There is hope that new DNA technology can shed light on the murder of a pair of Victoria sweethearts who never returned from a getaway to Washington State 30 years ago.
Jay Cook, 20, and his 18-year-old girlfriend Tanya van Cuylenborg hopped on the Coho ferry to Port Angeles on Nov. 18, 1987. But they never returned to Canada.
Over the past year, detectives in Snohomish and Skagit county worked with Parabon NanoLabs in Virginia to generate a composite image based on trait predictions for a man believed to be a suspect in the case. This DNA technology company specializes in DNA phenotyping, and can predict physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence.
B次元官网网址淛ay and Tanya were brutally murdered and, more than three decades later, their killer has yet to be brought to justice,B次元官网网址� said Sheriff Ty Trenary. B次元官网网址淲e hope this new technology will help us positively identify a suspect and finally provide answers for their families.B次元官网网址�
The couple was reported missing on Nov.20, 1987. Their bodies were found a few days later B次元官网网址� van CuylenborgB次元官网网址檚 on a rural road in Skagit County, she had been sexually assaulted and shot in the back of the head. CookB次元官网网址檚 body was found further south in Snohomish County, beaten and strangled.
They had been driving a bronze 1977 Ford Club wagon to Gensco Heating in Seattle to pick up a part for CookB次元官网网址檚 father. The plan was to return the next day via I-5. Their last known whereabouts were when they bought a ticket in Bremerton at 10:16 p.m. for a ferry to Seattle.
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Using DNA evidence from the investigation, the B次元官网网址楽napshotB次元官网网址� program was able to produce individual predictions for eye colour, hair colour, skin colour, freckling, and face shape.
By combining these attributes, a composite was produced showing what the suspect may have looked like at 25-years-old and again at 45 years-old and 65 years-old.
Detectives hope the public can provide new tips and information that will lead to the identification of the perpetrator.
B次元官网网址淲e are looking for anyone who knows something related to this case, or can identify a person of interest from the Parabon DNA predictions and images,B次元官网网址� said Investigations Captain Jeff Miller. B次元官网网址淢aybe you were too afraid to come forward at the time, or thought someone else would. Now is the time to share what you may have seen or heard.B次元官网网址�
Detctives are also trying to track down a 35mm Minolta camera that belonged to Tanya. The lens was found in a Portland, Oregon pawn shop in 1990, but the body of the camera is still missing.
Family members remain hopeful
Sister of Jay Cook speaking now about the last time she saw her brother in Saanich, B.C., in November 1987.
B次元官网网址� Caleb Hutton (@snocaleb)
B次元官网网址淚 have to credit the investigators with continuing to move the case forward,B次元官网网址� said TanyaB次元官网网址檚 brother John van Cuylenborg. B次元官网网址淚 am hopeful. I think it represents a fairly significant move forward in the investigation. ItB次元官网网址檚 not the resolution of it though. ThatB次元官网网址檚 for sure.B次元官网网址�
Even after 30 years, the pain of the loss is so acute that it is difficult for John van Cuylenborg to share stories about his sister. It is a reminder that while a police investigation may move forward, the world is not the same without Tanya and Jay.
B次元官网网址淭here is nothing so touching as two young people in love. Tanya and Jay had so much ahead of them, so much to live for. Their love of life shone radiantly in her smile, in his eyes,B次元官网网址� reads a tribute to the couple in the 1988 Oak Bay High yearbook.
Family members are offering a reward up to $50,000 to anyone that can provide information by Dec. 31, 2018 that leads to the positive identification of the suspect through a DNA match.
Anyone with information is asked to contact local police or Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-222-8477 or on the web at a.
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