PROJECT FUNDING HAS LAUNCHED on KICKSTARTER:

He brushed the leaves aside and uncovered the most baffling double murder Vancouver has ever had.

– The Vancouver Province April 15, 1953

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I must address why my daughter and I are championing this project.  There are many reasons besides the simple artistic one of my dream to create a graphic novel.  It is a grandmother-mother-daughter project, and now that my mom, Karin, has passed, my daughter and I need to see this project to fruition to celebrate her memory.  The story belongs to Vancouver, and this is the perfect project to rekindle the discussions around the case.  But most importantly, the case itself centres around two unknown children, two young brothers who deserve to be identified.

*** I will share a piece of actual evidence from this cold case daily until our Kickstarter campaign deadline is reached on September 11, 2011 at 5:17 PM.  Please consider donating, even just $1.

All the evidence is moving, but it was particularly heartbreaking for me to hold and to sketch the remains of a child’s shoe:

The shoes worn by the children had rubber soles according to the newspaper accounts. This rubber was not used in Canada before 1947, though it was available in Asia. In fact, according to the 1953 investigation the “rubber-soled shoe” worn by [the younger] victim… [had] a leather top and was allegedly manufactured by an Eastern firm in only one year, 1947.  When considering ALL the evidence, the estimated time of death for the two brothers is October, 1947.

The following ad appeared in The Vancouver Sun on September 1, 1949 and shows the crepe sole:

New child’s shoe ordered by police in 1953 was compared to shoe found at scene:

Video capture from Babes in the Woods Task Force meeting at Vancouver Centennial Police Museum, February 2004, as we look at the shoe evidence:

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To help fund this graphic novel go to KICKSTARTER!

Note: All backers will receive a mention in the book (if they so wish).  Take a look at the fun rewards available for various donation levels!  In addition, backers who donate $100 and above will receive a signed copy of the book when it is published!