Alberta RCMP link four Calgary homicides to serial killer

The next morning, their bodies were found under the Happy Valley Overpass on Highway 1, west of the city.

Melissa Rehorek

In the spring of 1976, 20-year-old Melissa Rehorek moved to Calgary, found work as a housekeeper, and was living at the YWCA in downtown Calgary.

Rehorek was last seen on the evening of September 15, 1976, by a roommate. Police say she had intended on hitchhiking out of the city, and her body was located in a ditch approximately 22 kilometres west of Calgary, where Township Road 252 now is.

Barbara MacLean

19-year-old Barbara MacLean moved to Calgary in 1976 from Nova Scotia and worked at a local bank.

On February 25, 1977, Barbara went to the Highlander Hotel bar in Calgary with friends. She was last seen walking alone from the hotel in the early hours of Feb. 26, 1977, and her body was found by a dog walker in northeast Calgary six hours later.

Following their deaths, autopsies were performed on all four victims, and while the medical examiner identified Rehorek and MacLean’s cause of death as strangulation, he could not determine the cause of death for Dvorak and McQueen. Seminal fluid was discovered at all three crime scenes, the technology did not exist to develop a DNA profile at the time.

Investigators believed that due to the similar cause of death, Rehorek and MacLean were killed by the same person.

In 2003, police were able to confirm the same suspect was linked to both Rehorek and MacLean’s murders through DNA analysis, due to the advancement of technology. However, despite that realization, the DNA went without a match until 2021.

That year, when the tool known as Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) became available, RCMP and the Calgary Police Service (CPS) formed a partnership to try to find a match. When target testing was complete, Convergence IGG was able to give a possible suspect.

At around the same time, crime scene evidence was resubmitted to the lab from the Dvorak and McQueen investigation, and it came back as a match to the DNA found at the Rehorek and MacLean murders, leading RCMP to conclude that all four murders were committed by the same person.

RCMP began a cross-border investigation into Gary Allen Srery, who died in 2011 while serving a prison sentence for sexual assault. With assistance from Interpol and Idaho State Police, Srery’s DNA was confirmed as a match to the DNA found at the crime scenes, leading Alberta RCMP to believe Srery killed all four victims.

Srery was a United States citizen with a extensive criminal record for sex-related offenses who had been illegally living in Canada. He reportedly fled the U.S. in 1974 after posting bail on a charge of sexual assault, and lived under aliases in Calgary in 1976 and 1977. Those aliases included Willy Blackman, Gary Delorme and Rex Long.

Police say he worked as a cook under the table, and was adept at frequently changing his appearance, place of residence and vehicles. He lived in Alberta and British Columbia until he was deported in 2003.

Superintendent David Hall, Officer in Charge of the Alberta RCMP’s Serious Crimes Branch said, “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.”

Due to Srery’s history of changing appearances and aliases, RCMP believes there may be more victims. Anyone who believes Srery was linked to a crime in their area is asked to call local police.

RCMP is also looking to fully establish his timeline in Canada. Anyone who recognizes Gary Srery or knew him by one of his aliases is asked to call 780-509-3306, or email the Alberta RCMP Historical Crime Unit at K-IDEOLOGY@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

by Christian Oldale

Alberta RCMP link four Calgary homicides to serial killer

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