I didn't know if anyone had seen this, but I was researching and found this article/video from 2010. Pretty interesting. I apologize if it has already been posted.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Police+hoping+broadcast+will+help+investigation+1987+murder+case/3310858/story.html

Holy crap, I was just thinking about posting about this case and by some chance, this topic was on top.

Interesting article. One can't say for sure that the killer was writing the letters but it is a bit eerie how the parents received loads of letters from the same individual. That's strange compulsive behavior.

Thanks for the article, hostedbyrobertstack.

One can't say for sure that the killer was writing the letters but it is a bit eerie how the parents received loads of letters from the same individual. That's strange compulsive behavior.

I agree; unfortunately there are many cases where weirdos who aren't the perpetrators get their kicks from injecting themselves into an investigation.

Possibly the police are hoping that this article will encourage the loser to send further communications and get caught doing so. Even if he/she has no connection to the murders it would be nice to find out who was harassing the families.

Woah. I don't have the photographic memory for UM cases that some people have on this message board, but this is the first I'm hearing of DNA tests on the letters and the possible Blame Canada motive. (Be sure to read the article AND watch the video).

I realize the DNA evidence doesn't rule out the letter writer as the perp, but I think it's probably highly unlikely that they're the same person.

Thanks for posting that. I live in the Tacoma area, (south of Seattle) and this case has always stuck with me.

A couple things I noticed in the article and video though.

- the article refers to police as looking for multiple individuals. Not necessarily for the letters, but the crime itself. Something UM didn't really imply.

- also, different from UM was that they came into contact with their killer in WA rather than on the ferry.

Not sure how relevant those facts are, but they seem worth noting. Will post more thoughts later as I am at work right now. Again, thanks for posting.

Apparently just last August, police identified the man responsible for writing the threatning letters to the victim's families. However, he is not believed to have any involvment in the murders. Here is a link to the article:
http://www.enterprisenewspapers.com/article/20100827/NEWS01/708279863

I'm pretty sure it also wasn't mentioned on UM that Jay Cook was suffocated by objects crammed into his throat (from the video). Is that what investigators meant by the perpetrator's behavior resembling acts that have occurred in prisons?

I'm surprised that this case hasn't been solved given its brutality and the length of time since it happened. To my mind, this may be yet another case where sharing fingerprints between US and Canadian LE might be a good idea.
I think that the killer was Canadian and that his prints would either have been in their system then..or would be in there now.

Wow, that's crazy that the letter writer had been identified! This case seemed a lot more real for me after seeing that second article. I had never seen the picture of Jay and Tanya in front of his van, which really made it hit as more of a reality. Seeing the "school picture" type of pictures is always hard, because I like to see action or real-life photos. One case, for instance, is I wonder how Kurt Sova looked in other pictures, because I have only ever seen the one school picture of him.

On a side note, kind of strange, is that this morning I was reading something entirely different but it was in the Bellingham news online, which is very odd, because I am in Ohio. Then, reading the articles tonight, having Bellingham mentioned, strange...

Apparently just last August, police identified the man responsible for writing the threatning letters to the victim's families. However, he is not believed to have any involvment in the murders. Here is a link to the article:
http://www.enterprisenewspapers.com/article/20100827/NEWS01/708279863
Well, I'll be dogged...

Thank you for sharing, I was looking for info on the case about a month ago and couldn't find anything recent. Glad the case is back in the spotlight.

Every source has a different age for Tanya! On UM, she's 17. In the first article, she's 18. And in the second article, 19! Anyone know the real age? (I have a hunch it may be 17 like UM said, but UM has accidently gotten ages mixed up like with Niqui McCown).

Glad they found the scum who wrote the letter. But the even worse person needs to be caught, the actual killer. I'm glad there's been progress in this case!

Wait a minute, I seek to remember somewhere along the line either reading or hearing that it was likely that two different people were writing the letters. It has been a while since I have seen the UM segment, but am I remembering this correctly? If that is true, then someone else was writing letters too. Either with the unnamed man or independent of him. Anyone else remember this or am I confusing another case with this one?

As far as who the killer was, I think someone who would have been worth looking at is a guy named Charles Sinclair (look him up on google). He was a serial killer who traveled around a lot and lived or was in the Washington-state area a lot during the '80's. I believe he died while in prison in the early to mid '90's but he was responsible for a lot of murders (and probably hasn't been identified in many of them).

From watching the video, my guess is that Jay and Tonya were sleeping or relaxing in their van in the middle of the night in downtown Seattle, waiting for that plumbing store to open in the morning when the killer came up and abducted them at gun-point, using their van and threatening their lives if they tried to fight back. It probably would've been better for Jay and Tanya to stay at a hotel as Jay's father suggested.

All those links are broken. Anybody have a new one? I always thought it was female handwriting...just the way it looked.

All those links are broken. Anybody have a new one? I always thought it was female handwriting...just the way it looked.

I posted a sample below.

Info including the sample here: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Jay_Cook_and_Tanya_Van_Cuylenborg

And the same sample, on the official UM site: http://unsolved.com/archives/jay-cook-and-tanya-van-cuylenborg

http://unsolved.com/sites/default/files/mur_jay_cook5.jpg

THANKS!

From watching the video, my guess is that Jay and Tonya were sleeping or relaxing in their van in the middle of the night in downtown Seattle, waiting for that plumbing store to open in the morning when the killer came up and abducted them at gun-point, using their van and threatening their lives if they tried to fight back. It probably would've been better for Jay and Tanya to stay at a hotel as Jay's father suggested.

In the UM segment did they say that they slept in the van ? This was mid-November in the Pacific northwest , it was probably chilly ....interestingly enough detectives have previously said that evidence found suggests Jay and Tanya were killed on the night of the 18th of November.

I think the police theory about the killer approaching Jay and Tanya on the ferry is probably correct. It would have been the easiest time for someone seemingly friendly to approach them and ask for a ride. It was very cold, the guy probably appeared trustworthy and normal enough when making the request.

I have never looked at zip ties the same way after watching this segment.

Was there ever thorough DNA testing (from Tanya's crime scene) done? The authorities involved were confident that the murderer had been in prison before, so you would think he would be in the database.

Was there ever thorough DNA testing (from Tanya's crime scene) done? The authorities involved were confident that the murderer had been in prison before, so you would think he would be in the database.
It depends on where he was incarcerated. As of 2015, only 26 states mandate the extraction of DNA from those arrested for violent crimes (according to certain articles I've found, including the one I'll link at the bottom). The mandates don't apply to those already incarcerated or released before the law passed, at least I'm pretty certain they don't. Considering this crime was committed in the late 1980s, I think it's very possible his DNA sample is not in the database, considering how new the testing was at the time. I think the DNA from this crime probably is (I certainly hope so), but I bet the killer is not in the database yet. Considering how cautious he was at the crime scene, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that he was never arrested again :(

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/scotus-dna-fourth-amendment-maryland-v-king

I'm pretty sure it also wasn't mentioned on UM that Jay Cook was suffocated by objects crammed into his throat (from the video). Is that what investigators meant by the perpetrator's behavior resembling acts that have occurred in prisons?

No, I believe one of the victims was bridled, which is a common thing that occurs in prison beatings/killings. Its more prevalent and common knowledge now, but was not back then.

Sidenote, but does anyone have a working link to the stories that were linked a few years back on this thread? The ones listed do not work.