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The Bulldog and the Helix: DNA and the Pursuit of Justice in a Frontier Town
A investigative reporter traces the role of DNA evidence in two groundbreaking murder cases involving young girls killed two decades apart in the same town.
In 1977, the industrial town of Port Alberni was shaken by the brutal murder of twelve-year-old Carolyn Lee, who had been abducted while walking home from her dance class. In 1996, the town was devastated again when eleven-year-old Jessica States disappeared while chasing foul balls at a local fast-pitch game, her lifeless body later found beaten in the woods.
At the time of States's murder, Shayne Morrow was working as a reporter for the Alberni Valley Times. His interest in forensic science led him to cover the States case and relate it back to the Lee case, which had gone unsolved for years. In his coverage, Morrow gained unprecedented access to the investigators and scientists who were on the trail of both killers. Emerging DNA technology in the mid-1990s led to a renewed interest in the Lee case and ultimately to the conviction of her killer, Gurmit Singh Dhillon, in 1998. The technological mechanisms put in place during that case would lay the groundwork for the capture of States's killer, Roderick Patten, a year later.
The Bulldog and the Helix is a riveting portrait of a town rocked twice by the most heinous type of crime imaginable and a community's unrelenting search for justice.
In 1977, the industrial town of Port Alberni was shaken by the brutal murder of twelve-year-old Carolyn Lee, who had been abducted while walking home from her dance class. In 1996, the town was devastated again when eleven-year-old Jessica States disappeared while chasing foul balls at a local fast-pitch game, her lifeless body later found beaten in the woods.
At the time of States's murder, Shayne Morrow was working as a reporter for the Alberni Valley Times. His interest in forensic science led him to cover the States case and relate it back to the Lee case, which had gone unsolved for years. In his coverage, Morrow gained unprecedented access to the investigators and scientists who were on the trail of both killers. Emerging DNA technology in the mid-1990s led to a renewed interest in the Lee case and ultimately to the conviction of her killer, Gurmit Singh Dhillon, in 1998. The technological mechanisms put in place during that case would lay the groundwork for the capture of States's killer, Roderick Patten, a year later.
The Bulldog and the Helix is a riveting portrait of a town rocked twice by the most heinous type of crime imaginable and a community's unrelenting search for justice.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 11, 2019
This fascinating true crime story by a former newspaper reporter is set in Port Alberni, a small town on Vancouver Island, the 12,000 square mile island across the Strait of Georgia from the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Two tragedies from this tiny town tested the limits of DNA technology and forensic practice.
In 1977, Carolyn Lee, age twelve, was abducted as she walked to her parents’ restaurant after dance class. Her body was found the next day in a remote area, face down in the mud. While the police had a strong suspicion about who her murderer was, they had no evidence. In 1996, eleven-year-old Jessica States disappeared from a park near her Port Alberni home, and a massive search finally located her battered body, hidden in a nearby ravine under bark torn from a tree. In this case, there initially was no suspect.
While these tragedies were traumatic for the community, what propels them into salience for the wider world is how they demonstrate advances in forensic analysis. In the almost 20 years between these murders, DNA technology arrived. Morrow effectively details how not just the science improved dramatically during that period, but law enforcement procedures evolved, and legal requirements related to collecting DNA evidence changed. He describes a justice system constructed of moving parts. One mistake by the police and an entire case could be dismissed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a practice of moving officers around, much like itinerant preachers, so the officers who first worked on the Lee case had long been reassigned. Yet it wasn’t forgotten, and the RCMP hoped the new DNA analysis would finally solve it. Miraculously, some of the evidence had been saved from that two decade old crime and from which DNA could be extracted. The tenacity and careful work of the officers dedicated to solving this cold case—the investigative Bulldog of the title—that finally led to a conviction in 1998. Fortunately for the States family, justice was not so long delayed, and her killer was convicted in 2001.
These two cases were landmarks in Canadian jurisprudence regarding the treatment of forensic DNA evidence, and author Morrow was the primary court and crime reporter for them both. His meticulous retelling of the RCMP decision-making process—which, although it could have gone off the rails at any number of points, led to a successful prosecution of two killers—is as much a page-turner as any novel.
In 1977, Carolyn Lee, age twelve, was abducted as she walked to her parents’ restaurant after dance class. Her body was found the next day in a remote area, face down in the mud. While the police had a strong suspicion about who her murderer was, they had no evidence. In 1996, eleven-year-old Jessica States disappeared from a park near her Port Alberni home, and a massive search finally located her battered body, hidden in a nearby ravine under bark torn from a tree. In this case, there initially was no suspect.
While these tragedies were traumatic for the community, what propels them into salience for the wider world is how they demonstrate advances in forensic analysis. In the almost 20 years between these murders, DNA technology arrived. Morrow effectively details how not just the science improved dramatically during that period, but law enforcement procedures evolved, and legal requirements related to collecting DNA evidence changed. He describes a justice system constructed of moving parts. One mistake by the police and an entire case could be dismissed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a practice of moving officers around, much like itinerant preachers, so the officers who first worked on the Lee case had long been reassigned. Yet it wasn’t forgotten, and the RCMP hoped the new DNA analysis would finally solve it. Miraculously, some of the evidence had been saved from that two decade old crime and from which DNA could be extracted. The tenacity and careful work of the officers dedicated to solving this cold case—the investigative Bulldog of the title—that finally led to a conviction in 1998. Fortunately for the States family, justice was not so long delayed, and her killer was convicted in 2001.
These two cases were landmarks in Canadian jurisprudence regarding the treatment of forensic DNA evidence, and author Morrow was the primary court and crime reporter for them both. His meticulous retelling of the RCMP decision-making process—which, although it could have gone off the rails at any number of points, led to a successful prosecution of two killers—is as much a page-turner as any novel.
June 9, 2019
This is the true story of two separate murder investigations that were solved partly by good, old fashioned police work but significantly by the use of DNA evidence to prove the identity of the murderers. The two crimes happened in 1977 and 1996 in Port Alberni, British Columbia. Author and journalist Shayne Morrow traced the path of both investigations in great detail.
It’s not an uplifting book. The subject matter is too grim for that. But if you want to understand the intricate detail of how a real murder investigation unfolds with its many twists and turns this is a book for you. Author Morrow had access to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators and developed a good understanding of how they solved these heinous crimes. The Bulldog, Corporal Dan Smith, never gave up on the investigations, pursuing the cold case 1977 murder investigation for years until the arrest of the killer. I could sense his determination and perseverance as I read the book.
DNA evidence was in its infancy during the first investigation. The investigators were learning about it as they went along, all with the view that this new way of identifying murder suspects had to meet the legal requirements of a trial by judge and jury, including cross-examination. The book tells that story, from the murder scenes to the eventual courtroom trial. It’s a great read.
It’s not an uplifting book. The subject matter is too grim for that. But if you want to understand the intricate detail of how a real murder investigation unfolds with its many twists and turns this is a book for you. Author Morrow had access to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators and developed a good understanding of how they solved these heinous crimes. The Bulldog, Corporal Dan Smith, never gave up on the investigations, pursuing the cold case 1977 murder investigation for years until the arrest of the killer. I could sense his determination and perseverance as I read the book.
DNA evidence was in its infancy during the first investigation. The investigators were learning about it as they went along, all with the view that this new way of identifying murder suspects had to meet the legal requirements of a trial by judge and jury, including cross-examination. The book tells that story, from the murder scenes to the eventual courtroom trial. It’s a great read.
August 18, 2019
Great book. Written about two murders in my small home town. Very well written. Fascinating how these crimes were solved after so many years.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews