Case Number: 7325300
Gail waited for the bus on the night of September 25, 1973, two men approached her and struck up a conversation. It appeared to onlookers that she may have known them. It is also possible that they were strangers however, Gail was a friendly girl and she walked away with them.
One of the men appeared to be in his early 20’s, 5ft 10in to 5ft 11in, 155 to 160 lbs with shoulder-length, dark brown, ‘bushy’ hair. His T-shirt had a design on the front. The other man was in his early 20s, about 5ft 11in and 180 lbs, with collar-length hair. He wore blue jeans with a faded, blue jean jacket.
From inside the driving school, an instructor watched as the three of them walked east toward MacNab Street South.
They stopped near a used car lot, turned around and walked back west toward the Elmar Hotel, which stood on the intersection of Main and Caroline streets. The three of them entered into the hotel’s tavern.
What happened between Gail and the two men inside the bar isn’t clear. Hamilton police would later speak with many people there. The problem wasn’t a lack of co-operation; they just didn’t notice anything. It was a regular night in the bar.
When some people were shown her photo, they told police they thought they recognized Gail as a patron who’d been at the bar before. But only one person, a staff member working the floor, recalled seeing her there that Tuesday night.
He thought she sat at a group of tables and ordered a Scotch. She ordered a second one but didn’t finish it before exiting the bar.
Gail got into a taxi with one man and asked to be dropped off at an address on Jackson Street. The taxi driver noticed an unspecified awkwardness between the passengers.
The taxi driver said that the man looked to be approximately 21 years old, 5ft 9in & 165 pounds, with brown hair that hung to his shoulders at the back and a little shorter to his neck on the sides. He wore blue jeans, a dark blue jacket and black boots. It is unclear if this man was one of the ones from the bus stop.
When Gail and her companion arrived at her home on Jackson Street East, her neighbors heard her arrive. Apparently her guest was ‘heavy footed’ and the neighbors could hear them talking. There was a scream, breaking glass and then silence. Many heard this clear altercation but no one heard anyone leave or called the police.
Gail never showed up for work at Robinson’s Department Store the next day. It wasn’t until September 28, 1973 when a call came from her job that her landlord Gerry Gallant went and checked on her.
Gail was found just inside the door next to the bed on the floor. She was partially clothed and had cuts or slashes on her head with stab wounds on her neck & chest. She lay in a pool of blood.
There was a shoe print on the floor in Gail’s blood and a smashed soda bottle.
Hamilton police interviewed more than 50 witnesses in the case. The Hamilton Police also released two sketches of the man from the taxi. The first was a bit cartoonish, but about a month after the murder a second, more detailed sketch which had been done by Toronto police was also released. To date, he has never been identified.
DNA testing didn’t exist at the time of the murder, evidence was sealed and decades later sent for testing.
Now the Hamilton Police believe that the advancements in DNA testing is their best chance at cracking this cold case.
Anyone with information can call Detective Nesreen Shawihat at 905-546-4863 or Detective Sargeant Jason Cattle at 905-546-2458.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.
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