MARTIN: Justice can still be elusive in some solved cold cases

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Technological advances in the world of forensic criminal investigation mean that no criminal is safe from prosecution, no matter how long he evades justice.

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But while today's investigative techniques can solve long-forgotten heinous crimes, they cannot guarantee the one thing most victims and their families want more than anything — bringing criminals to justice.

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While it's a relief for the surviving relatives of four Calgary women who were brutally murdered by a serial sex offender nearly half a century ago, it must also be a source of dismay that Gary Sreary took his last breath to believe they were spared. killings.

Sreri died on April 27, 2011, never identified as the killer of Calgary teenagers Eva Dvorak and Patricia McQueen and young women Melissa Ann Rehorek and Barbara McLean.

It took hard work and diligence by dedicated members of the Alberta RCMP and Calgary police officers using the latest technology, a technique called investigative genetic genealogy, to pin their murders to Sreri.

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The fact that Sreri died in an Idaho prison while serving a life sentence for rape (the same sentence he received for killing four victims in Calgary) should bring some comfort to family members who have been left with nothing but questions for decades.

Across the Mountains, relatives of each of the victims released statements following last week's announcement that revealed Sreeri as the serial killer.

In them you can find hints that the story is not completely closed, although all praised the efforts of law enforcement agencies in solving the case.

“Today is an important moment in the long journey of seeking justice for our daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and niece,” McLean's family wrote. “Hopefully we can all find some peace in the coming days.”

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The family of 14-year-old McQueen, who was found with his good friend Dvorak outside the city limits at the time in February 1976, added: “This evil monster has brought so much pain and suffering to countless families … We thank God. he is no longer alive and can never harm anyone.'

Although Sreeri has passed away, his name should not be forgotten so soon.

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An American drifter who came to Canada in 1974 and spent most of his adult life undeported until his 1999 sex-assault conviction led to his deportation after serving a five-year sentence. In the Great White North.

Police believe he may have had other victims, and based on the closeness of time between the deaths of Dvorak, McQueen, Rehorek and McLean between February 1976 and February 27, 1977, it's not hard to suspect they're right.

Sexual predators don't turn to killing for a short 12-month period in their lives and then stop without intervention, like they do with long-term incarceration.

Sreri would roam the streets of western Canada for years after fleeing California and being illegal here after posting bail for rape.

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When the Mounties announced at a press conference in Edmonton that he had been identified as the killer of the four victims in Calgary, it was noted how long he had spent here without the attention of authorities.

“He (in the United States) has a consistent pattern of committing sex crimes,” Staff Sgt. Travis McKenzie said. “And then when it comes to Canada, it's like it's gone. So our concern is that there are other victims that we don't know about.”

Although technology has helped solve other problems, Canadians living in western Canada during those years also have to think hard about what they know.

What may have seemed strange or suspicious decades ago may help solve other crimes.

Maybe someone knows something that will bring comfort to other families.

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X: @KMartinCourts

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