Unsolved Mysteries On November 18th, 1987, Jay Cook and his high school sweetheart, Tanya Van Cuylenborg, took the ferry from Victoria, Canada to Washington to go camping. Jay was 20 years old. Tanya was 17. It was their first trip together and theyd planned on a romantic getaway. Leona Cook, Jay’s mother, said that they had been going out for 6 months and that Tanya was special to Jay. Tanya’s father, William Van Cuylenborg, said that Jay and Tanya were good for each other and was happy they were together. Sometime during their journey, Jay and Tanyas peaceful vacation turned into a violent nightmare. Jay was driving his fathers van. Witnesses reported seeing it drive off the ferry and head south on Highway 101. It was spotted in the town of Hoodsport at about 8 pm and an hour later in the town of Allyn. Authorities believe they were headed towards a second car ferry from Bremerton to Seattle. It was just an overnight trip and Jay and Tanya were expected home the next day. When their families didn’t hear from them the following evening, they began to worry. William Van Cuylenborg said that his daughter would call if she was going to be late. He also said he tried to remain calm for his wifes sake but eventually they both knew something was wrong. Something was indeed wrong, and Chief Deputy Ron Panzero of the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office said that Tanya had been found murdered. She was found partially clothed and had been raped and beaten to death. Plastic ties used to bundle wires together were found scattered along the roadside where Tanya was found. Police believe they were used to bind Tanya in the van. Jay Cook was no where to be found. His mother recalls a conversation she had with the police and said that they were looking at Jay as a suspect and told his family to be prepared for that. Soon after, Jays van was found 90 miles away in the city of Bellingham. Two blocks away, police found more plastic ties, the keys to the van, Tanyas drivers license and a half-empty box of ammunition. They also found a pair of surgical gloves. To Detective Robert Gebo of the Seattle Police Department, the clues comprised an outright taunt and lead him to believe that the killer didnt think it was necessary for them to look for fingerprints because he used gloves in the murder and that there was nothing going to connect him to the crime. A short time later, Jay’s body was found. He had been beaten and strangled to death. Sgt. Robert Bart with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said that Jays hands were bound with plastic ties and the way he was beaten indicated to Robert that whomever killed Jay and Tanya had been in prison before. Sgt. Robert Bart believes it’s most likely that Jay and Tanya met their killer on the 10:20 pm ferry from Bremerton to Seattle and said he doesnt know what the killers intentions were but that he was certainly out to harm somebody. Robert says that the killer had his sights on Tanya and that Jay was in the way. He also says that Jay and Tanya were young and easily fooled, which made them an easy target. Detective Robert Gebo suspects this was not the killer’s first murder and says that Jay and Tanya were probably in the company of the killer upon leaving the ferry in downtown Seattle. Robert also said that due to the killers familiarity with murders like that of which happened to Jay and Tanya, that the killer will continue to murder in the same fashion. Over over the Christmas holidays, just four weeks after the murder of their children, Jay and Tanya’s families each received a series of disturbing greeting cards. They were filled with taunting descriptions of the murders. The author claimed to be the killer. Postmarked from New York, Los Angeles and Seattle, all of the cards had been written by the same person. So far, at least six of the greeting cards have been mailed over three different holidays. Surprisingly, DNA recovered from the victim and DNA taken from the envelopes do not match. Chief Deputy Ron Panzero says the handwriting and the cards themselves are very distinctive and the phrase Hallelujah bloody Jesus was a favorite of the writers. Police are convinced the murderer is an ex-convict familiar with the Washington area. They hope that he may have talked about the crime and that a viewer of the show might be able to identify him. In August of 2010, Victoria cold case detectives finally identified the person responsible for sending the disturbing greeting cards. He is a homeless man now in his 70s with severe mental issues. He readily admitted that he was the author of the cards. Police interviewed the man for several hours and now believe he had nothing to do with the murders and think he probably read about the story in a newspaper and sent the cards from there. Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborgs murders remain unsolved over 26 years later.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 10:35:59 +0000
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