I was just watching Court TV's documentary on Elaine Parent who murdered Beverly McGowan in Florida. If you don't remember, it's the case where the victim was badly mutilated (hands, feet, etc cut off) to hide her identity. The killer was known as "Alice" and stole Beverly's identity to fly to London.

I know there's been some debate on whether Parent acted alone in this brutal murder or with a male accomplice as was originally suggested by the 2 radicallly different descriptions given by witnesses. The first description was of a gorgeous blonde with large breasts. The second was a man dressed in drag wearing a bad Cleopatra wig. I personally believe that Parent acted alone...she was not the type of person to "work" with anyone else. She was dubbed the "Chameleon" by law enforcement.

Something hit me tonight that i never noticed before. The composite sketch of the "man" in the Cleopatra wig posing as Beverly McGowan looks EXACTLY like an actual photo of Beverly McGowan! I was wondering if anyone else had seen this or noticed it. I tried to find the photos on the internet so you could compare them, but no luck so far.

This is one of my favs, so creepy!

The composite looked to me as if it was a man with crazy black hair and a rough complexion. I would definetely be interested in seeing a pic of Beverly looking like that, as of now, I see no resemblence!

I have since found the pics and posted them in another thread. Here you go:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=3409511&postcount=11

I have since found the pics and posted them in another thread. Here you go:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=3409511&postcount=11

Okay, that is pretty wierd, I'm not going to lie! Maybe that pic was the inspiration for the disquise. While, I don't see Elaine Parent working with anyone, the ladies at the travel agency said they thought it was a man in drag. Also, there was a Sam character. Very disturbing..........

Yeah, I agree that this is definitely one of the most disturbing cases ever featured on UM. Beverly was sweet person who unfortunately crossed paths with one of the most depraved human beings on the face of the planet.

Something hit me tonight that i never noticed before. The composite sketch of the "man" in the Cleopatra wig posing as Beverly McGowan looks EXACTLY like an actual photo of Beverly McGowan! I was wondering if anyone else had seen this or noticed it. I tried to find the photos on the internet so you could compare them, but no luck so far.

If my memory serves me well, the guy who dressed up in the wig was intending to look like Beverly McGowan.

Something hit me tonight that i never noticed before. The composite sketch of the "man" in the Cleopatra wig posing as Beverly McGowan looks EXACTLY like an actual photo of Beverly McGowan! I was wondering if anyone else had seen this or noticed it. I tried to find the photos on the internet so you could compare them, but no luck so far.

I believe that was the point, to look like Beverly McGowan in case someone asked for ID while using the credit cards. This is one of my all time favorite/scary episodes of all time. I remember seeing the sketch and getting the chills. Has a motive ever been discovered in this murder? I know Elaine Parent did it, but sheesh, mutilating and killing someone for only $1000?? The brutality in this case makes it seem like it was a boyfriend that killed her since there was so much overkill and since they tried to conceal her identity but for it to be someone she barely knew just doesnt make sense. I wonder why she was killed?

I also believe there was a man involved....all of the sales people said it was a masculine man dressed as a man, and Elaine was quite buxom, so I find it hard she could pass as a man passing for a woman.

I also believe there was a man involved....all of the sales people said it was a masculine man dressed as a man, and Elaine was quite buxom, so I find it hard she could pass as a man passing for a woman.

I agree. I think she had to have an accomplice. The lady at the travel place said it looked like a buff man in a wig. What I don't understand is the viciousness behind this murder. Elaine barely knew Beverly. Most murders that are this vicious are done by someone who knows the victim and the viciousness is due in large part to the perpetrator trying to conceal the victims identity, much like in this case with Beverly's head and hands being cut off. Its one thing to steal someones identity and money but its something completely different to kill someone, especially in this way.

The original segment had the update stating Parent had been found and killed herself, but it did say that the "Sam" character was still wanted. Spike's UM left mention of him out, so are they convinced it was Parent dressed as Beverly afterall (even though it was described as a man in drag)?

The original segment had the update stating Parent had been found and killed herself, but it did say that the "Sam" character was still wanted. Spike's UM left mention of him out, so are they convinced it was Parent dressed as Beverly afterall (even though it was described as a man in drag)?

I hope they aren't convinced it was only her because I really believe she had an accomplice. Perhaps this accomplice was just another man Elaine was manipulating to get what she wanted?

Elaine Parent was a master con woman and mistress of disguise. She knew the tricks to pass off as a "masculine" woman. I do not think she intented to pass off as a man, but as Beverly McGowan.

If she had an accomplice, she would have been seen at least once with him/her. The fact that "Bev/Sam" was always seen alone makes me think Elaine was Sam and she was trying to confuse authorities.

Elaine Parent was a master con woman and mistress of disguise. She knew the tricks to pass off as a "masculine" woman. I do not think she intented to pass off as a man, but as Beverly McGowan.

If she had an accomplice, she would have been seen at least once with him/her. The fact that "Bev/Sam" was always seen alone makes me think Elaine was Sam and she was trying to confuse authorities.

That very well could be but it doesnt explain the brutality of this crime. Did Elaine Parent murder anyone else that we are aware of? If not, why Beverly McGowan? Its not like Beverly was rich, as Elaine only took her for $1000.

If she had an accomplice, she would have been seen at least once with him/her. The fact that "Bev/Sam" was always seen alone makes me think Elaine was Sam and she was trying to confuse authorities.

1. Elaine Parent had to have had someone help her with the money side of things. There is at least one accomplice in that.

2. It's very common for con artists to work in pairs. Con artists like thieves tend to run in the same circles. They learn from another, contract one another and share leads.

3. It should be considered that Beverly mcGowan is in all likelihood..not the only victim of Elaine Parent. There are others out there.

Its not like Beverly was rich, as Elaine only took her for $1000.
The money may be only part of it. Elaine may have gained much more by simply using Beverly's identity. In fact Beverly McGowan;s identity may be the true valuable thing here.

This is so weird. Bev wasn't attractive, wasn't wealthy, or famous. There has to be a piece of the puzzle missing somewhere. Why would Elaine choose her? It doesn't make sense that she would choose someone so ordinary. I know Bev had a good job and a nice house, but why didn't Elaine/Alice take her house? She was planning on living there anyway as "Alice", why not live there after she killed Beverly, that doesn't make sense. And why steal someone's identity just to fly to London? Why didn't she go as "Alice"? She had to know that Beverly had family and friends who would look for her if she was missing. And I don't know how she thought that by mutilating the body she would be concealing Bev's identity. As long as you have someone's blood and tissue samples you can get their DNA, and also the tattoo's and other mark's on Bev's body were overlooked which made the identification of her body much easier. I definitely don't think money was her motivation here, because she was killed for such a pittance. I think she was jealous of Beverly in some way and had some hatred toward her, which would explain the brutality in the way she was killed. Elaine Parent was definitely a looney, with many more mental problems than we'll ever know about!

This is so weird. Bev wasn't attractive, wasn't wealthy, or famous. There has to be a piece of the puzzle missing somewhere. Why would Elaine choose her? It doesn't make sense that she would choose someone so ordinary. I know Bev had a good job and a nice house, but why didn't Elaine/Alice take her house? She was planning on living there anyway as "Alice", why not live there after she killed Beverly, that doesn't make sense. And why steal someone's identity just to fly to London? Why didn't she go as "Alice"? She had to know that Beverly had family and friends who would look for her if she was missing. And I don't know how she thought that by mutilating the body she would be concealing Bev's identity. As long as you have someone's blood and tissue samples you can get their DNA, and also the tattoo's and other mark's on Bev's body were overlooked which made the identification of her body much easier. I definitely don't think money was her motivation here, because she was killed for such a pittance. I think she was jealous of Beverly in some way and had some hatred toward her, which would explain the brutality in the way she was killed. Elaine Parent was definitely a looney, with many more mental problems than we'll ever know about!

I respectfully disagree. I think Elaine Parent chose Bev because she was an easy target. She seemed to be at a point in her life where she was just beginning to sort things out and she was easy prey. Bev was an ordinary person---attacking someone like that means less attention (bet Parent was expecting UM to cover the case). As for the DNA thing, keep in mind that this was 1990. I don't think DNA was relied upon as heavily because of technology. If you mutilated a body bad enough, you could eliminate the possibility of IDing. Parent made a careless mistake with the tattoo. And it seemed like Parent had a criminal history before this. If she stayed in Bevs house, she would have been easier to catch (at least I believe). I highly doubt she was jealous of Bev. Parent was just a disturbing con artist who found the perfect victim. She definitely was crazy, but not in the sense that she would get off because of incompetence, but in the sense that she had no remorse for her victims and was aware of what she was doing.

I don't think we will ever know the truth about Sam, but I personally don't think he had anything to do with Beverly McGowans death. I do believe he helped Parent get the money, but again, I doubt we will ever know.

Sam was Elaine Parent for sure. She probably had a briefcase and a wardbrobe of diguises over the years. She was a con artist who took identities off of people, she worked alone too. Sam was also the same height and weight as Elaine so that counts towards the proof.

Who knows if it'll ever be known that either "Sam" was Elaine in disguise, or actually a different individual who had gotten involved. Robert mentioned that many of her (Elaine) secrets died with her, but this either may or may not be one of them because it either can or can't be solidified. Maybe in some way, shape, or form something will manifest and will substantiate it.

I don't know but I'm leaning towards Elaine having an accomplice. The lady at the travel center said that it did not look like a woman dressed up as another woman but rather a buff man dressed up like a woman. Elaine doesn't look buff. Plus, you can fake your appearance but you cant fake muscles.

The brutality of this case is unbelievable. Its not as though these two were lovers and she killed her and dismembered her so that the body couldn't be identified and traced back to her. I would love to know more about the history of Elaine Parent.

That very well could be but it doesnt explain the brutality of this crime. Did Elaine Parent murder anyone else that we are aware of? If not, why Beverly McGowan? Its not like Beverly was rich, as Elaine only took her for $1000.

Beverly McGowan wasn't murdered for the money, it was an afterthought to pay for the trip back to London. She was murdered in a crime of "passion" because Parent was enraged at someone else and McGowan was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Parent was the "goal-driven" type, she had antisocial traits, but she wasn't a cruel, murderous sadist. Aside from McGowan, we don't know that she has killed anyone else. However, she did threaten to kill people numerous times, usually lovers or jilting lovers, because she was emotionally immature and impulsive in her relationships.

Having read about Elaine Parent a few years ago, I felt she was rather the borderline personality disorder-type of woman in her affairs. I'm certain Parent never intended, at first, to kill Beverly, just usurp her identity and be done with her, like all the other women she wooed and conned in the past. McGowan was nice and inoffensive with her and Parent probably saw her either as an easy mark to con in case of need, or as a sensitive woman she could have a light-hearted relationship with, even casual sex with, while her affairs with that executive got straigthened up. And Parent could be very seductive... she knew how to link up with McGowan. For what we know, perhaps she did care about Beverly McGowan, perhaps even loved her... so far an emotionally immature woman can love someone. And borderline people can fall from loving someone to hating that person very, very fast, due to the phenomenon called "splitting" (or seeing things black-and-white, overvaluation and devaluation).

But with her affair with that British executive failing, she snapped. As a borderline myself, I can imagine what was rushing through her mind at that very moment. She began to use Beverly's paper note to write angry and threatening letters overseas to that executive and she surely began to act pissy, moody, and lashing out at Beverly as well, who was just guilty of being there. Obviously she couldn't understand what was going on, as the nice "Alice" had suddenly, out of nowhere, transformed herself into a shrieking, enraged bitch. She probably quarreled with her, tried to hold her ground, and threatened to evict her from the apartement. Losing all semblance of control, confusing Beverly McGowan for her lover who jilted her back in London, it surely escalated until she probably assaulted her, ending up injuring or even killing McGowan in a fit of "borderline" rage.

When she came back to her senses, she knew she was in deep trouble. She needed to buy some time to escape, and she improvised. Here we see how much she didn't really care for McGowan, or at least not as a fully embodied human being to have empathy with. She was meant to be an object, an accessory. She cut McGowan in parts to delay identification (forgetting her tattoo), got rid of the body, made all those silly little improvised disguises that weren't that researched to fool everyone and escape as fast as possible from Florida and disappear back in England - probably because she wanted to renew contact with that executive and stalk/confront her.

That would explain the "vicious-looking" crime, which I believe was all post-mortem and a botched attempt to make Beverly McGowan literally disappear. Beverly wasn't tortured for hours on end by a psychopath, she probably got bashed to death or stabbed with a kitchen knife or something like that inside her own appartment by a woman lashing out of control. Parent could very well have been in shock when the rage stopped. Feeling a narcissistic need to escape both the crime and what she has done, she wrote the letters, cut the body selectively to remove anything that could be used for identification, made all the papers needed for foreclosure and disappeared. She went very far to ensure that, as much as McGowan's assets and even memory would disappear except to her family, she would also disappear in her mind as well. I'm certain that, in her mind, she blamed her lover for the murder as a "she-what-you-made-me-do" kind of scenario.

Hence why I believe she acted all alone. She didn't have any accomplice because the events weren't premeditated in the first place. Parent had to improvise, and fast, to get the hell out of there and even with her executive back in London.

However, what surprises me is the complete lack of blood in McGowan's appartment. So either the assault took place elsewhere, or the trauma on McGowan's body wasn't leading to loss of blood. She could have strangled or asphyxiated her, then transported the maimed body elsewhere and made the mutilations there with an improvised instrument (like a see-saw or even a butcher knife, given that the body was crudely decapitated).

Another intriguing story about Elaine Parent is that she was believed to be bisexual and in 1986, Parent had a relationship with a British female executive. After Parent's relationship with her failed in 1990, Parent is believed to have sent threatening letters to her former lover, on the same papers that Beverly McGowan wrote her letters on shortly before her disappearance and grisly murder. It is believed that after Parent murdered Beverly McGowan, she sent the threatening letters to her British lover and then went to London shortly afterwards to confront her. The relationship once again failed, and Parent threatened to kill her, and then she was never seen again.

http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/e/el/elaine_parent.htm

Not sure, but I think I read that the sales people knew "Sam" was a man because it was clear he/she had an adam's apple.

Don't think you can fake an adam's apple.

Not sure, but I think I read that the sales people knew "Sam" was a man because it was clear he/she had an adam's apple.

Don't think you can fake an adam's apple.

Odd, both the segment and the composite sketch show that his/her neck was covered by the sleeve of his/her coat. :confused:

Beverly McGowan wasn't murdered for the money, it was an afterthought to pay for the trip back to London. She was murdered in a crime of "passion" because Parent was enraged at someone else and McGowan was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Parent was the "goal-driven" type, she had antisocial traits, but she wasn't a cruel, murderous sadist. Aside from McGowan, we don't know that she has killed anyone else. However, she did threaten to kill people numerous times, usually lovers or jilting lovers, because she was emotionally immature and impulsive in her relationships.

This is pure speculation. Elaine Parent killed herself before anyone could speak with her about Beverly McGowan's death. I do agree with you that she wasn't tortured for hours by Parent. I think that after she was killed, she dismembered the body to make it unidentifiable but still, that is a very gruesome, heinous thing to do. I couldn't even do that to an animal, much less a human. Just because she did it post-mortem doesn't make it any less cruel.

Really? I believe I didn't see a thing on he/she's neck in the UM segment or the composite sketch.

By the way, my new avatar should help.:D

Really? I believe I didn't see a thing on he/she's neck in the UM segment or the composite sketch.

I think the segment did mention that the travel agent saw an adam's apple.

BTW, love the avatar, Sage!!

:lol: Thanks!

I think the segment did mention that the travel agent saw an adam's apple.

1. It's actually common for women to have adam's apples.

2. Adam's apples on women can get confused with throat and esphogus afflictions.

1. It's actually common for women to have adam's apples.

2. Adam's apples on women can get confused with throat and esphogus afflictions.

Possibly. But when you have a woman (travel agent) saying that another person came in dressed like a woman with fake hair, an adams apple and a muscular build, it would lead me to believe that it was most likely a man. If it looks, smells and acts like a rat, then its a rat!

This is pure speculation. Elaine Parent killed herself before anyone could speak with her about Beverly McGowan's death. I do agree with you that she wasn't tortured for hours by Parent. I think that after she was killed, she dismembered the body to make it unidentifiable but still, that is a very gruesome, heinous thing to do. I couldn't even do that to an animal, much less a human. Just because she did it post-mortem doesn't make it any less cruel.

Of course it is speculation. All UM segments are speculation. But now, in hindsight, we know things that we didn't at the time from interviews from people that knew Parent intimately.

And from these, I can deduct a few things.

It is obvious that Parent had some personality disorder (and not mental disorder), that she was a con artist, that she was capable of some degree of intimacy in her relationships but was grossly immature, impulsive, and obsessive toward people she loved. The affair with the executive shows an incredible neediness from someone thought as "cool" and "manipulative" as Parent. She did not seem to not to be to the point that she was suffering from APSD, as aside of petty theft and passport fraud she didn't seem to be heavily criminalized. Hell, she isn't even known to have conned people out of their money, only their identity information! Her relationships were stormy, but not specially exploitative (i.e. having a relationship to empty her appartment and steal her assets like an ASPD would do).

I'd say, at least, that she was narcissistic, emotionally unstable, and had some identity problem, which are consistent with someone with BPD acting out her anger issues.

Yes, dismembering a body is not only cruel in itself, but requires some lack of identification toward the victim, that the victimizer is incapable of identifying with the victim that she just victimized. If McGowan was a person before, to Parent she was now a piece of meat, she was devalued in her eyes.

This shows that, to Parent, McGowan was an object from the beginning to the end, as much as a man or a woman having a relationship with someone else for purely selfish reasons and, the time come, leaves her without the slightest empathy for that person's feelings. That doesn't mean, however, that she intended to murder her from the start. I believe she was supposed to be a mark and perhaps even a fling, but she was at the worst place when the proverbial poop hit the fan for Parent and her executive.

However, the cruelty wasn't the point of the dissection, as opposed to torture. It was done for purely objective reasons here : help her bide some time to escape even if the body was found. If Parent had felt she could have just dump her someplace else whole and save time, she would have done it. But it is possible that she also took the opportunity to vent some of her anger on McGowan's body by following through cutting her in parts, but the crudeness of her mutilations tend to show that it was made in a rush by an amateur.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mastermind
1. It's actually common for women to have adam's apples.

2. Adam's apples on women can get confused with throat and esphogus afflictions.

Possibly. But when you have a woman (travel agent) saying that another person came in dressed like a woman with fake hair, an adams apple and a muscular build, it would lead me to believe that it was most likely a man. If it looks, smells and acts like a rat, then its a rat!

Oh, I agree, hambone.

Women tend to be better at picking up things like whether someone is a man or not, than guys are.

I believe the travel woman may have been right and the "imposter" was a guy.

Possibly. But when you have a woman (travel agent) saying that another person came in dressed like a woman with fake hair, an adams apple and a muscular build, it would lead me to believe that it was most likely a man. If it looks, smells and acts like a rat, then its a rat!

Rewatching the segment, I have heard no mention of an adam's apple.

Oh, I agree, hambone.

Women tend to be better at picking up things like whether someone is a man or not, than guys are.

I believe the travel woman may have been right and the "imposter" was a guy.

However, we know that witnesses can have false memories, even victims. For example, cases of victims having observed their rapist's face carefully but still identified the wrong culprit are quite known.

If one believes that a person in front was a man, from memory he or she will tend to associate that the person had things thought and expected to be masculine features, like an adam's apple, even though the reality is more complicated. As mentioned, some women do have adam's apple or something akind to it.

I think a good question is whether this travel agent was shown a photo of Elaine Parent and asked if this was the person she saw in a disguise that day or if she could even make the connection. It seems like after Elaine killed herself, they may have wanted to check with the travel agent to see if she could identify Elaine Parent as the person she saw. Even if she says no, its not like it puts Elaine in the clear and there was other evidence.

I think a good question is whether this travel agent was shown a photo of Elaine Parent and asked if this was the person she saw in a disguise that day or if she could even make the connection. It seems like after Elaine killed herself, they may have wanted to check with the travel agent to see if she could identify Elaine Parent as the person she saw. Even if she says no, its not like it puts Elaine in the clear and there was other evidence.

IMHO, it is an open-and-shut case that Parent was directly involved with McGowan's murder, despite the fact that we have no confession nor any direct physical evidence, and that the main suspect is now deceased. But the weight of circumstancial evidence is rather staggering. She had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to do it, and everything points towards her having something to do with her death.

Letters sent from Florida to her lover in London were written on McGowan's notepad. We know this, because the police found the notepad and could reconstitute the letters from tracings left by the pen when Parent wrote, and if she wrote while angry she must have pushed the pen hard on the pad. With that, we can link that Parent was in her apartment during the time "Alice" was with McGowan and shortly before McGowan's death.

Although "Alice" was only a roommate, she disappeared from sight the moment Beverly McGowan disappeared and her family received the letters.

Parent was identified as being on the same flight that the person who stole McGowan's identify took back to London and fetched the car in Heathrow Airport. And Parent had some heavily emotional business to settle in London, still from her letters in which she threaten her lover and sent from McGowan's address.

The only question that remains is whether she had an accomplice or not. I don't exclude it, she could have had a male lover or a friend that she dressed as a drag to help her under a pretext or a plain lie. But given the circumstances and what is known about her, I find it highly unlikely. But I have seen way weirder than that in the past, so it is a possibility we cannot dismiss, even if I don't believe it.

Rewatching the segment, I have heard no mention of an adam's apple.

I confirm that there was indeed no mention of an adam's apple on the segment. The police states that "Sam" was wearing a cheap wig, spoke with an British accent, and was very knowledgeable about London Heathrow Airport.

The latter is, to me, the best indication that it is likely it was Parent, as she was known to be a frequent flyer she was obviously English. And if she left London because of a quarrel with her lover, why take the care to bring in an British-speaking accomplice with her, and for what? She had no real plan in mind while coming the US except feeding off some easy mark and continue her routine while things got better with her executive.

Plus, the last picture of Parent in the segment shows very clearly that she had a small lump in her neck, which can look like an adam's apple.

Has it ever been said if Beverly's "severed body parts" were ever found? It was my understanding that only her body was found. Am I correct?

Has it ever been said if Beverly's "severed body parts" were ever found? It was my understanding that only her body was found. Am I correct?

As far as I know, the missing parts were never found. They were probably tossed in the sea.

As far as I know, the missing parts were never found. They were probably tossed in the sea.

That's what I figured. Was cause of death ever determined in this case?

I don't believe it to be an accidental killing or a fit of rage killing. Now knowing Parent's background, I believe that maybe Beverly was on to her game of conning her and confronted her about it, which ended in her murder.

I also found this article on the case and on Elaine Parent in general, which was very telling...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1391705/Chameleon-Killer-cheats-the-Florida-police-by-ending-her-many-faced-life.html

There's a difference between have a perturbing throat and an adam's apple. And it wasn't in the UM segment, it was in an old article about the case.

And c'mon you guys, this isn't Felicity Huffman we are talking about here...how could a (pardon my inappropriateness) big breasted woman pass for a rugged looking man, WITH an adam's apple.

There's a difference between have a perturbing throat and an adam's apple. And it wasn't in the UM segment, it was in an old article about the case.

And c'mon you guys, this isn't Felicity Huffman we are talking about here...how could a (pardon my inappropriateness) big breasted woman pass for a rugged looking man, WITH an adam's apple.

I agree with you.

Something tells me she had an accomplice. I mean, if nothing else, she hired some random guy to go into the travel agent's spot and act as Beverly McGowan that way she herself wouldn't be identified by the agent in case she were ever caught.

I'm not one to take an eyewitness account as the gospel truth but the travel agent seemed adamant that it was a man dressed as a woman.

I always believed that the travel agents knew that their customer was a man and that they perhaps thought he was transgendered or undergoing sex reassignment. I think that Parent decided to hire someone to throw police off of her trail in case they discovered the body.I also believe that this person is now either deceased or has seen the negative publicity that came from Parent's capture and suicide and is now living a very low-key lifestyle.

I'm surprised that the police never found where the Ms. McGowan was dismembered at. It would have been a gruesome and bloody scene, but probably would have linked her killing to Parent sooner had they located it.

I always believed that the travel agents knew that their customer was a man and that they perhaps thought he was transgendered or undergoing sex reassignment. I think that Parent decided to hire someone to throw police off of her trail in case they discovered the body.I also believe that this person is now either deceased or has seen the negative publicity that came from Parent's capture and suicide and is now living a very low-key lifestyle.

I'm surprised that the police never found where the Ms. McGowan was dismembered at. It would have been a gruesome and bloody scene, but probably would have linked her killing to Parent sooner had they located it.

Did they ever find her body parts that were dismembered? If I remember correctly, they found her torso but I'm not sure if the body parts were with it.

Did they ever find her body parts that were dismembered? If I remember correctly, they found her torso but I'm not sure if the body parts were with it.

I'm not certain. It was certainly a terrible mess by the way it was described on the segment. There's also the "how" concerning the how the body was driven to where it was dumped.Did Parent use Ms. McGowan's own vehicle? If not, where's the vehicle that she did use?

The sheer senselessness of this crime is what's shocking to me. To kill another person for only $1000 worth of goods and services makes no sense at all. To bad Parent cheated justice w/ her suicide; jail would have been a great place for her.

The sheer senselessness of this crime is what's shocking to me. To kill another person for only $1000 worth of goods and services makes no sense at all. To bad Parent cheated justice w/ her suicide; jail would have been a great place for her.

I agree. Definitely one of the top 10 most senseless crimes profiled on UM.

A few things though:

1. Were Beverly and Elaine involved in a romantic relationship or just friends?

2. I have always been of the assumption that Parent did not act alone. I know that there are crazy women out there just like there are men but I have a hard time believing a woman killed and dismembered this woman's body all by herself.

3. I suspect that Beverly may have stumbled onto Parent's game and called her out on it resulting in Parent killing her and then dismembering the body and cutting out the tattoo to hide her identity.

I agree. Definitely one of the top 10 most senseless crimes profiled on UM.

A few things though:

1. Were Beverly and Elaine involved in a romantic relationship or just friends?

2. I have always been of the assumption that Parent did not act alone. I know that there are crazy women out there just like there are men but I have a hard time believing a woman killed and dismembered this woman's body all by herself.

3. I suspect that Beverly may have stumbled onto Parent's game and called her out on it resulting in Parent killing her and then dismembering the body and cutting out the tattoo to hide her identity.

Hmm...

1) As far as McGowan and Parent's "relationship" the segment and all news articles carefully avoid detailing too much. That usually (but not always) indicates a discreet gay or bisexual relationship. And since Ms. McGowan's having a boyfriend/husband (the usual "villain" in these type of cases) wasn't mentioned, an intimate relationship could certainly be inferred.

2) I don't think that she acted alone, either. However, unless there was some DNA evidence on Ms. McGowan or somebody's "conscience" gets the better of them, it's likely that we'll never know.

3) That could certainly explain what happened. I also have always leaned towards Parent using/abusing cocaine or meth (or both) as that would help explain the irrationality of her actions. While she may have also been mentally ill, most mentally ill people are rarely this violent and self-medicating w/ illegal drugs is more common than people care to believe.

This case has always really intrigued me.
Like others, I've always had the feeling that Beverly and Elaine were lovers (or, at least, intimate on occasion). Her brother said that she liked her privacy and I think she was "in the closet" to her family & friends (even though they probably suspected). This would explain why "Alice" never met any of Bev's family or friends. I also tend to believe that Bev was catching on to her deceit and confronted her about it.
The whole "Sam" thing is interesting (and I wonder what led the police to think he/she was possibly named that). If Elaine went to all that trouble to pose as Beverly, wouldn't she at least have attempted an American accent (rather than speak with her normal English one)? And if the person at the travel agency wasn't Elaine and she hired someone, why get a man in drag? Wouldn't it have made more sense to hire a woman instead? I really want to know who this "Sam" person was! I guess we'll never know.

Is it possible that Beverly's killer was "Sam"?
Elaine could've set it up--Set Beverly up to be murdered, and "Sam" was the one who did the actual dirty work.
I say this because the way Beverly is described as being dismembered sounds very "professional"--Almost mob like. I don't believe a first time killer would be that careful in dismembering a body.
If Elaine did do it, how did she do it? And who were her other murder victims--Someone who is that calcuated that seemingly experienced with murdering and disposing of a body had to have done it before. I mean how was she able to hold Beverly down or whatever happened?

I believe Elaine hired a man to kill Beverly, and this man, Hitman or whatever, accounts for "Sam."

Is it possible that Beverly's killer was "Sam"?
Elaine could've set it up--Set Beverly up to be murdered, and "Sam" was the one who did the actual dirty work.
I say this because the way Beverly is described as being dismembered sounds very "professional"--Almost mob like. I don't believe a first time killer would be that careful in dismembering a body.
If Elaine did do it, how did she do it? And who were her other murder victims--Someone who is that calcuated that seemingly experienced with murdering and disposing of a body had to have done it before. I mean how was she able to hold Beverly down or whatever happened?

I believe Elaine hired a man to kill Beverly, and this man, Hitman or whatever, accounts for "Sam."

Actually from the way the segment made it sound the dismembering job was rather amateurish. The head was decapitated above the lower jaw and it was also described as "gruesome" by the investigating officer. A "pro" probably would have quartered the body and/or done the job in a manner that would have minimized the effort required.

I see no reason for the "Mob" to get involved in this. There wasn't enough money involved to make this worth their "while" and criminals like Parent are usually victimized by the Mob, meaning that they try to stay out their way whenever possible.

Actually from the way the segment made it sound the dismembering job was rather amateurish. The head was decapitated above the lower jaw and it was also described as "gruesome" by the investigating officer. A "pro" probably would have quartered the body and/or done the job in a manner that would have minimized the effort required.

I see no reason for the "Mob" to get involved in this. There wasn't enough money involved to make this worth their "while" and criminals like Parent are usually victimized by the Mob, meaning that they try to stay out their way whenever possible.

Not the mob exactly, I mean "mob" as in professional killer. Someone who does this for a living I guess you could say.
A contract killer.

Still, I don't believe a first time killer could go through with such a gruesome job as dismemberment. If Elaine did the actual deed, I believe it wasn't her first time murdering someone.

I think there can be little doubt at this point that Elaine and "Sam" are one in the same.

I wonder though, after her suicide, were the police able to find out any more information about her? Or did they just call it a day and shut the case once she was dead? Surely she must have left some kind of trail i.e. bank account records, passports, safety deposit boxes, etc. Had any of these been discovered?

I think there can be little doubt at this point that Elaine and "Sam" are one in the same.

I wonder though, after her suicide, were the police able to find out any more information about her? Or did they just call it a day and shut the case once she was dead? Surely she must have left some kind of trail i.e. bank account records, passports, safety deposit boxes, etc. Had any of these been discovered?

The thing is, even without the wig and glasses, the composite of "Sam" looks nothing like Elaine, IMO. Totally different face structure and appearance.

And I wonder that too. If she could kill Beverly, who is to say she hadn't killed before, or after? There might be other unsolved cases tied to her.

I think there can be little doubt at this point that Elaine and "Sam" are one in the same.

I wonder though, after her suicide, were the police able to find out any more information about her? Or did they just call it a day and shut the case once she was dead? Surely she must have left some kind of trail i.e. bank account records, passports, safety deposit boxes, etc. Had any of these been discovered?


:rolleyes: Wrong.

The sales agent said specifically it was a man because she could see his adam's apple, and even a bit of facial hair on his neck. SO how did buxom Elaine Parent manage to look like a scrawny man with an adam's apple and facial hair?

She had an accomplice, people need to accept that.

:rolleyes: Wrong.

The sales agent said specifically it was a man because she could see his adam's apple, and even a bit of facial hair on his neck. SO how did buxom Elaine Parent manage to look like a scrawny man with an adam's apple and facial hair?

She had an accomplice, people need to accept that.

Exactly.
I personally believe her accomplice either was the actual killer, or helped Elaine kill Beverly and dispose of her body.

Elaine was a professional swindler, was she not? Who's to say she didn't hang out with professional murderers?

What I wonder is WHY she killed Beverly. She could've gotten the money and fled without killing Beverly, especially in such a brutal manner.

:rolleyes: Wrong.

The sales agent said specifically it was a man because she could see his adam's apple, and even a bit of facial hair on his neck. SO how did buxom Elaine Parent manage to look like a scrawny man with an adam's apple and facial hair?

She had an accomplice, people need to accept that.
Wait, where do you see this? I don't remember anything about an adam's apple or facial hair from the UM segment, but I have not seen the original segment in a long time - only the version with the Parent update.

Actually, the composite looks EXACTLY like Beverly McGowan, so whoever was in disguise did something right.

:rolleyes: Wrong.

The sales agent said specifically it was a man because she could see his adam's apple, and even a bit of facial hair on his neck. SO how did buxom Elaine Parent manage to look like a scrawny man with an adam's apple and facial hair?

She had an accomplice, people need to accept that.

I agree. Elaine Parent was clearly a very feminine looking woman. I'd have a hard time believing that another woman would have mistaken her for a man in drag.

Another thing:Wouldn't he/she have left fingerprints on the documents that he/she signed at the travel agency? Did those fingerprints match w/ Parent's, which should have been on file in numerous places?

Wait, where do you see this? I don't remember anything about an adam's apple or facial hair from the UM segment, but I have not seen the original segment in a long time - only the version with the Parent update.

Actually, the composite looks EXACTLY like Beverly McGowan, so whoever was in disguise did something right.

I was stated quite clearly in an early article about the case.

If I'm not mistaken, they investigated thoroughly, following leads and that lead them to Elaine Parent...I don't think there were any fingerprints.

The thing is, even without the wig and glasses, the composite of "Sam" looks nothing like Elaine, IMO. Totally different face structure and appearance.

And I wonder that too. If she could kill Beverly, who is to say she hadn't killed before, or after? There might be other unsolved cases tied to her.

I agree. The travel agent was very adamant that it was a man dressed up like a woman with very manly features.

I like your theory about a hitman hired by Parent killing Beverly, although cocytus is right when he said the segment stated that the way she was dismembered was basically a mess and not done properly. If that's the case then it's hard to see a professional screwing that up but then again, the hitman may have rushed through it.

It has already been established that Elaine Parent had a protuberance on her neck that could be mistaken for an adam's apple. You also must remember that only one person recalls "Sam" looking like a man dressed as a woman. It is entirely possible that they just saw Elaine with a poor costume on, along with the bump on her throat, and drew the conclusion that "Sam" was really a man. I had thought for a while that a man may be involved here, but upon further review my opinion has changed. I just don't see any evidence but for one single witness report indicating that a man may be involved. As to needing a man to dismember Beverly's body, it is entirely probable that Elaine did this on her own. The evidence is clear that Elaine suffered from severe mental disorders, perhaps even borderline. Had she gone off in a fit of rage, dismembering Elaine's body would have been very within the realm of possibility.

It has already been established that Elaine Parent had a protuberance on her neck that could be mistaken for an adam's apple. You also must remember that only one person recalls "Sam" looking like a man dressed as a woman. It is entirely possible that they just saw Elaine with a poor costume on, along with the bump on her throat, and drew the conclusion that "Sam" was really a man. I had thought for a while that a man may be involved here, but upon further review my opinion has changed. I just don't see any evidence but for one single witness report indicating that a man may be involved. As to needing a man to dismember Beverly's body, it is entirely probable that Elaine did this on her own. The evidence is clear that Elaine suffered from severe mental disorders, perhaps even borderline. Had she gone off in a fit of rage, dismembering Elaine's body would have been very within the realm of possibility.

Have no idea whee you're getting your information, but I wouldn't go against 3 people claiming it was a man. Unless Elaine Parent was Meryl Streep's evil twin and could pull off that kind of performance...

It has already been established that Elaine Parent had a protuberance on her neck that could be mistaken for an adam's apple. You also must remember that only one person recalls "Sam" looking like a man dressed as a woman. It is entirely possible that they just saw Elaine with a poor costume on, along with the bump on her throat, and drew the conclusion that "Sam" was really a man. I had thought for a while that a man may be involved here, but upon further review my opinion has changed. I just don't see any evidence but for one single witness report indicating that a man may be involved. As to needing a man to dismember Beverly's body, it is entirely probable that Elaine did this on her own. The evidence is clear that Elaine suffered from severe mental disorders, perhaps even borderline. Had she gone off in a fit of rage, dismembering Elaine's body would have been very within the realm of possibility.

It wasn't just the adam's apple that had people thinking it was actually a man in disguise. The travel agent also said the person appeared to be physically fit and muscular with manly features. I have no doubts in my mind that that person was a man in disguise that Parent hired or was in on it with her, not Elaine Parent herself.

Have no idea whee you're getting your information, but I wouldn't go against 3 people claiming it was a man. Unless Elaine Parent was Meryl Streep's evil twin and could pull off that kind of performance...
I'm not trying to be snotty here...I promise I'm really not...but it would be helpful if you could post links to where you're getting your own information instead of just telling us. I've done my own Google searches on this topic and didn't come up with much. If the sources have been posted on this message board before, forgive me for not finding them. The search function hasn't been my friend lately (not sure what's going on there).

I want to thank you for talking about the Beveral McGowan case on the internet. I tried a couple years ago to find this episode but couldnt remember the name of the case so I could not look up the episode on wikipedia, ect. Last time I saw this episode probably was a re-run around 15 years ago around 1996. i do remember watching the original episode of this on NBC with robert stack as the host when I was a kid. UM came on thursday nights in my area. But I did try to find the name of this case/episode around 10 years ago in 2000 when i was in the military. Still could not find it until I came upon your article this afternoon, wow! thanks again.

Before i saw this episode on youtube today, i saw this site and more than just a couple of people said that this was the scariest most memorable episode of UM (and a scary police scetch too), and I always felt that tooo! so i knew this was the episode with the scary looking guy with dark framed edge glasses dressed up as a woman. scared the sh*t out of me when I was a kid. but now that i am older, 33 yrs old, i am still a little scared at seeing that drag-woman-man cause now i realize there are plenty of weirdos out there. good news is that the female killer died in 2002 - i found this out today.

Some people think she is the same as the "masculine looking woman" at the travel agency. I disagree, think that guy was a small one-time aquaintance, what do u think? but the person who said that "alice" was both the blonde and the masculine man made a good point cause they both spoke with an english accent. And that alice killer had a fake british accent. but how could she all of a sudden look masculine when she was an attractive blonde with big breasts.?

I was just watching Court TV's documentary on Elaine Parent who murdered Beverly McGowan in Florida. If you don't remember, it's the case where the victim was badly mutilated (hands, feet, etc cut off) to hide her identity. The killer was known as "Alice" and stole Beverly's identity to fly to London.

I know there's been some debate on whether Parent acted alone in this brutal murder or with a male accomplice as was originally suggested by the 2 radicallly different descriptions given by witnesses. The first description was of a gorgeous blonde with large breasts. The second was a man dressed in drag wearing a bad Cleopatra wig. I personally believe that Parent acted alone...she was not the type of person to "work" with anyone else. She was dubbed the "Chameleon" by law enforcement.

Something hit me tonight that i never noticed before. The composite sketch of the "man" in the Cleopatra wig posing as Beverly McGowan looks EXACTLY like an actual photo of Beverly McGowan! I was wondering if anyone else had seen this or noticed it. I tried to find the photos on the internet so you could compare them, but no luck so far.

1. I do not feel that Beverly and Elaine were in a romantic relationship. i am kinda confused here: to me it seemed like elaine was only a roommate for a few days and all of a sudden killed beverly. is this true, was she only a roommate for a couple days or was it weeks or months?

2. I also think a man was involved that killed Bev. (Little would i know that a couple years after this unsolved mysteries episode a female cousin of mine would be brutally murderded in her house in the midwest, being stabbed over 27 times with a kitchen knife from a lady in her thirties who lived down the street from her. she sexually molested the dead cousin of mine. sick woman! So in reality this Elaine Parent could have dismembered beverly. do you still have the same opinion on this? Funny name for a killer - Parent. parents are supposed to be good people and look over their children.

3. You could be correct that Bev. stumbled upon her scam, but again like i said how long were they roommates together? I think during the interview process for the new roommate ad - that beverly, of course, talked about herself and said she "worked at a bank". target right there - bank worker. perhaps Parent wanted to force Bev to withdraw alot of money from the bank in person during the off hours of work. And Bev tried to resist and fight for her life.

I agree. Definitely one of the top 10 most senseless crimes profiled on UM.

A few things though:

1. Were Beverly and Elaine involved in a romantic relationship or just friends?

2. I have always been of the assumption that Parent did not act alone. I know that there are crazy women out there just like there are men but I have a hard time believing a woman killed and dismembered this woman's body all by herself.

3. I suspect that Beverly may have stumbled onto Parent's game and called her out on it resulting in Parent killing her and then dismembering the body and cutting out the tattoo to hide her identity.

hello. good point. i completely forgot this point when i saw it today and along time ago. yea, she should have used her normal american accent at the travel agency if it were elaine parent that dressed up with that wig. but if it was a guy in drag, he also should have spoken in an american accent too.

Here is what I think: i believe that Parent did not usually kill other women, but only conned them. I think she snapped one time only (perhaps) and killed Bev, cause bev confronted her about the scam. So Elaine killed her. Elaine was then ready to head back to England to escape justice. But she didnt want the cops to think she did the murder. So she hired an american man to dress up as Beverly at the travel agency in florida and talk with an english accent.

Then the investigators now think that the person who killed Beveraly was a man, not this blonde mystery woman. The blonde woman - Elaine Parent later that day meets up with her man, pays him off and gets her black wig and clothes back. She flies to England. and when she leaves the airport to get her rental car in london, for the first time SHE puts on the black wig. Then witnesses in england see elaine as the supposed "drag queen man" with a black wig. but it is just plain old elaine in a black wig. thus in england police are looking for a man, not elaine. Elaine is free to go. but of course this gets messed up for her cause witnesses in florida find out about an attractive blonde with Britain ties.

This case has always really intrigued me.
Like others, I've always had the feeling that Beverly and Elaine were lovers (or, at least, intimate on occasion). Her brother said that she liked her privacy and I think she was "in the closet" to her family & friends (even though they probably suspected). This would explain why "Alice" never met any of Bev's family or friends. I also tend to believe that Bev was catching on to her deceit and confronted her about it.
The whole "Sam" thing is interesting (and I wonder what led the police to think he/she was possibly named that). If Elaine went to all that trouble to pose as Beverly, wouldn't she at least have attempted an American accent (rather than speak with her normal English one)? And if the person at the travel agency wasn't Elaine and she hired someone, why get a man in drag? Wouldn't it have made more sense to hire a woman instead? I really want to know who this "Sam" person was! I guess we'll never know.

remember during the video when "Alice" first met with beverly and gave her a card or number reading? during that creepy conversation 'alice' told beverly that she was in potential danger of this "COUPLE". perhaps alice/elaine was fortelling bev that bev was in danger of not only alice, but her man. remember alice said a couple, a man and a woman. Creepy. its like alice was bragging right in front of her victim, that this is what is gonna happen to you.

Actually from the way the segment made it sound the dismembering job was rather amateurish. The head was decapitated above the lower jaw and it was also described as "gruesome" by the investigating officer. A "pro" probably would have quartered the body and/or done the job in a manner that would have minimized the effort required.

I see no reason for the "Mob" to get involved in this. There wasn't enough money involved to make this worth their "while" and criminals like Parent are usually victimized by the Mob, meaning that they try to stay out their way whenever possible.

No, my point was that Beverly was American. So why would "Sam"/"Alice"/Elaine (or whoever!) go to all the trouble to pose as Beverly, yet use an English accent? A little odd, no? Parent was English, I think...so she was just speaking in her normal voice (if "Sam" and Elaine are the same).
It seems she would have attempted an American accent to be more convincing.

OK, I just did a quick Google search on Elaine Parent, and I guess she was American herself. This makes things even more bizarre. So we know her English accent as "Alice" was phony.....why would she keep the phony English accent when posing as Beverly (an American)???

1. I do not feel that Beverly and Elaine were in a romantic relationship. i am kinda confused here: to me it seemed like elaine was only a roommate for a few days and all of a sudden killed beverly. is this true, was she only a roommate for a couple days or was it weeks or months?


I believe you are right. I was one of the people speculating that they were possible lovers, but after doing more research, it seems "Alice" only lived there for a few days before Beverly was murdered.

Other interesting tidbits I found regarding Elaine:

-After Elaine's romance with her English lover ended, she kidnapped the former lover's dogs, taking them to America and attempted to hold them for ransom. She also sent the woman death threats.

-Parent was arrested in Miami Beach in possession of documents that showed her to have three separate identities. Remarkably, police failed to run her name through the computer and released her on bail.

-She next surfaced in New Mexico, running a restaurant. A year later she was back in Florida, claiming to be South African and apparently penniless.

-In 1992, even as the Florida police sought her in connection with Beverly's murder, Parent - under another identity - filed a civil negligence suit against the State after she slipped and injured herself in a restaurant. She won, though the police will not confirm how much she was awarded in damages. In 1994 she disappeared from view altogether.

-Relatively little is known about the real Elaine Antoinette Parent. Those who knew her, and in some cases lived with her, describe her variously as beautiful, intelligent, charming and bisexual - but also speak of her flip-side: aggressive, prone to violent mood-swings and threatening.

-The only child of an American father and a French-Canadian mother, she grew up in the Bronx in New York. By her 30th birthday she was in Florida and three years later acquired her first conviction, for shoplifting.

-20 identities were stolen from women she met and seduced (but did not kill). Some were entirely invented and some cannot be traced by detectives at all.

-Elaine was known as "The Chameleon Killer". In 1998 she sent Florida police a photograph of an oil painting of herself, with the phrase "Best wishes: your Chameleon" typed neatly on the back.

Elaine apparently posed as men as well. One of her identities was "Antonio Hamilton Russell".

This is the most intrigued i've been on these forums about a case for a while. I think Elaine didn' act entirely alone when it came to murdering Beverley but I do believe she was "Sam". What throws this in doubt is the lack of further information about Elaine Parent after she committed suicide apart from the vast array of aliases she had on her.

I believe you are right. I was one of the people speculating that they were possible lovers, but after doing more research, it seems "Alice" only lived there for a few days before Beverly was murdered.

Other interesting tidbits I found regarding Elaine:

-After Elaine's romance with her English lover ended, she kidnapped the former lover's dogs, taking them to America and attempted to hold them for ransom. She also sent the woman death threats.

-Parent was arrested in Miami Beach in possession of documents that showed her to have three separate identities. Remarkably, police failed to run her name through the computer and released her on bail.

-She next surfaced in New Mexico, running a restaurant. A year later she was back in Florida, claiming to be South African and apparently penniless.

-In 1992, even as the Florida police sought her in connection with Beverly's murder, Parent - under another identity - filed a civil negligence suit against the State after she slipped and injured herself in a restaurant. She won, though the police will not confirm how much she was awarded in damages. In 1994 she disappeared from view altogether.

-Relatively little is known about the real Elaine Antoinette Parent. Those who knew her, and in some cases lived with her, describe her variously as beautiful, intelligent, charming and bisexual - but also speak of her flip-side: aggressive, prone to violent mood-swings and threatening.

-The only child of an American father and a French-Canadian mother, she grew up in the Bronx in New York. By her 30th birthday she was in Florida and three years later acquired her first conviction, for shoplifting.

-20 identities were stolen from women she met and seduced (but did not kill). Some were entirely invented and some cannot be traced by detectives at all.

-Elaine was known as "The Chameleon Killer". In 1998 she sent Florida police a photograph of an oil painting of herself, with the phrase "Best wishes: your Chameleon" typed neatly on the back.

For some reason, every fact about Elaine, the way you wrote it, I could almost imagine Stack narrating it. It's written in a way that reminds me of his narrations of a crime or criminal or victim.

I believe you are right. I was one of the people speculating that they were possible lovers, but after doing more research, it seems "Alice" only lived there for a few days before Beverly was murdered.

According to the UM segment, Beverly began advertising for a roommate just one week before she was killed. So to get a response and then move in to the condo the following Friday, according to Beverly's friend, they couldn't have lived together more than a couple days. Maybe Parent never even moved in to the condo at all. She certainly wasted no time killing Beverly.

I wonder if the police even tried to question or look for Parent while Beverly was missing. The timing of the new roommate couldn't have been a coincidence at the time.

No blood was found in or around the condo, correct? Does anyone think that Elaine may have poisoned/drugged Beverly - "Hey, Bev! Let me fix you a drink!" - at the condo and then did the dismemberment near where the remains were dumped? Yeah, it's hard to think she did all that stuff alone, but I'm still not 100% sure she had an accomplice. I go back and forth.
I wonder if the neighbors at the condo heard anything (like screams/yelling/moans, ect.)?

Where in the world did you find out she has a "protruding neck"?! I smell...well never mind.

Again: protruding neck, Adam's Apple? I believe THREE people could tell the difference. Unless "the chameleon killer :rolleyes:" was Meryl Streep's evil twin herself, who could pull off any performance including a full tranny transformation!

No blood was found in or around the condo, correct? Does anyone think that Elaine may have poisoned/drugged Beverly - "Hey, Bev! Let me fix you a drink!" - at the condo and then did the dismemberment near where the remains were dumped? Yeah, it's hard to think she did all that stuff alone, but I'm still not 100% sure she had an accomplice. I go back and forth.
I wonder if the neighbors at the condo heard anything (like screams/yelling/moans, ect.)?

This seems to be a very likely scenario as to what happened. I agree, I can't decide whether or not she had an accomplice. I do think it's very possible for three different eyewitnesses to mistake a man for a woman. Who actually studies adam's apples anyway? I was also wondering if there were any truth to the alleged romance between Beverly and Elaine, and thought it was odd considering they were only roomates for a couple of days.

No blood was found in or around the condo, correct? Does anyone think that Elaine may have poisoned/drugged Beverly - "Hey, Bev! Let me fix you a drink!" - at the condo and then did the dismemberment near where the remains were dumped? Yeah, it's hard to think she did all that stuff alone, but I'm still not 100% sure she had an accomplice. I go back and forth.
I wonder if the neighbors at the condo heard anything (like screams/yelling/moans, ect.)?

If she was drugged or poisoned, they would've found traces of that. In the segment, they said Beverly's throat has been slashed, so that's probably how she died before her head, hands and tattoo on her abdomen being cut away with a chainsaw to hide her identity.

If she was drugged or poisoned, they would've found traces of that. In the segment, they said Beverly's throat has been slashed, so that's probably how she died before her head, hands and tattoo on her abdomen being cut away with a chainsaw to hide her identity.

Only if substances are tested for in the first place. Toxicology tests are not always routine to an autopsy (especially ones in which a victim has multiple fatal injuries, like Beverly's decapitation and cut throat). That is why in many poisoning cases, victims have had to be exhumed--sometimes multiple times. Why test for drugs if the cause of death is so obvious? That's all an autopsy seeks to answer, ultimately.

I don't think it's at all out of the question Elaine could've drugged Beverly to subdue her. It seems like it would be in the vein of Elaine's calculatory nature.

Only if substances are tested for in the first place. Toxicology tests are not always routine to an autopsy (especially ones in which a victim has multiple fatal injuries, like Beverly's decapitation and cut throat). That is why in many poisoning cases, victims have had to be exhumed--sometimes multiple times. Why test for drugs if the cause of death is so obvious? That's all an autopsy seeks to answer, ultimately.

I don't think it's at all out of the question Elaine could've drugged Beverly to subdue her. It seems like it would be in the vein of Elaine's calculatory nature.

That could be. She could've been drugged and then slashed. I'm wondering where she was killed at ultimately? Couldn't have been her apartment because no blood was found there apparently. If a chainsaw was used post-mortem to cut her up, wouldn't someone have heard that loud noise?

That could be. She could've been drugged and then slashed. I'm wondering where she was killed at ultimately? Couldn't have been her apartment because no blood was found there apparently. If a chainsaw was used post-mortem to cut her up, wouldn't someone have heard that loud noise?

One thing to keep in mind, is that blood will not splatter onto walls if the victim is already deceased, as the heart has stopped beating and there's no heart pressure. It will simply drip like any other viscose liquid.

No trace of blood was found in her apartment, as if she had just vanished into thin air.

Hence why I believe either she was strangled or blungeoned first, in a fit of rage, then the body extracted from her apartement somewhere else to be mutilated somewhere else; or, she was killed somewhere else althogher. It's entirely possible Parent killed McGowan and mutilated her at or in vicinity of the exact location McGowan's body was later found.

That could be. She could've been drugged and then slashed. I'm wondering where she was killed at ultimately? Couldn't have been her apartment because no blood was found there apparently. If a chainsaw was used post-mortem to cut her up, wouldn't someone have heard that loud noise?

This starts from the assumption that Parent premeditated committing murder on McGowan, which I highly doubt. I still believe McGowan's murder was a crime of passion or borderline rage, made in the heat of the moment. Given what is known of Parent, murder was a huge jump from her usual MO, which was conning other women out of their identity, flee somewhere else, and ride along for the ride with what she's got. Rince, and repeat.

Until she met Beverly McGowan, Elaine Parent was akind to Bonnie Wilder, only more attractive, high-class, and seemingly sophisticated.

Why did she murder McGowan that time, and not other women that she stole identities from before and after? Because she lost control of the situation with Beverly. My theory is McGowan was at the worst moment in the worst place as "Alice" was already upset and angry about her Executive ex-lover jilting her in London, and things got awry so much that Parent lost control and attacked McGowan, possibly because they were lovers but McGowan discovered she was already involved with someone else.

For those of you that are interested, Beverly McGowan's case was featured on Swamp Murders recently. If you go to the video site and type in "Swamp Murders Season 2 Episode 8", you can view it. There is a TON of information on that episode that was not included in the original UM segment.

The way they found "Alice" to be Elaine Parent is very interesting and screams great police work. Also, the UM segment leads you to believe that Beverly took an instant liking to Alice, but this Swamp Murders segment speculates otherwise.

They conclude it by stating that this murder is still listed as open and unsolved.

For those of you that are interested, Beverly McGowan's case was featured on Swamp Murders recently. If you to the video site and type in "Swamp Murders Season 2 Episode 8", you can view. There is a TON of information on that episode that was not included in the original UM segment.

The way they found "Alice" to be Elaine Parent is very interesting and screams great police work. Also, the UM segment leads you to believe that Beverly took an instant liking to Alice, but this Swamp Murders segment speculates otherwise.

They conclude it by stating that this murder is still listed as open and unsolved.

Hambone, thanks so much for sharing this. It was a great watch, I enjoyed it, and the additional information was cool. I had no idea that LE actually considered Laurie Bembenek as the murderer. Anyway, thank you!!

Hambone, thanks so much for sharing this. It was a great watch, I enjoyed it, and the additional information was cool. I had no idea that LE actually considered Laurie Bembenek as the murderer. Anyway, thank you!!

No problem!

The part I found very interesting how (at least in my opinion), the UM segment made it sound like Beverly was enthralled with "Alice" or at least, very interested in all of these psychic type things. However, the Swamp Murders basically said that Beverly shut it down when Alice began asking her for personal information.

I still think Elaine Parent had an accomplice.

No problem!

The part I found very interesting how (at least in my opinion), the UM segment made it sound like Beverly was enthralled with "Alice" or at least, very interested in all of these psychic type things. However, the Swamp Murders basically said that Beverly shut it down when Alice began asking her for personal information.

I still think Elaine Parent had an accomplice.
I was able to watch the swamp version. I too curious as to who the male companion is.

the brother in swamp murders makes it seem as though beverly is straight not lesbian, so the romantic angle seems less likely

the brother in swamp murders makes it seem as though beverly is straight not lesbian, so the romantic angle seems less likely

I noticed that, too. UM used the whole "90's" version of saying someone is gay by talking about how they are private or whatever, leaving viewers with the impression that Beverley may have been into Elaine Parent or that they had a relationship. In fact, like Hambone pointed out, it seems like Beverley might have be on to Elaine's tricks right away, and out of fear of exposure, Elaine murdered her. It doesn't sound like Beverley was into Elaine that way. I think it was probably a heat of the moment type of thing, Beverley might have even told Elaine that her "numerology" crap was sketchy and threatened to call the cops and Elaine erupted. Elaine might have also thought that Beverley had a bunch of money or at least lots of credit, working at a bank and owning her own condo. She got only a few bucks, the body was discovered, and she knew she had to get the hell out of dodge.

I believe there was an accomplice. Elaine didn't appear to be a big woman, so moving a body would be difficult...unless of course you have a gun pointed at a live body, and then it's very easy to move it, just tell them where to walk and go. The Swamp Murders episode also provided additional info as to why the cops were looking for this "Sam" person. I think she had help. Oh, and even though Elaine looked quite young, she was almost 50 years old at the time, 60 when she was finally caught (caught...sort of).

I noticed that, too. UM used the whole "90's" version of saying someone is gay by talking about how they are private or whatever, leaving viewers with the impression that Beverley may have been into Elaine Parent or that they had a relationship. In fact, like Hambone pointed out, it seems like Beverley might have be on to Elaine's tricks right away, and out of fear of exposure, Elaine murdered her. It doesn't sound like Beverley was into Elaine that way. I think it was probably a heat of the moment type of thing, Beverley might have even told Elaine that her "numerology" crap was sketchy and threatened to call the cops and Elaine erupted. Elaine might have also thought that Beverley had a bunch of money or at least lots of credit, working at a bank and owning her own condo. She got only a few bucks, the body was discovered, and she knew she had to get the hell out of dodge.

Yea, as depicted in Swamp Murders, I think Bev may have said something along the line of "this isn't going to work out." and Elaine wasn't prepared for that type of response. Don't forget, Elaine is a killer. She gets what she wants. When Bev wasn't going to give her the info she wanted/needed, she took matters into her own hands and likely abducted her at gunpoint and met her accomplice (if there was one) at the location where the body was found. My guess is she forced Bev to provide all of the information she needed at gunpoint.

I believe there was an accomplice. Elaine didn't appear to be a big woman, so moving a body would be difficult...unless of course you have a gun pointed at a live body, and then it's very easy to move it, just tell them where to walk and go. The Swamp Murders episode also provided additional info as to why the cops were looking for this "Sam" person. I think she had help. Oh, and even though Elaine looked quite young, she was almost 50 years old at the time, 60 when she was finally caught (caught...sort of).

Yea, an accomplice makes a ton of sense in this case. But, I wonder if Law Enforcement cross referenced phone numbers over the past 12 months of Elaine's life to see if anything popped out.

Thanks for this. Was good to watch.

Not sure if it's been mentioned earlier but cops had Elaine in custody previously but let her go despite having 2 different id's. I read it online somewhere.

I think she'd killed before but might not have killed Bev if she was naïve like that other lady interviewed. Who gives out their birth certificate like that?

Thanks for this. Was good to watch.

Not sure if it's been mentioned earlier but cops had Elaine in custody previously but let her go despite having 2 different id's. I read it online somewhere.

I think she'd killed before but might not have killed Bev if she was naïve like that other lady interviewed. Who gives out their birth certificate like that?

Yea, the Unsolved Mysteries segment and the Swamp Murders segment give two vastly different views/theories as to what happened when Elaine and Beverly met. The story portrayed in Swamp Murders seems more likely. Unsolved Mysteries made Beverly look like a very naïve, gullible person, which could very well have been the case, but the Swamp Murders idea of what happened, with Beverly refusing to give Elaine any personal information and Elaine snapping, makes more sense to me.

Elaine seemed like the kind of con artist/killer that had all her I's dotted and T's crossed. Beverly refusing to give that information to her, screwed up her plan.

This segment always gave me the creeps. That composite sketch along with the creepy music was soooo good.

I noticed that, too. UM used the whole "90's" version of saying someone is gay by talking about how they are private or whatever, leaving viewers with the impression that Beverley may have been into Elaine Parent or that they had a relationship. In fact, like Hambone pointed out, it seems like Beverley might have be on to Elaine's tricks right away, and out of fear of exposure, Elaine murdered her. It doesn't sound like Beverley was into Elaine that way. I think it was probably a heat of the moment type of thing, Beverley might have even told Elaine that her "numerology" crap was sketchy and threatened to call the cops and Elaine erupted. Elaine might have also thought that Beverley had a bunch of money or at least lots of credit, working at a bank and owning her own condo. She got only a few bucks, the body was discovered, and she knew she had to get the hell out of dodge.

I believe there was an accomplice. Elaine didn't appear to be a big woman, so moving a body would be difficult...unless of course you have a gun pointed at a live body, and then it's very easy to move it, just tell them where to walk and go. The Swamp Murders episode also provided additional info as to why the cops were looking for this "Sam" person. I think she had help. Oh, and even though Elaine looked quite young, she was almost 50 years old at the time, 60 when she was finally caught (caught...sort of).

elaine apparently seduced a lesbian before.

but the brother of beverly said beverly talked about boys she dated. could be bi though

elaine apparently seduced a lesbian before.

but the brother of beverly said beverly talked about boys she dated. could be bi though

I think the entire lesbian angle was something played up solely by Unsolved Mysteries. Nothing seems to suggest that Beverly was a lesbian or had any type of romantic interest in Elaine Parent.

I think the entire lesbian angle was something played up solely by Unsolved Mysteries. Nothing seems to suggest that Beverly was a lesbian or had any type of romantic interest in Elaine Parent.

I don't believe Beverly McGowan was a lesbian. She was just a poor gal who got the wrong roommate at the wrong time.

I think Beverley was just niave and got duped by her room mate with lethal consequences. That's all.

I think Beverley was just niave and got duped by her room mate with lethal consequences. That's all.

I agree. This is one of those cases we will never have concrete answers on but I've always thought Elaine Parent had an accomplice.

I just watched the Swamp murders segment. It provided a lot more insight on Elaine Parent and a more likely scenario on how Bev was taken hostage and killed. I do believe she had an accomplice, it would be difficult for one women to commit this horrific crime by herself.

I did notice that in this version there was no mention of a man wearing women's clothes and a cleopatra wig. But the composite still looked like a guy wearing a wig, and i noticed the other composite had more feminine features. I think the accomplice (who is male) in north miami went to the travel agency and wore the wig posing as Beverly to reserve the rental car for London, while Elaine Parent was going to board the flight also wearing a black wig. I think using the male accomplice would throw people off, who knows who it was (maybe her brother). Still a very chilling case that was left with questions unanswered.

Relistened to the segment today at work. I noticed a small detail that I missed earlier, but clicked in my mind this time. RS mentions that Beverly had been crudely decapitated when she was found. However, what I missed is that RS also added that part of her lower jaw was left attached to the body with 5 lower teeth. This means that Parent did not cut through the neck, but botchedly through her face. :eek:

Might be a small detail, but nonetheless it touched me because it marked how she was left mutilated in the swamps. She was a human being, and it shows how Parent had not even the slightest respect for Beverly even after death.

Thanks for the info on the Swamp Murders episode. I somehow missed this before.

It's so crazy how 2 presentations of the same story can be so different in every way. I'll give it to UM, only having 1 segment to present an unsolved case, vs Swamp Murders having 40 min to present something mostly solved. I like how before, it looked like they were in kind of a crappy, 2 floor apartment building. Swamp Murders decided to use a new, high rise place. No wonder she couldn't afford it. Gotta love Florida.

For the record, I never got the whole possible lesbian romance angle from the presentation of the UM segment. Didn't they only live together (if at all) for a few days?

For the record, I never got the whole possible lesbian romance angle from the presentation of the UM segment. Didn't they only live together (if at all) for a few days?

I don't see it, either. I think she was just looking for a roommate and picked the WRONG person....

I don't see it, either. I think she was just looking for a roommate and picked the WRONG person....

Agreed. I always got the impression that Beverly was just looking for a friend...

Agreed. I always got the impression that Beverly was just looking for a friend...

Beverley got on well with her during their meeting apparently, she should have done a better background check.

I stumbled upon the link below earlier. Its a documentary made in 2002 about Elaine Parent. There are parts in this segment that directly contradict what the Swamp Murders episode stated. In this documentary, it mentions that Beverly DID in fact give Parent personal information such as social security numbers, birth certificate, etc. I find that interesting since Beverely's brother, Steve, is interviewed for this documentary (as he was for the UM segment) but not in Swamp Murders when they state that she did not give this information to Parent.

There are a lot of tidbits of information from Steve in this documentary.

- He leads some credence to Beverly possibly being bi-sexual.
- He mentions that Beverly was very much into the numerology and even mentioned hanging out with "Alice" in the days prior to her murder.
- He mentions that he has regretted canceling her credit cards every day since he canceled them. I believe he thought that they may have been able to catch Parent years earlier if he had not canceled those cards.

I felt terribly for Steve as I listened to him re-live this entire ordeal. You can tell that he has struggled with this everyday since the murder.

http://interestingfilms.co.uk/productions/the-chameleonthe-worlds-most-wanted-woman/

Just watched this on Amazon Prime. No one name Sam is mentioned and the famous composite drawing is not shown

Just watched this on Amazon Prime. No one name Sam is mentioned and the famous composite drawing is not shown

Just watched it as well. Bummed they cut that out.

Just watched it as well. Bummed they cut that out.

Really gives me the ***** they do stuff like this. The show should be left in it's original format or don't bother with it at all.

Really gives me the ***** they do stuff like this. The show should be left in it's original format or don't bother with it at all.



since they are not looking for the guy anymore or they know it was actually "Alice" in disguise, legal reasons likely prevent that sketch from being shown anymore

I believe the "Sam" character was Elaine Parent trying to look like Bev McGowan. This may have been done to create the impression that Bev herself was trying to run away and establish a new identity (using the alias "Sam").

The composite sketches of Elaine Parent are among the creepiest I have ever seen (one is of Parent while on her shopping spree. The other is Parent dressed as "Sam").

There is an hour-long documentary on the forbidden site about Elaine Parent and Beverly's murder. I'm about 10 minutes in and so far it's good.

does it add any new facts?

It sure does! I'll list what I can remember off the top of my head:

LE tracked down a woman that Elaine met and lived with for a while, over a year. She was going by one of her many aliases. It sounds like the relationship was just friendship as the woman took in Elaine as a housemate. Elaine was apparently homeless when this woman met her. This was after Beverly was murdered.

Before Beverly was murdered Elaine met an English woman in a bar in Florida. They became romantically involved and Elaine lived with this woman in England for over a year. They had a messy break-up and Elaine left for the states. Shortly after the murder Elaine showed back up in England on this woman's doorstep. They reconciled, only to break up again. This woman feared for her life as Elaine mad threats to do all kinds of things to her, including kill her.

Another woman in the US met Elaine in a gay bar. She said Elaine looked way too classy and refined to be in that bar, and the woman was shocked that Elaine wanted to talk to her. Elaine bought her a drink. Then she did her numerology stuff with her. At some point a man walked into a bar, Elaine said it was her brother and that she had to go (could this be "Sam"?) and took the woman's phone number. To the woman's surprise Elaine did call her. It sounds like they went out a few times. Then a fair time later, Elaine showed up at this woman's house in the middle of the night dressed as a man, claiming she had been hospitalized, escaped, and people were after her. She asked to borrow the woman's ID so she could pretend to be her and escape whoever was chasing her. The woman agreed and a could of months later she got a letter along with her passport from Elaine. The letter thanked her and she never heard from Elaine again.

LE feels that all three woman were lucky to be alive.

Beverly's brother confirmed that it was likely that Bev was bi-sexual.

The most interesting part for me was that after Bev's brother received the letter he went to her condo. He thought Bev was making a mistake in abandoning her life so (he kicks himself for this now) canceled all of her credit cards thinking it would force her to call him. Instead, this explains the question Stack raised on UM when he said "who would kill someone for $1000?". Well, clearly Elaine thought she was running away with a lot more than $1000 as she had taken all of Bev's credit cards.

Using one of Bev's cards, Elaine tried to rent a car or book a flight (I forget) and the card was declined. Elaine was fast enough on her feet to say that she must have over extended her credit and offered to pay cash. Lucky for her she had the cash on her, and it didn't raise any suspicion.

Another interesting thing was that at one point, either in the UK or US, LE was closing in on Elaine. She had used one of her known aliases to rent a car. When she was supposed to return the car LE was waiting for her at the rental place hoping to arrest her once and for all. Instead, the rental car company got a call from Elaine saying the car had broken down and she gave them it's location. The car company and LE went to the location to retrieve the car. It had been wiped of all prints except for people who worked at the car place. LE believes Elaine did this so she could hide in the bushes, so to speak, to see who showed up to where she left the car so she could gage if anyone was on to her.

It was a very good documentary. There were lots of other tidbits I wasn't aware of. I'm going to watch it again this week.

Yeah it's a great doc and covers the international nature of her crimes really well. UM basically just focused on what happened state-side.

Re the $1000/cancelled card thing, in the end I really think that's all she was killed for. Sure, she would have tried to milk her for a bit more but my take away from the whole thing was that she used Beverly solely as a means to pay for her return to the UK to try to get back with that banking woman.

I have a hard time thinking Beverly was the only one she killed.

LE feels that all three woman were lucky to be alive.


I think they made her out to be a bit Jason at times. She didn't kill them because she didn't have to IMO. The banking executive she was in love with I think she had hopes of it maybe eventually working out. With the transient woman she used to forge the passport there wasn't a need to go to the effort of killing and trying to dispose of her (and risking the police involvement) because she had nothing and gave up freely the only thing of value she had willingly. Beverly on the other hand had roots and it wouldn't make sense for her to up and disappear to England and she certainly couldn't bring her along when the goal was to reunite with the banking executive.

Another woman in the US met Elaine in a gay bar. She said Elaine looked way too classy and refined to be in that bar, and the woman was shocked that Elaine wanted to talk to her. Elaine bought her a drink. Then she did her numerology stuff with her. At some point a man walked into a bar, Elaine said it was her brother and that she had to go (could this be "Sam"?) and took the woman's phone number. To the woman's surprise Elaine did call her. It sounds like they went out a few times. Then a fair time later, Elaine showed up at this woman's house in the middle of the night dressed as a man, claiming she had been hospitalized, escaped, and people were after her. She asked to borrow the woman's ID so she could pretend to be her and escape whoever was chasing her. The woman agreed and a could of months later she got a letter along with her passport from Elaine. The letter thanked her and she never heard from Elaine again.

This just reinforces my belief that Elaine Parent had an accomplice in all of this. I'm sure whoever the accomplice was had at least a part in Beverly's murder and mutilating her body. This case always gave me the creeps.

.

This just reinforces my belief that Elaine Parent had an accomplice in all of this. I'm sure whoever the accomplice was had at least a part in Beverly's murder and mutilating her body. This case always gave me the creeps.

According to the segment, Elaine as “Alice” did tell Beverly that a man and a woman—who were related—were out to cause harm to her.

I wonder if LE have ever extracted DNA from Elaine’s remains to figure out more about her, considering they don’t even know if Elaine is her real name.

.

According to the segment, Elaine as “Alice” did tell Beverly that a man and a woman—who were related—were out to cause harm to her.

I wonder if LE have ever extracted DNA from Elaine’s remains to figure out more about her, considering they don’t even know if Elaine is her real name.

I always thought that Alice was trying to convince Beverley that her brother and sister were out to cause harm to her, which prompted her abrupt disappearance.

I always thought that Alice was trying to convince Beverley that her brother and sister were out to cause harm to her, which prompted her abrupt disappearance.

That's an interesting theory and one I hadn't thought of. Could explain the lack of communication between Beverly and her siblings towards the end.

That's an interesting theory and one I hadn't thought of. Could explain the lack of communication between Beverly and her siblings towards the end.

Ok interesting, when I watched the segment for the first time that was the first thing that sprang to mind.

That's an interesting theory and one I hadn't thought of. Could explain the lack of communication between Beverly and her siblings towards the end.

She sent a letter to her brother when she went 'missing' that said she wanted to tell him and the kids bye.

Also what Elaine said about the couple "they are related, but I don't know if they're married, they're very close to you and they're going to deceive you. They're going to hurt you". I think she was talking about herself. She was basically bragging about killing her right infront of her face.

I don't think she was referring to her siblings. Both of her siblings did go check on her so I'm not sure about the lack of communication. It seemed like Elaine had her write those letters quickly and then killed her

She sent a letter to her brother when she went 'missing' that said she wanted to tell him and the kids bye.

See I always assumed that letter was either written by Elaine Parent or by Beverly under duress. I didn't think it actually came from Beverly.

See I always assumed that letter was either written by Elaine Parent or by Beverly under duress. I didn't think it actually came from Beverly.

Yeah I mean't under duress. I believe that Elaine had brainwashed Beverly into writing those good-bye letters before "leaving". Hence why the letters had their names and she knew the addresses to send them to, also adding in small details like saying bye to her brothers kids. The police also said that the letters contained Beverly's handwriting.

I think Elaine had made Beverly write those letters because it would give her enough time to use her credit cards without them being cut off. If there was no letter or any "good-bye" from Beverly then her family would suspect foul play and cut her cards off. But sending those letters in her handwriting would give her enough time to use her cards as much as she needed.

She also made her write letters instead of calling because she could've been talked out of leaving and could've told them about Elaine

I'm also going to backtrack on my previous statement that Elaine acted with an accomplice. I think she worked alone, and I think that was her in Miami renting the car in a wig.

The reason why I think that Elaine was the "man" renting the car was because of the wig. The travel agency in Miami said "he" was wearing a Cleopatra wig, but she was also spotted wearing the same wig at the Heathrow airport picking up the car she had reserved in Miami. Elaine was a master of disguise, all she had to do was wear no make-up, throw on that wig, and speak with a heavier tone to give off the impression of a male

The wig hairs were also found in her car which was abandoned near the Miami international airport. Beverly had told her friend that Elaine spoke with a British accent, and the travel agent had said that the "man" also spoke with a British accent and knew alot about the Heathrow area, which Elaine had lived in.

Elaine used Beverly's name to reserve the vehicle at Heathrow, but used another victim's identity; Sylvia Ann Hodgkinson, to purchase her airplane ticket.

And she only bought one plane ticket, so I don't think she had a companion.

I'm also going to backtrack on my previous statement that Elaine acted with an accomplice. I think she worked alone, and I think that was her in Miami renting the car in a wig.

The reason why I think that Elaine was the "man" renting the car was because of the wig. The travel agency in Miami said "he" was wearing a Cleopatra wig, but she was also spotted wearing the same wig at the Heathrow airport picking up the car she had reserved in Miami. Elaine was a master of disguise, all she had to do was wear no make-up, throw on that wig, and speak with a heavier tone to give off the impression of a male

The wig hairs were also found in her car which was abandoned near the Miami international airport. Beverly had told her friend that Elaine spoke with a British accent, and the travel agent had said that the "man" also spoke with a British accent and knew alot about the Heathrow area, which Elaine had lived in.

Elaine used Beverly's name to reserve the vehicle at Heathrow, but used another victim's identity; Sylvia Ann Hodgkinson, to purchase her airplane ticket.

And she only bought one plane ticket, so I don't think she had a companion.

I figured that if she had an accomplice, the accomplice was likely already back in England by the time Elaine would have boarded the plane. This is just my opinion but I think Elaine may have been smartened to the idea of not traveling together just in case.

I figured that if she had an accomplice, the accomplice was likely already back in England by the time Elaine would have boarded the plane. This is just my opinion but I think Elaine may have been smartened to the idea of not traveling together just in case.

Yeah, possibly.

If lifetime did a film on Elaine it be called Meet the Parent

If lifetime did a film on Elaine it be called Meet the Parent

https://media.tenor.com/F6Nh6niybhgAAAAd/re.gif

https://media.tenor.com/F6Nh6niybhgAAAAd/re.gif

Hey that's the kid from That 70s Show. Toby something... dated the attractive red hed.

I just watched a video on the case by YouTuber Lazy Masquerade so I’m thinking about the case again. I believe that Elaine was Sam but I’m curious who the male accomplice was who met Charlotte and what happened to him.

Is anyone still looking into Elaine’s history? There are still so many unanswered questions about her past. Were samples of her DNA taken? If so, they should be uploaded to genetic genealogy sites like 23 and Me. Maybe they would find her relatives.

Here’s the video if you want to watch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GKaOUQ70pPA

I just watched a video on the case by YouTuber Lazy Masquerade so I’m thinking about the case again. I believe that Elaine was Sam but I’m curious who the male accomplice was who met Charlotte and what happened to him.

Is anyone still looking into Elaine’s history? There are still so many unanswered questions about her past. Were samples of her DNA taken? If so, they should be uploaded to genetic genealogy sites like 23 and Me. Maybe they would find her relatives.

Here’s the video if you want to watch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GKaOUQ70pPA

It just furthers the male accomplice theory. I mean, if she used him with Charlotte, then why stop using him? I still think, based on what we know, that she had an accomplice during her takeover of Beverly.

Sundance Now has a new 3 part documentary on Elaine Parent called The Hunt for the Chameleon Killer, it's pretty good. Lots of new details we never heard of before, including someone she was potentially days away from making a new murder victim before she was caught and some expanded details on "Ms. X".

It contains elements from the Unsolved Mysteries segment, America's Most Wanted, and the linked documentary above from 2002 which I believe is made by the key interview subject of the new series (youtube has taken it down but it's up on Vimeo)

Sundance Now has a new 3 part documentary on Elaine Parent called The Hunt for the Chameleon Killer, it's pretty good. Lots of new details we never heard of before, including someone she was potentially days away from making a new murder victim before she was caught and some expanded details on "Ms. X".

It contains elements from the Unsolved Mysteries segment, America's Most Wanted, and the linked documentary above from 2002 which I believe is made by the key interview subject of the new series (youtube has taken it down but it's up on Vimeo)

This was an excellent documentary with a ton of new information on Elaine Parent. The Beverly McGowan murder is front and center with this documentary but there's just so much more that you will learn about Elaine Parent.

If somebody can PM me for where this can be watched for free, that would be much appreciated.

If somebody can PM me for where this can be watched for free, that would be much appreciated.

To my knowledge, Amazon Prime is the only service that carries it.

To my knowledge, Amazon Prime is the only service that carries it.

this is an excellent documentary on Eileen Parent. It used to be on the 4bidden site. I had it burned onto a DVD - someone copied it from YouTube onto a DVD for me around 2014. I might still have it but more than likely I donated it lol. I found this old 2002 documentary on another website earlier tonight. I was searching for it on any and all platforms like YT, Dailymo, etc. None! Then I just googled the 2002 documentary name but did not select under "videos list" where only videos are shown in the search results. here is the link, add an H to the https:

ttps://interestingfilms.co.uk/productions/the-chameleonthe-worlds-most-wanted-woman/


Tonight I also bought and watched the new 2024 Sundance documentary on Eileen Parent! I signed up for a 1 week trial - can cancel anytime. It is like $7 per month. I put it on my credit card. This is a very good doc too. Like the other person said - its 3 parts.

To my knowledge, Amazon Prime is the only service that carries it.

the 2024 (new doc) is also on Sundance and AMC+ I chose Sundance as its only seven bux per mo.

Thank you so much for mentioning this! I ordered it from Sundance 1 week trial today. {I hope I don't go on trial for using their "trial period" and cutting them off after lol. just kidding.} Today I also found the rare UK 2002 doc, which is very good, on another UK website. here is the link: https://interestingfilms.co.uk/productions/the-chameleonthe-worlds-most-wanted-woman/

Sundance Now has a new 3 part documentary on Elaine Parent called The Hunt for the Chameleon Killer, it's pretty good. Lots of new details we never heard of before, including someone she was potentially days away from making a new murder victim before she was caught and some expanded details on "Ms. X".

It contains elements from the Unsolved Mysteries segment, America's Most Wanted, and the linked documentary above from 2002 which I believe is made by the key interview subject of the new series (youtube has taken it down but it's up on Vimeo)

Whether or not an accomplice named "Sam" really existed (there seems to be some debate) or whether it was Elaine Parent in disguise, you have to wonder how many hours the police spent chasing that particular lead, searching for Elaine's potential accomplice.

For me, part of what makes this case so disturbing even after they identified/caught Elaine Parent (and she went out in a blaze of glory) is that if "Sam" really existed, he's never been caught. It creeps me out to think that he's still out there walking around (or not.)

Whether or not an accomplice named "Sam" really existed (there seems to be some debate) or whether it was Elaine Parent in disguise, you have to wonder how many hours the police spent chasing that particular lead, searching for Elaine's potential accomplice.

For me, part of what makes this case so disturbing even after they identified/caught Elaine Parent (and she went out in a blaze of glory) is that if "Sam" really existed, he's never been caught. It creeps me out to think that he's still out there walking around (or not.)


I think the majority of people believe she acted alone. I'm in the minority and believe and she had an accomplice. Just too much stuff that points to her having someone assisting her.

I think the majority of people believe she acted alone. I'm in the minority and believe and she had an accomplice. Just too much stuff that points to her having someone assisting her.

I can see both sides, even though I too believe Elaine was "Sam". I don't know what to make of the updated UM segments (Prime, Spike) that reportedly no longer show the "Sam" composite--maybe for legal reasons or because they are no longer looking for this accomplice. In any case, if he existed, he got away with being an accessory to murder or even murder itself.

What was the significance of Alice’s phone number missing from the notepad of potential roommates? I presume it means that Beverly knew Alice? Or that Alice didn’t have a number?

What was the significance of Alice’s phone number missing from the notepad of potential roommates? I presume it means that Beverly knew Alice? Or that Alice didn’t have a number?

Good question, I haven't seen the documentaries that may answer those questions. But if I were Alice/Elaine, as a con artist using a false identity, I probably wouldn't want anything that could be traced.

I think the majority of people believe she acted alone. I'm in the minority and believe and she had an accomplice. Just too much stuff that points to her having someone assisting her.

I can attest to the thought. Just like Charles Manson manipulated people's minds and had his followers kill people without him having to lay a finger on anyone, I think Elaine was crafty enough to have a man do her dirty work while she got away with materialistic things (ex. money).

Makes me wonder how any male accomplice hasn't been found all this time later, unless Elaine's suicide took those answers to the grave.

I can attest to the thought. Just like Charles Manson manipulated people's minds and had his followers kill people without him having to lay a finger on anyone, I think Elaine was crafty enough to have a man do her dirty work while she got away with materialistic things (ex. money).

Makes me wonder how any male accomplice hasn't been found all this time later, unless Elaine's suicide took those answers to the grave.

Let's just say that this male accomplice existed and that he was "Sam" and also helped Elaine do the dirty deed. It was the 1990s, and even though cameras existed, they weren't as ubiquitous. There was no chance of seeing the guy without the bizarre wig and glasses, which he probably ditched as soon as he was in the clear. Either way, he's stayed under the radar for 30+ years and Elaine, as you say, carried that secret to the grave. This accomplice got away with murder.

I suppose that's one reason I prefer the explanation that she acted alone.

If somebody can PM me for where this can be watched for free, that would be much appreciated.

I have a link. I'll PM you.

Bumping this thread up.

When I first saw the original segment, it was the brutality of the crime plus the infamous composite that scared the crap out of me.

Flash forward to my adult years when I almost got conned by a woman who operated just like Elaine Parent, except way less effective (and as far as i know not homicidal).

She was 100 percent heterosexual--the kind who thinks every man is after her, and she got mad at me when other men found me attractive (and she wasn't all that).

Everything was everyone else's fault. Her failed marriages were someone else's fault. She had a lot of schemes going that never panned out. She did con people for a time but they wised up.

She claimed to know some very big stars, but the more time you spent with her, the more the claims fell apart. When I challenged her in a big way when some of her lies were exposed, she got nasty, but by then, I was no longer in her orbit. She moved out of state not long after that.

The point to all this is that I can understand how people get drawn in by an Elaine Parent.

I wish someone would write a book about the crimes committed by Elaine Parent and do a deep dive into her background

But someone posted the documentary on YouTube - catch it quit before it gets pulled!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CysWMFOxLBA

I wish someone would write a book about the crimes committed by Elaine Parent and do a deep dive into her background

But someone posted the documentary on YouTube - catch it quit before it gets pulled!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CysWMFOxLBA

I think some professor (criminology) did write something on it. I remember he wrote extensively online about her, but I don't remember who it was, and it's probably gone now. Naturally, the site included the Sam composite, and I said, "I'm outta here."

Thanks for posting a link to the documentary. There is an android app called TUBEMATE, if you look for it on APKPURE, have Android, and want to try to Archive it for personal use.

I also had some NO RUSH SHIPPING AMAZON VIDEO CREDITS and purchased the 3 part documentary on Amazon.com The Hunt for the Chameleon Killer

It's $4.99 for SD or $7.99 for HD. I was debating, but ultimately purchased in SD, since I may only watch a few times.

SD quality is fine for something like this, and is no worse than what you might watch on DISCOVERY ID or regular broadcast TV.

The Beverly McGowan murder is one that I remember from seeing on NBC back when it aired, because of the brutality.

Someone started a thread a long time ago, about crimes that may have been prevented if today's technology had been available.

Elaine Parent was cold, calculating, and very intelligent. Part of me wonders if forging documents and assuming identities would be made more difficult because of today's technology.

Yet identitiy theft still happens, and I suppose intelligent criminals will always find ways.

Back in the 1980s and 90s forging documents may have been even easier, and it reminds me a little of the 'Shawshank Redemption', even though that movie was pure fiction. However, if people, like Elaine Parent, and Andy Dufrene, knew where the cracks in the system were, was it actually easy to create/forge documents and identification?

It's also sad, because I feel Beverly McGowan, may have been lonely, and always looking for the best in people. I would hope that people are more wary about giving out personal information like SSN, birthdate, driver's license, etc, especially because there are more warnings online about keeping that information secure.

However, data breeches still happen, and many good intelligent people are still susceptible to a con artist who may appear like a friend.

Thanks for posting a link to the documentary. There is an android app called TUBEMATE, if you look for it on APKPURE, have Android, and want to try to Archive it for personal use.

I also had some NO RUSH SHIPPING AMAZON VIDEO CREDITS and purchased the 3 part documentary on Amazon.com The Hunt for the Chameleon Killer

It's $4.99 for SD or $7.99 for HD. I was debating, but ultimately purchased in SD, since I may only watch a few times.

SD quality is fine for something like this, and is no worse than what you might watch on DISCOVERY ID or regular broadcast TV.

The Beverly McGowan murder is one that I remember from seeing on NBC back when it aired, because of the brutality.

Someone started a thread a long time ago, about crimes that may have been prevented if today's technology had been available.

Elaine Parent was cold, calculating, and very intelligent. Part of me wonders if forging documents and assuming identities would be made more difficult because of today's technology.

Yet identitiy theft still happens, and I suppose intelligent criminals will always find ways.

Back in the 1980s and 90s forging documents may have been even easier, and it reminds me a little of the 'Shawshank Redemption', even though that movie was pure fiction. However, if people, like Elaine Parent, and Andy Dufrene, knew where the cracks in the system were, was it actually easy to create/forge documents and identification?

It's also sad, because I feel Beverly McGowan, may have been lonely, and always looking for the best in people. I would hope that people are more wary about giving out personal information like SSN, birthdate, driver's license, etc, especially because there are more warnings online about keeping that information secure.

However, data breeches still happen, and many good intelligent people are still susceptible to a con artist who may appear like a friend.

THIS.

In some ways, what Elaine Parent pulled off would be more difficult today. Yes, it is all too easy to scam people on the Internet, and the Dark Web would have been her happy place. But you also have cell phones and cameras everywhere, and a background check via BeenVerified.com on her alter ego "Alice" would probably have averted a potential tragedy. Also, Beverly might have had Ring cameras that would have caught "Alice" on video, and someone in that travel agency might have photographed "Sam" with a cell phone camera to send the pic to someone saying, "Check out this weirdo where I work." No more need for a composite sketch. Also, since cell phones have location sharing, unless Parent turned Bev's location off or ditched the phone, Beverly's siblings might have been able to track her location.

That said, you are correct that con artists find ways around these hurdles, and good people still trust others. However, maybe, as that "Swamp Murders" episode established, Beverly got suspicious of Elaine early on, and Elaine shut her up permanently.

Thanks for posting a link to the documentary. There is an android app called TUBEMATE, if you look for it on APKPURE, have Android, and want to try to Archive it for personal use.

I also had some NO RUSH SHIPPING AMAZON VIDEO CREDITS and purchased the 3 part documentary on Amazon.com The Hunt for the Chameleon Killer

It's $4.99 for SD or $7.99 for HD. I was debating, but ultimately purchased in SD, since I may only watch a few times.

SD quality is fine for something like this, and is no worse than what you might watch on DISCOVERY ID or regular broadcast TV.

The Beverly McGowan murder is one that I remember from seeing on NBC back when it aired, because of the brutality.

Someone started a thread a long time ago, about crimes that may have been prevented if today's technology had been available.

Elaine Parent was cold, calculating, and very intelligent. Part of me wonders if forging documents and assuming identities would be made more difficult because of today's technology.

Yet identitiy theft still happens, and I suppose intelligent criminals will always find ways.

Back in the 1980s and 90s forging documents may have been even easier, and it reminds me a little of the 'Shawshank Redemption', even though that movie was pure fiction. However, if people, like Elaine Parent, and Andy Dufrene, knew where the cracks in the system were, was it actually easy to create/forge documents and identification?

It's also sad, because I feel Beverly McGowan, may have been lonely, and always looking for the best in people. I would hope that people are more wary about giving out personal information like SSN, birthdate, driver's license, etc, especially because there are more warnings online about keeping that information secure.

However, data breeches still happen, and many good intelligent people are still susceptible to a con artist who may appear like a friend.

With regard to the 3-part documentary, I saw a review on YouTube that said it was light on details on Elaine's real background, because apparently she took those to her grave, and didn't really talk much about Beverly as a person. Is that accurate? And before I potentially watch it on Amazon, please tell me, do they show everyone's favorite creepy composite sketch? If they don't, I might watch it.

With regard to the 3-part documentary, I saw a review on YouTube that said it was light on details on Elaine's real background, because apparently she took those to her grave, and didn't really talk much about Beverly as a person. Is that accurate? And before I potentially watch it on Amazon, please tell me, do they show everyone's favorite creepy composite sketch? If they don't, I might watch it.

I skimmed through all 3 episodes and am 99.9% sure the composite of "Sam" is not shown, only Alice, so don't worry.

Regarding the absense of Elaine's background information, that's also accurate. I know some sites say she was born in 1942, while others say she was born in 1946, and she grew up in Illinois for at least part of her life. However, more insite into her early life would've been appreciated. However, if she was still living, she would be in her 80s. It's likely that any adults or children that knew her when she was young have also passed on.

Beverly's life and background is also glossed over. If she was alive, she would be pushing 70. The documentary shows clips of archival interviews her brother gave in 1991 and 2002, but it's possible he may no longer be living, or just didn't feel the need to discuss what are still painful memories.

One thing I thought was interesting is that the documentary interviewed a couple women who either lived with her, or were victims of her identity theft. One met her in a bar in Orlando in the 1980s called Faces.

I googled it and was surprised to find out it was a well-known hangout for women in the LGBTQ+ community. I never knew about Parent's sexuality, but she threatened to expose one of the women she was living with, and it stuck in my mind because of what I read in the recent thread on Amy Bradley.

One of the inverstigator's said, "remember this wasn't the enlightened times that we live in today....."

I know that progress has been made, but the LGBTQ+ can still face judgement and discrimination, and there may have been other victims that decided not to be interviewed because of it.

Regardless, I thought it was very well done and definitely worth $5.00.

I watched the whole series after work today. tvscript, the "Sam" composite is shown in the first episode, but only briefly.

The actress they got to portray Elaine Parent in the interstitial footage they use throughout the series could've been her twin. It found it a little unnerving, actually.

One of the most interesting aspects of the documentary for me was hearing from the victims. I always remembered at the end of the original UM segment Stack reading off Parent's list of of aliases, and it was surreal seeing and hearing the REAL Charlotte Rae Cowan talk about her experience.

The other was hearing that the St. Lucie Co authorities strongly believe Parent was indeed aided by an accomplice in Beverly McGowan's murder and that they may be close to making an arrest.

Another bit of information I learned in the last episode is that the forensic pathologist who performed Parent's autopsy after her suicide found a surgical incision on her abdomen upon initial examination and as the procedure progressed she discovered Parent had a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries). There's a forensic psychologist that goes into some speculative stuff about how this could've played into Parent's criminal motivation that I personally felt was kind of out in left field, especially since the medical examiner doesn't indicate that there was any evidence she found that might suggest when the procedures may have occurred. It would likely be a lot different for Parent psychologically if she'd had surgery at 20 than at, say, 45 or 50.

What I was more interested in was the connections and relationship she would've had to have built with an OB/GYN in order to have had the surgery. Who was this person? How long was Parent her patient? Did she even know her as Parent, or did she know her under an alias? Did anything unusual come up with billing or insurance? Did she even have the procedure performed in the U.S., or did she have it done through the NHS in England? I'm sure whomever was involved in her care is long gone, but what a potentially great source of information they could've been.

I skimmed through all 3 episodes and am 99.9% sure the composite of "Sam" is not shown, only Alice, so don't worry.

Regarding the absense of Elaine's background information, that's also accurate. I know some sites say she was born in 1942, while others say she was born in 1946, and she grew up in Illinois for at least part of her life. However, more insite into her early life would've been appreciated. However, if she was still living, she would be in her 80s. It's likely that any adults or children that knew her when she was young have also passed on.

Beverly's life and background is also glossed over. If she was alive, she would be pushing 70. The documentary shows clips of archival interviews her brother gave in 1991 and 2002, but it's possible he may no longer be living, or just didn't feel the need to discuss what are still painful memories.

One thing I thought was interesting is that the documentary interviewed a couple women who either lived with her, or were victims of her identity theft. One met her in a bar in Orlando in the 1980s called Faces.

I googled it and was surprised to find out it was a well-known hangout for women in the LGBTQ+ community. I never knew about Parent's sexuality, but she threatened to expose one of the women she was living with, and it stuck in my mind because of what I read in the recent thread on Amy Bradley.

One of the inverstigator's said, "remember this wasn't the enlightened times that we live in today....."

I know that progress has been made, but the LGBTQ+ can still face judgement and discrimination, and there may have been other victims that decided not to be interviewed because of it.

Regardless, I thought it was very well done and definitely worth $5.00.

Oh, I could totally see her threatening to out someone if they didn't do what she wanted.

I'm sure David McGowan, if he is still alive, would not be interested in reliving the memories.

Plus, if anyone is still around that knew Elaine Parent as a child, they may not want to be associated with her.

I watched the whole series after work today. tvscript, the "Sam" composite is shown in the first episode, but only briefly.

The actress they got to portray Elaine Parent in the interstitial footage they use throughout the series could've been her twin. It found it a little unnerving, actually.

One of the most interesting aspects of the documentary for me was hearing from the victims. I always remembered at the end of the original UM segment Stack reading off Parent's list of of aliases, and it was surreal seeing and hearing the REAL Charlotte Rae Cowan talk about her experience.

The other was hearing that the St. Lucie Co authorities strongly believe Parent was indeed aided by an accomplice in Beverly McGowan's murder and that they may be close to making an arrest.

WHAT? Could there really be a "Sam" out there? UGH, I might be wrong about Elaine posing as "Sam." I hope they nail the creep.

If they make the arrest, we all need to write the judge and insist he get the maximum...not just for the murder, but for scarring our retinas with that composite drawing.

I skimmed through all 3 episodes and am 99.9% sure the composite of "Sam" is not shown, only Alice, so don't worry.


I watched the whole series after work today. tvscript, the "Sam" composite is shown in the first episode, but only briefly.

Thanks for correcting me.

tvscript, the "Sam" footage occurs around 29:18 to 29:23 (about 5 seconds) in Episode 1, but is full screen.

The way she went about her crimes and her life doesn't lend itself to her having a partner in crime, really. Mrs X, homeless in the US, staying with that woman with ironically black cleopatra style hair, etc. Sam might have been a one-off at best, or perhaps given she was about to begin impersonating a man right before she was caught it was just her intentionally in a bad wig.

The way she went about her crimes and her life doesn't lend itself to her having a partner in crime, really. Mrs X, homeless in the US, staying with that woman with ironically black cleopatra style hair, etc. Sam might have been a one-off at best, or perhaps given she was about to begin impersonating a man right before she was caught it was just her intentionally in a bad wig.

I could see arguments for both positions.

On the one hand, con artists work in pairs, and you do have that account of her introducing some guy in a bar as her brother. There's the whole debate about whether "Sam" had an Adam's apple and how masculine he looked and whether that could really be Elaine Parent. There's also the murder, which might have been difficult for Parent to pull off alone.

On the other hand, except for the sloppy way the murder of Beverly was conducted and some other slip-ups, Elaine Parent was cold. Calculating. A textbook control freak. She planned everything perfectly. You have a permanent partner in crime, and chances are they are going to (a) get caught or (b) do something you don't plan on that exposes you. The old saying from Benjamin Franklin applies: "Three people can keep a secret, if two of them are dead."

But a counterargument to that would be this: The police, 30+ years later, are only now close to making an arrest of an accomplice in the murder. Whoever the accomplice is, "Sam" or someone else, he's good.

The way she went about her crimes and her life doesn't lend itself to her having a partner in crime, really. Mrs X, homeless in the US, staying with that woman with ironically black cleopatra style hair, etc. Sam might have been a one-off at best, or perhaps given she was about to begin impersonating a man right before she was caught it was just her intentionally in a bad wig.

See, I always thought so too. Sometime like well over 15 years ago someone on here first posited that the "man in the cheap Cleopatra wig" at the travel agency could've just been Elaine herself sans makeup. The company she kept seems to have been strictly women save the elderly gentleman she moved in on later in her life. Indeed, there was evidence shown on the series that clearly indicated she was going to begin impersonating that man after stealing his identity. I feel like on the whole all that seems to support Elaine working alone, and that's basically the theory I've subscribed to until recently.

After seeing several additional photos of her, I just don't think she could easily be mistaken for a man. I understand that's maybe a subjective thing, but I'm having a hard time seeing it. We have the phone call in which she was overheard talking to someone in the background she referred to as "Sam", and Charlie Cowan's account of her pointing out a man who walked into a bar and identifying him as her brother. Neither of those events are anywhere near proof a male accomplice existed; Sam isn't necessarily a man's name and Elaine could've just as easily been pointing out a stranger to Cowan.

The thing that makes me think Parent might have had an accomplice is the brutality of Beverly McGowan's murder. I don't mean to sound crass, but as someone who works in surgery and got into that field years after first seeing the UM segment, I've gained some insight into human tissue. It is absolutely not easy to cut through bone without some sort of powered tool. Sometimes it's even difficult to do WITH such an implement. Hand instruments for this purpose are hardly ever first-line choices by most surgeons because they require a significant deal of physical exertion. By all accounts, the decapitation and amputation of her hands were described as "crude." I'm not sure if Parent would've been able to physically do it--especially if Beverly was indeed her first murder victim. Parent might have been there or even inflicted the stabbing injuries to Beverly's neck herself, but I'm not sure she was the one who performed the gross mutilation. Additionally, the excision of the tattoo on Beverly's abdomen was so deep it was nearly in bowel. Every single one of these things would take an unusually inured stomach. I'm not sure that necessarily fits Parent.

But it could. And that would make her way, way scarier than she already is.

I’m watching this now! Just starting Part 2!!

See, I always thought so too. Sometime like well over 15 years ago someone on here first posited that the "man in the cheap Cleopatra wig" at the travel agency could've just been Elaine herself sans makeup. The company she kept seems to have been strictly women save the elderly gentleman she moved in on later in her life. Indeed, there was evidence shown on the series that clearly indicated she was going to begin impersonating that man after stealing his identity. I feel like on the whole all that seems to support Elaine working alone, and that's basically the theory I've subscribed to until recently.

After seeing several additional photos of her, I just don't think she could easily be mistaken for a man. I understand that's maybe a subjective thing, but I'm having a hard time seeing it. We have the phone call in which she was overheard talking to someone in the background she referred to as "Sam", and Charlie Cowan's account of her pointing out a man who walked into a bar and identifying him as her brother. Neither of those events are anywhere near proof a male accomplice existed; Sam isn't necessarily a man's name and Elaine could've just as easily been pointing out a stranger to Cowan.

The thing that makes me think Parent might have had an accomplice is the brutality of Beverly McGowan's murder. I don't mean to sound crass, but as someone who works in surgery and got into that field years after first seeing the UM segment, I've gained some insight into human tissue. It is absolutely not easy to cut through bone without some sort of powered tool. Sometimes it's even difficult to do WITH such an implement. Hand instruments for this purpose are hardly ever first-line choices by most surgeons because they require a significant deal of physical exertion. By all accounts, the decapitation and amputation of her hands were described as "crude." I'm not sure if Parent would've been able to physically do it--especially if Beverly was indeed her first murder victim. Parent might have been there or even inflicted the stabbing injuries to Beverly's neck herself, but I'm not sure she was the one who performed the gross mutilation. Additionally, the excision of the tattoo on Beverly's abdomen was so deep it was nearly in bowel. Every single one of these things would take an unusually inured stomach. I'm not sure that necessarily fits Parent.

But it could. And that would make her way, way scarier than she already is.

Elaine Parent was pure evil, bottom line

If the accomplice is found, whether it's "Sam" or not (Sam would be getting up there in age), we may get some of these answers.

Thanks for correcting me.

tvscript, the "Sam" footage occurs around 29:18 to 29:23 (about 5 seconds) in Episode 1, but is full screen.

Thanks for the heads-up. It might be OK without the creepy UM music...

I’m watching this now! Just starting Part 2!!

Hope you are enjoying it.
I'll be curious to hear what you think.

This starts from the assumption that Parent premeditated committing murder on McGowan, which I highly doubt. I still believe McGowan's murder was a crime of passion or borderline rage, made in the heat of the moment. Given what is known of Parent, murder was a huge jump from her usual MO, which was conning other women out of their identity, flee somewhere else, and ride along for the ride with what she's got. Rince, and repeat.

Until she met Beverly McGowan, Elaine Parent was akind to Bonnie Wilder, only more attractive, high-class, and seemingly sophisticated.

Why did she murder McGowan that time, and not other women that she stole identities from before and after? Because she lost control of the situation with Beverly. My theory is McGowan was at the worst moment in the worst place as "Alice" was already upset and angry about her Executive ex-lover jilting her in London, and things got awry so much that Parent lost control and attacked McGowan, possibly because they were lovers but McGowan discovered she was already involved with someone else.

I totally got Elaine Parent vibes when seeing the Bonnie Wilder segment for the first time, as I said on the Bonnie Wilder thread. The way she smirked. I can admit as a woman that Elaine Parent had it put together, and that she was the kind of woman that some women never see coming until too late. Charlotte Cowan was one of them, but at least she escaped. As I've mentioned, I've run into a few of the breed and consider myself lucky that they weren't homicidal.

(OT, Cowan and McGowan rhyme, which is another freaky tidbit in this case, almost like they were Parent's perfect victims.)

We are socialized as women to be caring and open, and it's also in our nature. There is this "sisterhood" that is a good thing most of the time, but also blinds us. I have no problem believing that at first Beverly was charmed by Elaine, but wised up and wanted an out.

Others on this thread believe that Beverly wasn't Elaine's first or last murder victim. I have no opinion or data one way or the other. What I believe is that Elaine Parent had a darkness in her that did turn to murder when Beverly refused to play along. On this thread, it was quoted that authorities did say that Cowan and one of the other female victims were lucky to be alive.