Part I: The Calgary Serial Killer - The Unsolved Murder of Jennifer Janz

By: S.M.

Published May 4, 2020

Last Updated: 07/08/20

Jennifer Janz

Murdered July 1991 in Calgary, Alberta

Age: 16

⁣By the summer of 1991, Jennifer Janz was ready for a change. The past few years had been difficult, but it hadn’t always been that way. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

Jennifer grew up in Calgary, Alberta in a loving home; she was active in gymnastics, ballet, and track and field. She was kind-hearted and trusting. When she was young, she excelled in school. ⁣ ⁣

The first sign of trouble was in middle school, when she failed Grade 7. When she finished Grade 9, she dropped out of school and moved in with various friends. Most of their time was spent on the streets. Still, Jennifer called home all the time. Her mother always told her she was welcome home whenever she wanted. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

When she was 15, Jennifer spent two months at a Christian Bible camp in Texas. The decision was a “last ditch” effort by her parents, and it seemed to help. When she returned in early 1991, she became active in youth groups and found a job. She even enrolled at James Fowler High School for six weeks in February. Jennifer’s family continued to look for ways to bring her home.

Jennifer‘s 16th birthday passed. She was still drawn to life on the street. Although she continued to “wander,” by summer, it seemed like she was finally ready to come home. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

In July of 1991, Jennifer became sick with a kidney infection and was treated at the Rockyview Hospital. Every night, her family came to visit her.

On July 12, 1991, Jennifer called her mother. She said she was leaving the hospital and wanted to come home for supper the next week. Jennifer was last seen walking out of the emergency room doors. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

One month later, on August 13, Jennifer’s badly beaten body was discovered in a shallow grave at a construction site along the Trans-Canada Highway, near Valley Ridge Drive, northwest of Calgary. An autopsy determined she died from a heavy blow to the chest. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

Like so many other young women in the Calgary area, Jennifer never had the chance to come home.

Her murder was only the start.