Show Notes
From the fog-covered shores of the Oregon Coast to the frozen peaks of Alaska, and from the prairie towns of Alberta and Saskatchewan to the quiet capital of Olympia, Washington — some of North America's most disturbing unsolved murders and cold cases share one thing in common: the isolation that surrounds them made it easier for killers to operate, and harder for justice to follow. In this two-hour compilation, Northern Crimes examines six in-depth cases drawn from the most remote and overlooked corners of the continent. What's covered in this video: The Olympia Murders — The 1970 stabbing death of 17-year-old Patricia Garrison, the hitchhiking murders of teenagers Catherine Divine and Brenda Baker in Thurston County, Washington, and how DNA evidence decades later pointed not to Ted Bundy — long suspected — but to a man who had been in the case file from the very beginning. The Oregon Coast Murders — The disappearances and deaths of young women along Highway 101 and Highway 20 spanning from 1984 to 1995, including Kelly Disney, Sheila Swanson, Melissa Sanders, Jennifer Essen, and Karen Lease — cases that remain unsolved despite multiple suspects, over 300 tips, and renewed forensic investigations. The Alberta Murders — Four cases that shook Canada's prairie province: the 1959 Cook family massacre and the controversial execution of Robert Raymond Cook; the 2005 Mayerthorpe ambush that killed four RCMP officers; the calculated "Dexter Killer" case of Mark Twitchell; and the 2011 Claresholm Highway murders driven by obsession and domestic violence. 5 Unsolved Cold Cases from Canada — The 1967 disappearance of indigenous leaders James Brady and Abe Halkett in Northern Saskatchewan; the decades-long mystery of "Septic Tank Sam," identified in 2021 as Gordon Sanderson; the 1988 murders of Lisa Gavin and Glenna Dustan in Vancouver's East Side; the 1996 disappearance of 15-year-old Melanie Ethier in New Liskeard, Ontario; and the Halloween night vanishing of Jake Jost in Midland, Ontario in 1998. Unsolved Mysteries from Alaska — Five of Alaska's most enduring cold cases: the unidentified victim of serial killer Robert Hansen known only as "Eklutna Annie"; the 2012 disappearance of Michael Laiter on Mount Marathon; the Cook Inlet torso murders of Desiree Lechenov and Michelle Roth; the fatal solo winter ascent of Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura on Denali; and the 1979 plane disappearance of suspected British spy and TV writer Ian Macintosh. The Saskatchewan Murders — How John Martin Crawford, a convicted killer released after serving just seven years, went on to murder at least three indigenous women — Shelley Napope, Eva Taysup, and Calinda Waterhen — in Saskatoon in the early 1990s, and how systemic failures allowed him to continue killing while under police surveillance. Leave a review of the podcast! Become a Patreon member: https://patreon.com/northerncrimes Subscribe to Northern Crimes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@northerncrimes Subscribe to our sister channel, Southern Crimes, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SouthernCrimesYT
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Northern Crimes
In January 1989, Oregon's Director of Corrections was stabbed to death outside his office, the night before he was set to expose corruption inside his own department. The state convicted a man with no physical evidence tying him to the crime. Thirty years later, he walked free — and the case remains unsolved.
Starting in 1997, women from Edmonton's streets began turning up in the farm fields outside the city. One man was convicted in a single death; most of the cases remain unsolved, and no one agrees on how many women belong on the list.
Oregon is one of the most beautiful states in America. But it also has it's fair share of true crime stories. This 4 hour Oregon true crime compilation covers dark tales from across the state - ranging from unexplained disappearances and cold cases, to murders and unsolved mysteries.
In 1993, a bankrupt Calgary penny-stock company announced the largest gold discovery in mining history - a find so extraordinary it would eventually be worth $6 billion on paper and turn ordinary investors into overnight millionaires. It was all a lie.
This video covers 5 cold cases and unsolved mysteries from the often overlooked state of Idaho. From strange disappearances, to unsolved murders, these cases have baffled investigators and left families devastated - sometimes for decades.