicide.
36:43The suspect,
36:45dubbed the house hermit,
36:46has managed to elude police
36:48at every turn.
36:49But that is all
36:51about to change.
36:52Investigators get a call
36:53that will lead them
36:54directly to the suspect's home.
36:56The question now,
36:57can they catch him
36:59before he strikes again?
37:02We now return
37:03to Jamie Dahl
37:04and Trail of Terror,
37:07Cottage Killer.
37:09Who is Alison Shaw?
37:11Alison Shaw
37:12was the only person
37:13who called in
37:14who saw the writing
37:16and she recognized
37:17his distinct way
37:18of printing
37:18and that's what
37:19she called in for.
37:21In each of the break-ins,
37:22pages of handwritten notes
37:23about World War II bombers
37:25and battleships
37:26were found
37:26in and around
37:27the cottages.
37:28She saw the writings
37:29and immediately
37:30she recognized them
37:31as being a person
37:33who she had spent time
37:34working in the store with.
37:36She had worked
37:36in Orangeville
37:37with an individual
37:38who had an antique store
37:40in the train station
37:42and who her husband
37:43had been a business partner
37:45in a company
37:45called Phoenix Construction
37:47and they went around
37:48in Ontario
37:49and they would take down
37:50old log homes,
37:52sell them
37:52and put them back together
37:54again in Ontario.
37:55So this individual
37:57had worked with her husband
37:58for two or three years.
38:00That was a fortunate
38:01of breaking this investigation.
38:03The drawings were
38:03of military equipment
38:05and he would write out
38:06lists of that
38:07and she saw that.
38:08She was very creeped out
38:09by it.
38:10Allison Shaw
38:10thought he was
38:11anti-social and creepy
38:13when he had horrible teeth
38:15and really bad body odor
38:16and her husband defended him
38:18and said he's just
38:18he's not a typical urban guy.
38:21Allison Shaw felt
38:22that there was something
38:23very sinister about him
38:24and her instincts were right.
38:26So she is the first person
38:28to say his name.
38:29She was the only person.
38:31His name was David Snow.
38:39And once we found out
38:41his name,
38:41we found out
38:42that he was charged
38:43with fraud.
38:44The individual
38:45had been charged
38:47in early 1991
38:48with fraud
38:49regarding bad checks
38:51that he had written
38:52on an antique purchase
38:54and when we contacted
38:55the Orangeville Police Service
38:56we found out
38:57that their norm
38:58was not to submit
38:59fingerprints
39:00to the central data system
39:01until a conviction
39:03had been made
39:03so they had his fingerprints
39:05but they hadn't submitted them.
39:07This was an issue
39:09that we had
39:10with the Orangeville Police Department
39:12at that time
39:13and we attended Orangeville Police Department.
39:17Then an IDENTO officer
39:18took those fingerprints
39:20and then the numerous fingerprints
39:22that had been collected
39:23at the Appleton Cottage
39:24were compared
39:25and very quickly
39:27it was
39:28we had to match.
39:29And then
39:30his prints started to match
39:32everything that we had
39:33already on file
39:34from our crime scenes.
39:36While nothing became
39:38of the fraud charge
39:39this individual
39:40was about to be facing
39:41much more serious charges.
39:44So once we knew
39:46that the house hermit
39:47was David Snow
39:48we found his residence location
39:50here in Orangeville
39:51where he had been living
39:52that his mother
39:53left the house to him
39:54so it was at the end of May
39:56first part of June
39:57by the time he got
39:58the search warrant together
39:59and came here.
40:01As far as the police
40:02were aware
40:03he was last seen
40:04in the Caledon area
40:05in late March.
40:07He was a hoarder
40:08of trinkets and stuff
40:09there was also
40:10great quantities
40:11of bondage
40:12pornography in the house.
40:14We did find an album
40:15a picture album
40:16and there's pictures
40:17of him and Dara Shaw
40:18and the Blackburns
40:19which was taken in 1990
40:21when he dropped around
40:22at the Blackburn residence
40:23because he was interested
40:25in the octagonal barn
40:26that was on the property.
40:29So Snow knew the Blackburns?
40:31Snow had met
40:32the Blackburns, yes.
40:33So he would have met
40:34them that one time.
40:36As we were doing the search
40:37we led up into the attic
40:38to search the attic
40:39and we found that up there
40:40there was a light
40:41a frying pan
40:43electricity
40:44even a mattress
40:45and quite a bit of bondage
40:47so it looked like
40:48David would disappear
40:49for days at a time
40:50so he would hide in the attic
40:51when people were looking for him.
40:52I interviewed his brother
40:54his brother advised
40:55he never drove
40:56didn't want to drive
40:57didn't like driving.
40:59This is somebody
41:00just walking through
41:01and then sometimes
41:02gets people to drive him.
41:05He forced them
41:06to drive the car
41:06so that he could get around.
41:08He had gotten away
41:09with all of these crimes
41:10but they had no way
41:11of tracking him.
41:13By early June
41:15a wanted poster
41:16was put out
41:17and warrants were issued.
41:18The warrants came out
41:20for the abduction
41:22of the Appletons
41:23and for first degree murder
41:25in the case of Ian
41:27and Nancy Blackburn.
41:28Initially we put out
41:29that they wanted
41:30as a person of interest
41:31in the Blackburn investigation
41:32but then we upgraded that
41:35and laid the charges
41:35in the Blackburns too.
41:37He would also face
41:38a series of robbery charges
41:40including armed robbery.
41:42It was a Canada Wide
41:44warrant for
41:45David Alexander Snow.
41:47This is the man
41:49police are looking for
41:5037 year old
41:52David Alexander Snow.
41:54Possibly could be armed
41:55he could be suicidal
41:57and extremely dangerous.
41:59We got a photo
42:01from his brother
42:01we were getting
42:03sightings
42:04all over the place
42:05we're searching
42:05physically
42:07every area
42:08we know him
42:09to have been in
42:10but we have no contact.
42:12Police believe
42:13the suspect
42:14has taken refuge
42:15in empty cottages
42:16in Orangeville,
42:18Caledon,
42:18Peterborough,
42:19Havelock and Hanover
42:20sometimes surprising
42:22the owners
42:22when they turned up.
42:23He's described
42:24as having strong
42:25body odor
42:26rotting teeth
42:27with bad breath.
42:30He is further
42:30described as
42:31a quiet loner
42:32who lacks
42:33self-confidence
42:34and suffers
42:35from mood swings.
42:36This is
42:38David Alexander Snow's
42:39last known address
42:40in Orangeville.
42:42No one answered
42:43the door today
42:43and the house
42:44seems to be deserted.
42:46But as far as I know
42:47Dave was a nice
42:48he was a likable guy
42:49and as far as I know
42:50he was an honest man.
42:52Class Stortoboom
42:53sold Snow
42:54some antiques.
42:55I feel he's
42:56the kind of guy
42:57that wouldn't hurt a fly.
42:58A lot of people here
42:59seem to know
42:59David Alexander Snow
43:01but few know
43:02much about him.
43:03Police say anyone
43:03who comes in contact
43:04with him
43:05should show
43:05extreme caution.
43:09The only
43:10plan really
43:11that we could have
43:12was to keep
43:13this in the public.
43:14Keep the press
43:16releases out
43:17and make sure
43:17that the people
43:18had a description
43:19of David Snow
43:20and that everybody
43:21would be watching
43:22for him.
43:24There was no thought
43:25that he had left
43:25the province.
43:28We were very anxious.
43:29This is the individual
43:31but we don't have him
43:32and hopefully
43:33nothing else happens
43:34down the road.
43:37Would police
43:38be able to catch
43:39David Snow
43:40before he attacks
43:41someone else?
43:44He stunk
43:44like there was nothing
43:45like nothing
43:46you've ever smelled
43:48but
43:50I had to talk to him.
43:5121 year old
43:52Lenore Denise Rattray
43:54was working alone
43:54when she mysteriously
43:55disappeared
43:56and police fear the worst.
43:57The investigators
43:58just have that gut feeling
44:00that something
44:01is wrong here.
44:02I said to the police
44:03look in the woods.
44:04My ankles were always
44:06bound, my wrists
44:06were always bound.
44:07He took all my clothes off.
44:09He had told me
44:09he had been in prison
44:10and he told me
44:11he'd killed a man.
44:12Get back in the car
44:13you guys.
44:14We raced down
44:15to Indian River Road
44:17turned the camera on
44:18and got this shot
44:20of this woman
44:21from the movie land.
44:23We're still trying
44:23to figure out
44:24what's going on.
44:25We had no idea
44:26the scope of it.
44:27We don't have
44:28a whole lot on him
44:29just he's a very
44:30dangerous fella.
44:31This is very bizarre.
44:34A duffel bag
44:36was located
44:36with three handguns
44:38in it.
44:39They were associated
44:40to a break-in
44:41in Caledon, Ontario.
44:43The Ontario suspect
44:44is wanted on
44:45a Canada-wide warrant
44:46for the murders
44:46of Ian and Nancy Blackburn.
44:48Their bodies
44:48were found
44:48in the trunk
44:49of their car
44:49in the driveway
44:50of their home.
44:52That's coming up
44:53on part two
44:54of Trail of Terror.
44:58I'm Anthony Robart.
44:59Thank you for joining
45:00us tonight
45:01on Crime Beat.
45:03Want more episodes
45:05of Crime Beat?
45:06Listen to the
45:06Crime Beat podcast
45:07now for free
45:09on Apple Podcasts,
45:10Spotify,
45:11or wherever you find
45:12your favourite podcast.
45:13And for past episodes
45:15of Crime Beat,
45:16go to the Global TV app,
45:18visit globaltv.com,
45:20or check out
45:21our Crime Beat
45:22YouTube page.
45:31We'll see you next time.
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