Part 2: The Calgary Serial Killer - The Unsolved Murder of Rebecca Boutilier

Cold CaseAlbertaUnsolved Murders1990s

Jul 7

Written By SM

By S.M.

Published 07/07/20

Last Updated: 07/08/20

Read Part 1 of The Calgary Serial Killer here.

Read Part 3 of The Calgary Serial Killer here.

Rebecca Lynn Boutilier

Disappeared February 2, 1993 in Calgary, Alberta

Remains found March 11, 1993

Age: 20

Classification: Unsolved Homicide

Rebecca Lynn Boutilier was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. When she was 18 months old, her father died in a car accident. Her mother moved them out to Calgary. Every night, Rebecca’s mother tucked her in and they would talk. Rebecca’s childhood was “rocky,” according to her mother, but they were always close. Eventually, she said she began to realize Rebecca had a “secret life.” ⁣⁣⁣
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In December of 1991, Rebecca Boutilier became a mother. On February 12, 1993 – when Rebecca was 20 and her son was 15 months old – she disappeared. She was last seen in the area of 3 Ave & 4 St SW, in downtown Calgary, wearing a waist-length black suede jacket with a front zipper and leather waist which fastened with a brass buckle. A woman who was working on the streets with Rebecca said she might have got into a blue car. ⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣On March 11, 1993, Rebecca’s partially clad remains were discovered in a heavily travelled area, east of McKnight Boulevard & 68 St NE, metres from a pile of roof shingles. She had been stabbed to death. ⁣
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Rebecca’s jacket, purse and boots have never been found. Investigators believe they were kept by her killer.
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At the start, there were several hopeful leads. Investigators collected “three huge plastic containers” of Canola seeds from the scene & sent them to the federal crime lab in Edmonton for analysis.

Near Rebecca’s body, a pile of women’s clothing was also discovered. Investigators were eventually able to trace the clothing to a sex worker in the city, who was staying in a motel. The woman was reluctant to talk at first. After a while, she told police about the night she had a “bad date” who attacked her inside a vehicle. The woman couldn’t offer any further details, and refused to press charges. ⁣
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Like the other women who were murdered after Jennifer Janz, Rebecca had been working in the sex trade for some time. A decade later, the murders of Rebecca and Jennifer were among the first to be linked.