Cold Case Canada

Ten-year-old Joanne Pedersen was last seen in a Chilliwack, BC phone booth at 8:20 pm on Saturday February 19, 1983. She had been calling her mother to tell her that she had been locked out of her house and asked if she could pick her up from the Penny Pincher general store. Just as her mother went to talk to Joanne, a young man got on the phone and told her that if she wasn't there in half-an-hour he would call the police. Her mother was there within 20-minutes, but both Joanne and the man were gone. For more information, please join us on the Facebook group page Cold Case Canada, or visit my website: evelazarus.com 

Cold Case Canada is up for a Webby Award - the only Canadian nominee in the category! This is a very big deal – and I need your help! Please vote for Cold Case Canada at The Webby Awards or post this link into your browser https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2024/podcasts/individual-episodes/crime-justice Thank you! Eve evelazarus.com   

In this last episode of Season 4, I'm delighted to be joined by four local storytellers. We'll hear about the murder of iconic architect Francis Rattenbury, visit a haunted firehall, a spooky house in New Westminster from the 1860s, and a character house in East Vancouver that's home to three ghosts: a man, a little girl and a charcoal grey cat. For more information visit evelazarus.com or join us on the Facebook group page Cold Case Canada.  

Michael Smith, 17 is RCMP case #2014003272 and one of 233 missing kids on the Canada's Missing website. Mike was last seen on December 30, 1967 when he left his North Vancouver home after a fight with his family when he was caught with some weed. If Mike is alive, he'd be 73 years old, and may have no idea that his family has searched for him for over four decades. In 1961, Lucy Johnson, a 25-year old mother of two, was listed as “missing, foul play suspected” by the Surrey, BC RCMP. Her story wouldn't get answers for another 52 years.   Promo: Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance For more information, please join us on the Facebook group page Cold Case Canada, or visit my website: evelazarus.com 

On November 6, 1967, sometime before 6:00 pm, seven-year-old Nancy Johnsen went missing from her Cloverdale BC farmhouse. Nancy, one of ten children ranging in age from six months to 16 years, was found on the property the next morning. She had been strangled. No one reported seeing a stranger around the house that night and Nancy was not known to wander outside alone in the dark. The case went cold. A few years after the Johnsens moved to nearby Aldergrove, their neighbour, 15-year-old Theresa Hildebrandt disappeared. Her remains would not be found for another four years. This episode is based on original research and interviews from a chapter in my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders For photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com

Between April 1988 and August 1990, a serial killer murdered six sex trade workers and dumped their bodies in the laneways of Vancouver. Officially, the murders are unsolved and two were added to the Vancouver Police Department's cold case website just last year. But two retired detectives who worked on a joint RCMP/VPD task force called E-Alley, say they know who killed these women, and he died in 2007. Promo: Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance For more information, please join us on the Facebook group page Cold Case Canada, or visit my website: evelazarus.com 

Casey Rose Bohun, 3 disappeared from her North Delta, BC home on August 5, 1989. Dozens of volunteers searched for Casey but no trace of her was ever found. Police believe that she either wandered off and got lost, was killed by someone close to her, abducted by a stranger, or sold and living somewhere else with no memory of her real family. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases. Promo: Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance For more information, please visit my website: evelazarus.com

At the end of 1974, 22-year-old Barbara Larocque's body was found in Langley, BC. She had been strangled with her own scarf. Two months later, Gail "Sam" Rogers, 26 went missing from her Kitsilano basement suite. Her body was found in a creek near Squamish, her head bashed in with a claw hammer. Both women were go-go dancers at Vancouver nightclubs. Their deaths are believed to be the result of contract killings. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases. Promo: Nice Genes For more information, please visit my website: evelazarus.com

On May 7, 1961, 12-year-old Brenda Byman went for her first sleepover at her friend's house in Wilmer, a tiny community outside of Invermere, BC. The next day she and four teens went for a hike to Lake Enid. Brenda never returned. Over six decades later, Brenda's tragic disappearance continues to divide the town.  This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases  For more information, please visit my website: evelazarus.com  Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, Erin Hakin Jewellery Promo: Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance

On June 24, 1992 Jean Ann James, a 53-year-old former Canadian Pacific Airlines flight attendant, went to the Shaughnessy home of her husband's wealthy younger lover, and slit her throat with a box cutter. It would take police another 19 years to catch her. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases. Promo: The Missing and Unexplained Podcast  For more information, please visit my website: evelazarus.com

On the day that 14-year-old Lindsey Nicholls disappeared, she was last seen walking down Royston Road, outside of Comox on Vancouver Island. It was August 2, 1993 - the Monday of the BC Day long weekend, and Lindsey was meeting friends at the annual Comox Nautical Days Festival.  This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases. For more information, please visit my website: evelazarus.com Promo: Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance 

Gloria Levina Moody, who everybody knew as Lee, had been stripped, beaten, sexually assaulted, and left to bleed to death on a cattle trail about a kilometre off the Chilcotin Highway near Williams Lake, BC. She was the 26-year-old mother of two from Bella Coola on a weekend away with her family. Lee's 1969 murder is the oldest of 18 cases of missing and murdered women and girls along Highways 5, 16 and 97, currently with the RCMP's E-PANA unit. Episode includes interviews with Lee's daughter Vanessa, Steve Pranzl, formerly with E-PANA, and Geraldine Trimble, social development director with the Native Women's Association of Canada. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases. For more information, please visit my website: evelazarus.com Promo: True Crime Files

I'm Eve Lazarus, and I'm the host and producer of Cold Case Canada. This is from a Facebook live event that I did on March 10 to talk about the process behind writing my bestselling book Cold Case BC, some of the challenges that I met along the way, and what you can expect from Season Four of my podcast which launches Friday March 17. For more information on my books and podcast, please visit https://evelazarus.com/  

In the Halloween Special of 2022 we visit a Victoria golf course, two mansions in Burnaby, and travel to a haunted highway in BC's interior. Keep the lights on while you listen! Based on stories from Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance, At Home with History: The secrets of Greater Vancouver's Heritage Homes, Ghosts: More Eerie Encounters and Ghosts of Vancouver. With special guests: Bill Allman, Patrick Dunae, Damian Inwood and Greg Mansfield For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com  Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, Arsenal Pulp Press Promo: Fireside Canada 

On June 26, 1969, 16-year-old Philip Porter left his home in Townsite, Kimberley to run some errands for his mother. The son of the Cominco boss never came home. A ransom note demanding $100,000 for his safe return arrived instead. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases and includes interviews with family and police. For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com  Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, Arsenal Pulp Press Promo: What Was That Like?

Ronnie Jack, 26, Doreen Jack, 26, Russell 9, and Ryan 4 were last seen on August 2, 1989 at their home in Prince George. Earlier that night, Ronnie met a guy in the pub who offered him a job bucking logs and Doreen work in the camp kitchen. They told their family that there was a daycare for the boys and they'd be gone about 10 days. And then they vanished.  This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases and includes interviews with family and police. For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com  Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, Arsenal Pulp Press

In 1978, 12-year-old Monica Jack was riding her bike near her home on the Upper Nicola reserve at Quilchena when she was abducted, raped and murdered. And, even though Garry Handlen was a suspect early on in this investigation and questioned in the 1975 murder of 11-year-old Kathryn-Mary Herbert, it would take another 36 years and a Mr. Big sting to convict him. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases  For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com  Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, Arsenal Pulp Press Promo: True Crime Island

Saanich residents Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18 and Jay Cook, 20 were murdered while on an overnight trip to Washington State in 1987. Episode includes interviews with Detective Jim Scharf of the Snohomish Country Sheriff's Office and CeCe Moore, Chief Genetic Genealogist at Parabon Nanolabs, who cracked this case three decades later. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases  For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com  Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, Arsenal Pulp Press Promo: True Crime Files

Len Hogue was one of three dirty VPD cops who supplemented their salaries initially through B&Es, escalated to bank robberies, and in 1965 pulled off the biggest heist in Vancouver's history - $1.2 million worth of bank notes that were being sent back to Ottawa to be destroyed. When police officials caught on, 33-year-old Hogue went home, shot his sleeping wife in the head, and then hunted down and shot his six kids aged between 3 and 14 before turning the gun on himself. Or did he? This is part two of two. This episode is based on a story from Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases  For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com 

In 1956, Len Hogue, David Harrison and Joe Percival joined the Vancouver Police Department and within a few years, became known as the “terrible three.” The cops were supplementing their salaries initially through B&Es, escalated to bank robberies, and in 1965, pulled off the biggest heist in Vancouver's history - $1.2 million worth of stolen bank notes that were being sent to Montreal to be destroyed. This is part one of two. This episode is from my book Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases  For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com 

Tanya Busch disappeared on the way to her Vancouver school on June 2, 1972. She was the second 7-year-old abducted in just over two years. Was there a connection? This episode is based on original research and interviews from a chapter in my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders For photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com

On November 20, 1969, seven-year-old Evangeline Azarcon disappeared on her way home from Edith Cavell Elementary in Vancouver. Her abduction sparked the biggest search in BC's history. This episode is based on original research and interviews from a chapter in my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders This episode is sponsored by Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours. Save 15% off your booking by using the code COLDCASE For photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com

It's almost 70 years since they were found buried in Vancouver's Stanley Park, but now the Babes in the Woods have their names back. They were Derek and David D'Alton aged 7 and 6 when they were beaten to death with a hatchet.  This episode is based on a chapter in my upcoming book Cold Case BC: the stories behind the province's most sensational murders and missing persons cases  For more information, please visit my website evelazarus.com 

The Halloween Special is the last episode of Season 2. Join me and five storytellers as they tell you their favourite ghost stories: a haunted nightclub, a shooting, a former insane asylum, the Chinatown ghost, a cemetery and a haunted grand piano. For photos, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com Photo: Riverdale Psychiatric Hospital, courtesy Coquitlam Archives

In 1965, Rene Castellani, a 40-year-old radio personality murdered his wife Esther with arsenic-laced milkshakes so he could marry Lolly, CKNW's 25-year-old receptionist. The Castellani's had an 11-year-old daughter called Jeannine, who became the collateral damage in one of the most sensational murder cases of the 20th century.  This episode is based on original research and interviews from Murder by Milkshake: an astonishing true story of adultery, arsenic and a charismatic killer  For photos, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com

In 1965, Rene Castellani, a 40-year-old radio personality murdered his wife Esther with arsenic-laced milkshakes so he could marry Lolly, CKNW's 25-year-old receptionist. The Castellani's had an 11-year-old daughter called Jeannine, who became the collateral damage in one of the most sensational murder cases of the 20th century.  This episode is based on original research and interviews from Murder by Milkshake: an astonishing true story of adultery, arsenic and a charismatic killer  For photos, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com

When Pat Lowther, 40 was beaten to death with a hammer in her East Vancouver home, she had just signed a contract with a major publisher. The mother of four was carving out a new voice in the Canadian literary scene and being recognized for her strong, often violent, feminist poetry. Photo: Pat Lowther and Fred Candelaria co-chairs of the League of Canadian Poets. Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun, September 5 1975.  For photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com

In the months leading up to her murder, Muriel Lindsay had been targeted and harassed. Her cat was stolen, she'd received bizarre anonymous letters, and someone had used her credit card to take out subscriptions and make a donation to the United Way in her name. Who was stalking Muriel and why was this 40-year-old postal worker found beaten to death in her West End apartment? Cold Case Canada is based on original research and interviews from a chapter in my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders For photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts visit: evelazarus.com

On February 22, 1975 country and western singer Debbie Roe, 22 finished her shift at the OK Corral, stopped to get gas and something to eat. Her body was found the next day on an isolated stretch of highway in Langley, BC. Just two months earlier, the body of Barbara LaRoque, 22 had been found nearby. Barbara worked at the Syndicate, a club with the same owner as the OK Corral. In March 1975, the body of Gail (Sam) Rogers, 26 a dancer at Vancouver's Penthouse Nightclub was found just off the Sea to Sky Highway near Squamish.  Is there a connection between these three unsolved murders? This podcast is based on a story from my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

At the start of 1985, things looked good for Jimmy and Lily Ming. The couple had two small children, owned their own home and worked in the family's thriving Robson Street restaurant. But by the end of January, Jimmy and Lily had been kidnapped from their Vancouver house, the restaurant was closed and the rest of the Ming family feared for their lives. This episode is based on original research and interviews from my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders. For show credits, photos, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit https://evelazarus.com

Sixteen-year-old Rhona Duncan was murdered in the early hours of July 15, 1976 after walking home from a high school birthday party. She was in sight of her North Vancouver house, when she was intercepted, raped and strangled. Although 45 years has gone by, Rhona's friends still get together to remember her and to try and solve her murder. Some believe they know who did it. This episode is based on original research and interviews from a story in my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders. For show credits, photos, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit https://evelazarus.com

On January 7, 1976 Brenda Young was found murdered in her store the Good Earth in the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver. It was a brazen murder and it felt like a hit, but why would anyone target this much-loved 38-year-old mother of four? This episode is based on original research and interviews from a story in my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders. For show credits, photos, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit https://evelazarus.com

In 1954, Bob Hopkins worked at the Vancouver News Herald. He was a friendly man who kept to himself and was liked by his colleagues. None of them knew that Bob was gay and lived a secret life. He had to. In the 1950s homosexuality was illegal and coming out would have meant losing his job, his place in the community, and possibly his family. This podcast is based on original research and interviews and a story from my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murders. For show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit https://evelazarus.com

On September 15, 1954, Danny Brent’s body was found on the tenth green at UBC’s golf course. Stuffed inside his shirt was an early edition of the newspaper, soaked with his blood. There was a half-smoked cigarette inside his shirt where it had dropped from his mouth when he was shot—once in the back and twice in the head with .45-calibre bullets. This podcast is based on original research and interviews and a story from my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city’s most baffling unsolved murders. For show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit https://evelazarus.com

I'm Eve Lazarus, a reporter and author based in Vancouver, BC. This is a 12-episode podcast based on original research from my book Blood, Sweat, and Fear: the story of Inspector Vance. Inspector Vance was Canada’s first forensic investigator. He worked for the Vancouver Police Department and helped solved some of the most sensational murder cases of the twentieth century.

The Babes in the Woods is the story of two tiny skeletons found in Stanley Park in 1953. The case is still unsolved, but the investigation continues. In part two I visit the site where the boys were found and talk with the VPD Inspector who ordered an exhumation in 2015 in an effort to identify the boys. We also hear about the latest development from the coroner who is currently revisiting Vancouver’s most famous cold case.This podcast is based on original research and interviews and a story from my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city’s most baffling unsolved murders.Cover image: Kat Thorsen at the Stanley Park site where the Babes in the Woods were found.For show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit https://evelazarus.com

The Babes in the Woods is the story of two tiny skeletons found in Stanley Park in 1953. It is one of Vancouver's oldest and most fascinating unsolved murder mysteries. This podcast is based on a story from my book Cold Case Vancouver: the city's most baffling unsolved murdersCover graphic by Katarina ThorsenFor crime scene photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit https://evelazarus.com

In December 1965, 17-year-old Tom Kosberg made milkshakes for his parents and four siblings, dosed them with sleeping pills, and then hacked up their bodies with a double-bladed axe. Only the baby survived. Tom was found not guilty by reason of insanity. So, why was he out in 10?For crime scene photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcasts, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

Louise Wise had just turned 17 when she was stabbed to death in her East Vancouver home in 1971. A studious, religious girl who attended Windermere Secondary School, she earned extra money by selling flowers outside the Kingsgate Mall Liquor Store. When her case was reopened 25 years later, homicide detectives found the murder knife that held the killer's DNA was missing from the evidence room. For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

A Halloween Special that covers three totally true ghost stories and a murder.True Crime Podcast Promo: Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector VanceFor photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcast, please visit https//evelazarus.com/

In 1975, Marion Hamilton was 69 years old, suffering from dementia and living alone in the family’s Shaughnessy home. It’s a fascinating story of a once prominent Vancouver family, money, a rambling old run-down mansion, and the shocking identity of Marion’s murderer.For photos, show credits, sources and information about my books, blog or podcast, please visit https//evelazarus.com/

Lila Anderson, 38 was murdered on Christmas Day 1959. She had been beaten with a tire iron and her head smashed against a rock after she was taken from a bus stop. Her naked body was dumped in a ravine at Knight Street and 45th Avenue in South Vancouver less than two blocks from the Paul house. Did Vancouver have a serial killer?For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

On June 10, 1958, David Pauls, 52 was shot in the head with a .22-calibre revolver by the back door of the family home. The killer then went upstairs and clubbed 11-year-old Dorothy Pauls to death in her bed. When Helen Pauls, 45 returned from work a short time later the killer shot her twice in the head and then beat her dead body with a blunt instrument. It was Vancouver’s first triple homicide and it remains unsolved.For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

In 1958, Evelyn Roche was murdered on the way home from the bus just two blocks from her Vancouver home. It’s a case that really haunted me when I first read about it. The newspaper stories just said was that she was a 39-year-old widow who had recently remarried and had a boy and a girl. I wanted to know what happened to her children, how their lives had turned out.For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

In August 1994, Nick and Lisa Masee disappeared from their North Vancouver house. Their case has long gone cold, ruled a missing persons with suspicious circumstances by the RCMP. Are they really just missing or murdered?For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

In 2000, Vivien Morzuch was 15 when he was beaten to death and dumped in a ditch near Kamloops, BC. Former homicide detective Steve McCartney tells us how Vivien’s murderer was caught six years later through a Mr. Big operation. For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

Seven-year-old Roddy Moore was killed on the way to his East Vancouver school in 1947. Why were his two step-fathers suspects? Interviews with Roddy's sisters Patty and Leona. Cover art photo: Vancouver Sun, September 30, 2006For photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/ 

Jennie Eldon Conroy was a 24-year-old shipyard war worker who was beaten to death in 1944, her body dumped at the West Vancouver cemetery. Seventy-five years after her murder, forensic samples including her hair and gravel from the crime scene ended up on my desk. What happened to her baby?Cover art: Jennie and Eva Conroy early 1940s. Courtesy North Vancouver Museum and ArchivesFor more photos, show credits, sources, and information about my true crime books, blog or podcast, please visit: https://evelazarus.com/

I'm Eve Lazarus, a reporter and author based in Vancouver, BC. For the past few years I've been investigating unsolved murders and missing persons cases. I'm convinced that many of these cases can still be solved.This true crime podcast is based on original research and interviews I've conducted with family members and friends, police detectives, criminologists, forensic psychologists and a coroner.For more information, please visit my website at evelazarus.com