Canada police lay charges in decades-old murders

Canada police lay charges in decades-old murders

OTTAWA - An elderly Canadian man on Monday faced murder charges in the killing of two children in the 1970s, appearing briefly for his first court hearing.

Garry Handlen, 67, was suspected in the Pacific Coast murders of 11-year old Kathyrn-Mary Herbert and 12-year-old Monica Jack shortly after they happened.

But the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said there wasn't enough evidence to charge him - until now. He was arrested last week at his home in westernmost Canada.

According to public broadcaster CBC, investigators would not say what new evidence they have, except to say advances in forensic science helped uncover new clues.

Herbert disappeared in September 1975. Her body was discovered two months later beneath an outhouse near her home in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Jack disappeared three years later while riding her bike. Her body was found in the mid-1990s 200 kilometers (125 miles) away in the Rocky Mountains outback.

 

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