The families of the four Calgary females believed to be victims of a serial killer from the United States have released statements honouring their loved ones and thanking investigators.
At a news conference in Edmonton on Friday, police said Eva Dvorak, 14; Patricia McQueen; 14, Melissa Rehorek 20; and Barbara MacLean, 19, were all killed in the 1970s by Gary Allen Srery.
Each family released a statement to police, which was then shared with media. All of the families thanked investigators for giving them closure and identifying a suspect in their deaths.
The McQueen family says Patsy, which they fondly call her, would have been 62 years old today. She was one of 11 children in her family.
“Without them, we would still not know today what happened to our sister Patsy (Patricia) and her friend Eva. We will be forever grateful and thankful that they never gave up on the girls,” the statement said, adding it has been 48 years since she was taken from them.
“As the years went on, we thought we would never in our lifetime find out what happened on that dreadful day but never gave up hope that one day we would know the answers and finally have some comfort and closure. ”
The McQueen family said Patsy was a typical teenager, full of life, adventure and curiosity. She loved sports, music, singing and dancing, her family said.
“She made all of us laugh in one way or the other at ourselves or at each other. She was so strong and independent at 14 years old. She could not wait till she was old enough to be able to travel and see the world, but an evil monster took every hope and dream of hers away,” they said, adding they wonder if she would have been a grandma by now.
“Patsy… We love and miss you and you will forever be in our hearts. Rest in peace now our beautiful sister.”
The Dvorak family say the news helped provide answers and give closure to the 14-year-old’s murder.
The family said Eva’s “bright smile and bubbly personality were contagious and lit up any room” and she was loved and cherished by her family and all who knew her.
“When Eva was around there was no sitting still, always dancing and singing any time of day. She enjoyed spending time with her sisters and cousins while swimming, roller skating and ice skating,” they said. “She is truly loved and missed dearly.”
The Rehorek family statement shared that Melissa was a “fun loving, adventurous and hard-working person” and trusted people.
“She enjoyed travelling to Banff for her love of nature but also to travel for her curiosity about seeing Canada.”
The MacLean family said the “pain of losing Barbara so tragically has been a constant presence” in their lives for nearly 50 years.
“But recent developments have finally brought us answers to questions that we’ve had to live with all these years,” they said, offering condolences to the other three families.
“We are four families who share a connection of the worst kind — one of pain, grief, and suffering over many years. It is our hope that we all may find a measure of peace in the days ahead. It is thanks to the relentless pursuit of justice by police agencies and the remarkable advances in forensic genetic genealogy that a resolution to these four historic cases has been reached.”
In a police press conference in Edmonton on Friday, Supt. David Hall, the officer in charge of the Alberta RCMP’s serious crimes branch, said for 40 years, the team did not give up in their pursuit to identify those responsible for the murders.
“Identifying the perpetrator does not bring Eva, Patsy, Melissa or Barbara back. It is our hope, however, that the families are finally able to have some answers as to what happened to their loved ones all of those years ago,” he added.
The families have asked that they not be contacted for further information or comment. During this difficult time, they request privacy.
— with files from Morgan Black and Phil Heidenreich, Global News