Photo courtesy of the Edmonton Sun.
VANISHED
Tania Murrell [pronounced Tohn-ya Murl] was a six-year-old Edmonton girl who disappeared on a bitterly cold January 20, 1983.
No one has heard from the child since. There have been no phone calls, sightings … not a darn thing. Tania’s disappearance smells of foul play, yet criminal charges were never laid.
That doesn’t mean police don’t have a prime suspect. They do. But there’s little they can do about it now …
A BOOK ON TANIA RELEASED
An 88-page paperback on Tania Murrell [‘What happened to Tania’] is now available on Amazon.ca and, in short time, on half a dozen other Amazon sites: amazon.com / amazon.co.uk / amazon.de / amazon.fr / amazon.es / amazon.it / amazon.co.jp. In other words, the book is available at Amazon sites in the US, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Japan.
The book sells for $7.99 US.
Here’s how to get it … click on the link below and once that page appears, click on the book cover. That will open up, allowing for a preview of the first 10 pages of the book.
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=what+happened+to+tania%3F+Byron+christopher&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
REVISED POST
Included in this revised blog post are the prologue and the first two chapters of the book — plus an audio recording of the parents’ desperate plea to the abductor.
Edmonton Police suspect that Tania Murrell was abducted and murdered.
The prime suspect in her disappearance, a man who died in Ontario in 2016, is identified in the book. His next of kin were interviewed; their comments can be found in the chapter that deals with the prime suspect.
There are also comments by those who knew the suspect during his time at the Murrell residence, which included sleepovers. In the early stages of the police investigation, the mother described the suspect as a ‘good friend,’ although several years later, she wasn’t saying that.
Readers can draw their own conclusions as to whether the prime suspect was the culprit.
PROLOGUE
On January 20, 1983, six-year-old Tania Murrell vanished on her way home from an elementary school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Hundreds of searchers — police, volunteers and friends and relatives of Tania — looked high and wide for the child. But there was absolutely no trace of her. No clothing, school books … or phone calls. Nothing. Zip.
And no witnesses.
It’s as though Tania had vanished into thin air. One moment, she’s standing on a sidewalk; next moment, she’s gone.
What … happened??
The child’s disappearance smells of foul play. Police believe the grade-one student was abducted and murdered.
But by whom? And why on earth would anyone do something so cruel? A heavy-drinking acquaintance of the family would morph from suspect to prime suspect. The man never faced criminal charges because while detectives felt they had enough evidence for a murder charge, they also felt they might not get a conviction.
The book reveals the identity of the prime suspect. It also reveals what happened to him — as well as what happened to the missing child’s mother, father … and brother.
CHAPTER 1
A CHILD DISAPPEARS
In the first weeks of 1983, Alberta’s capital was in the grip of a deep freeze. It was so bitterly cold that car exhaust was visible, suspended in the air. People scurried about, anxious to get to any place warm.
At around 11 in the morning on January 20th, a bundled-up Tania Murrell said goodbye to her grade-one friends and walked out of Grovenor Elementary School, in the west end of Edmonton.
The child was on her way home for lunch, and she didn’t have far to go. Her home — a small, rented bungalow at 10426 – 145 Street — was only a block and a half away.
At the house, the child’s aunt, Vera Stortz, was preparing a hot meal for Tania and John, Tania’s younger brother.
John Murrell was in kindergarten at the same school. That morning, he got out of class expecting to see his big sister waiting for him outside. The two would walk home together, like they always did. But on that fateful day, sis was nowhere to be seen. It appeared as though Tania had left without her brother … and so John walked home on his own.
The children’s mother, Vivian, worked at a bakery, about a mile distant. Her husband, Jack, was a carpenter. He built new houses for Alldritt Homes on Edmonton’s south side.
Some have described Jack and Vivian Murrell as par- ty-hard folk who loved their booze, pot, rock music and Harley-Davidson motorbikes. They were — as a family acquaintance gently put it — “everyone’s-our-friend-people.”
But to most, Jack and Vivian were simply two young parents whose hearts were ripped out when their child vanished, never to be seen again.Vivian’s closest friend, Heather Hansen, describes Tania as a ‘very happy kid.’ “Anyone would have loved to have her as a daughter,” she says. “Tania was an absolute dream of a child, quiet and content. She always wanted a hug and a kiss when I left the house.”
“Tania loved to dance,” Hansen recalls, “… to have fun with her Barbie dolls — and play in the sandbox in the backyard.”
Heather’s daughter and Tania spent hours in that sandbox, laughing and talking about the strangest things, like what are you going to be when you grow up?
After Tania was a no-show for lunch, Vera got on the blower to Vivian at work. Right off the bat, mom didn’t have a good feeling. It was unusual for her daughter not to head straight home from school.
Things just weren’t adding up and Vivian began to worry. She hoped that Tania had slipped away to a friend’s house — but a mother’s intuition told her other- wise. A distraught Vivian sped home. When she got there, she learned that Vera had been looking for Tania on the streets and calling out her name.
Jack also made a bee line for home. Same thing. His gut signalled something was terribly wrong …
CHAPTER 2
HOPE FADES
When Vivian dropped around to her daughter’s school, she got some dreadful news. Tania hadn’t made it back to class. Her seat remained empty.
And there was more grim news: not only had Tania’s classmates not seen her, no one had.
Tania would surely be home after school, well-mean- ing friends assured the parents.
Vivian phoned city police and a policeman dropped by. At that stage, however, there was little the officer could do except get a picture of Tania, jot down a description of what she was wearing and start going door to door.
With the worst yet to come, Vivian and Jack were already paralyzed with fear. They didn’t know what to do or where to turn.
Things became even more worrisome when Tania failed to show up at the house that evening. Where the hell was she?? Every time the back door opened, hopes were raised that Tania made it home safely.
Vivian and Jack tried to remain positive — but there were just too many red flags. Their last, faint hope was that their daughter had spent the night at a friend’s house and forgot to tell her parents.
Having an unannounced sleepover was so unlike Tania — but in the midst of the worst crisis in their lives, how the parents wished that actually happened. Alas, there had been no sleepover …
When Tania failed to show up for class next morn- ing, the alarm bells really went off. There was now little doubt that something terrible had happened.
For the parents, the situation was now beyond worrisome. It was gut-wrenching dreadful.
Detectives initially didn’t know what to make of the child’s disappearance — and neither did most reporters, myself included. I was working for CBC Radio News when police fired off an alert about a missing child.
At that point, it was barely a story. Next morning, reporter Ruth Anderson was about to head out the door to cover the mysterious disappearance. I was on the assignment desk and asked Ruth to hold off until school started. She agreed.
My thinking was that it made no sense getting worked up over a youngster who may have spent the night at a friend’s house.
I was wrong. Vivian was right. The mother had been telling friends she had a gut feeling something awful had happened.
The media coverage swung into high gear. The story of a missing child was leading every newscast in the city, and it would stay like that for weeks. Both parents were now trembling and no amount of beer was going to calm their nerves. Afraid that somebody would recognize him from the newspapers and TV, Jack shaved off his beard. Paranoia was seeping in.
Rumours circulated that the father — a biker, though not a gang member — owed a small-time drug dealer hundreds of dollars for some marijuana he bought.
Perhaps Jack owed someone money — perhaps he didn’t — but it’s my belief his daughter’s disappearance had nothing to do with an unpaid debt.
Vivian began second-guessing herself. She kept ask- ing ‘what if?’ What if I didn’t have to work that day? … what if Vera had gone to pick the kids up from school? What if …? What if …? What if …
She and her husband weren’t the only ones afraid. Everyone in the city of more than half a million was now very worried — because they could relate. Parents were thinking, ‘There but for the grace of God …’ while young children were terrified a stranger was going to take them away.
Like a stone tossed into a pond, that fear radiated throughout Edmonton, the province and the country. Where was Tania? Was she safe? Was she even alive? Everyone had theories, but no one really knew.
Detectives were inundated with tips … but few turned out to be significant. According to police, their ground search was by far the largest in Edmonton’s history. Hundreds of city blocks were checked. Soon after Tania vanished, so did Harley, her black dog. Foul play was not suspected; it was just one of those things. Even so, it was another hit for the family.
People hoped to hear ‘breaking news’ Tania had been found safe and sound and that she’d been reunited with her grateful parents.
What a joyful ending that would have been. Alas, nothing like that happened.
Tania’s mother, Vivian, worked at a bakery about a mile distant. Her father, Jack, a carpenter, built new houses for Alldritt Homes on Edmonton’s South side.
Some have described Vivian and Jack Murrell as ‘party-hard folk’ who loved their booze, pot, rock music and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They were, as one family acquaintance gently put it, ‘everyone’s-our-friend-people.’ But to most, Vivian and Jack were simply two young parents whose hearts were ripped out when their child suddenly vanished, never to be held or seen again.
Heather Hansen describes Tania as a ‘very happy kid.’ “Anyone would have loved to have her as a daughter,” she says, “… an absolute dream of a child, quiet and very content.” And gentle. As children are. “She always wanted a hug and a kiss when I left the house.”
“Tania loved to dance, have fun with her Barbie dolls — and play in the sand box,” Hansen added. She shared that her daughter and Tania spent hours in the sand box, laughing and “talking about the weirdest things … like ‘what are you going to be when you grow up?'”
When Tania was a no-show for lunch that fateful day, Vera phoned her sister at work. Right off the bat, Vivian didn’t have a good feeling. It was unusual for Tania not to head straight home from school.
Things just weren’t right … Vivian began to worry. She hoped that Tania had simply gone to a friend’s house … but a mother’s intuition told her otherwise.
Vivian drove home right away. When she arrived, she learned that Vera had already been out looking for Tania and calling her name.
There was absolutely no sign of the child. What the hell was going on?? Jack left work and rushed home. His gut, too, told him that something was wrong.
![The Murrell House at 10426 - 145 Street, Edmonton. Little had changed when this photo was taken [February 2015] Click to enlarge.](https://byronchristopher.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/dsc01764-version-2.jpg)
The old Murrell House at 10426 – 145 Street, Edmonton. Click to enlarge. The house was demolished in late 2018.
A PERSONAL MESSAGE TO THE ABDUCTOR
Here’s a recording made by the distraught parents in January 1983. It’s poor quality … but you can follow along by reading the transcript.
Runs 2:33.
VIVIAN: “Hi Tania. We miss you babe, Mom is waiting for you to come home right now. I know you want to come home … and who’s got ya, you gotta tell him that you wanna come home. Just tell him he knows you’re a good girl and you gotta come home.
We gotta do ballet …
“And John wants you home.
“Mom doesn’t know what to do anymore, she misses you so much. But whoever has you, just drop her off at some place warm. We don’t want to see who you are, just bring my baby home …
“She does want to come home. She loves her Mom. She loves her Dad, her kittens, her puppers. And she’s gotta come home. She wants to come home. You know she wants to come home. Please make Tania come home.”
JACK: “Whoever you are, if you got my Tania [sigh] and you’re keeping her warm and safe, that means you must care about her. If you care about her, let her come home. Please. Please, just let our little girl come home … just take her some place where somebody can find her. [sigh]”
VIVIAN: “Okay, this is to whoever … if you need money, we don’t have any money but we can get money for you. If you need that, you just phone us and we’ll help you out, borrow money … it doesn’t even matter, we gotta bring Tania home … we’ll get you some money if you want money. We got a lot of friends that love Tania. We really miss her. We’ve been trying so hard to find her and we just don’t want her out in the cold. We just can’t have that little girl out in the cold anywhere.
We have to have Tania back because we just have to and we need her more than you need her. And I know she wants to come home …”
Byron Christopher 
Well written. I’m glad someone is keeping these cold cases alive in the public consciousness. You never know when a break will come.
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Another masterpiece Byron! Until now, I had no idea of the extent of your involvement in gathering information on Tania’s disappearance. I hope the missing piece falls into place for you … and the rest of us.
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You did a perfect job defending the credibility of psychics (some psychics that is).
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I am not much of a believer in psychics but I’ve got to say there’s some weird stuff in there!
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That is a sad and terrifying story, shame that psychic has passed on. That ravine needs a thorough search. You give so much information in your stories that I feel like I am right there … good luck for me getting any sleep tonight.
Hope someone cracks that guy before he does it again. I hope it was just circumstance that led to one murder and that this guy is not a repeat child killer, however, given the information, it seems like he might be.
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Fascinating article … I googled this as someone brought up this case on my show on K97 today … read this transfixed. I remember meeting Tania’s mom and dad when my parents did a fundraiser for them back in the 80’s at a nightclub my dad owned. I was not much older than Tania would have been … 8 years old. I recall my parents’ subsequent conversation the following day regarding how odd they found that … and that they found how sad it was. Not to say that they thought it pointed to guilt, just inappropriate and upsetting [to see them dancing and having a good time]. The most chilling part to this was the ‘camping alone with PS’ … mind reeling!!!
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You amaze me Byron, from a quiet, reserved young man during our school years, you get ‘down & dirty’ in your crime beat stories — totally not the direction I expected you to navigate!!
As Melissa states, a “fascinating article”, totally riveting.
Keep up the great work, someday someone might let you retire!!!
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To this day I still think about Tania’s disappearance, and the Murrell family. I was a new mom then, and it chilled me to the bone to know that a child could simply vanish. Suddenly that fear, that threat, was all too real. I followed the story every day and wept many tears through those weeks.
I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for writing it all out here. I had no idea that so much information has been developed. I appreciate the efforts of law enforcement and the journalism communities over all these years.
My heart goes out to all the poor family members whose lives were broken by this.
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I was a few years older than Tania when she was abducted. I remember clearly about her disappearance in 1983 and I have thought about her many times over the years. I believe in my heart that someone out there knows something about her disappearance. Her parents are both gone, however her brother lives on and so does a sister who never met her.
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Her brother passed away by his own doing, only a sister and her two children remain.
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Well done – the scrutiny of the parents wasted precious time in this case. People are quick to judge and point fingers, easy to do when you are not in the situation. It should be noted too that the government is very quick to take back the baby bonus or child tax credits on a missing child – too bad they can’t get their act together to get a National DNA Registry created for the missing.
15,000 unidentified remains in Canada, how many long term missing persons cases could that solve. We also have huge issues here with human trafficking and no law that requires a child to be reported missing. I could go on and on…but after years of advocacy work on this topic and a friend who is missing for 37 years, I just don’t think there is any political will and public interest is strictly voyeuristic.
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Very, very well done.
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Best article I have read on the subject. I am from Edmonton and was the same age as Tania. Looking back it was the day Edmonton changed from a town to a city as parents went into lockdown mode. I wish more pressure would be put on this PS person. I noticed that Hurst mentioned a store too. Did Tania have money to go to the store? Did PS promise her money a trip to the store earlier? Very frustrating and sad case!
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This article was amazing. I have known the Murrells since 1978; my kids played with their kids.
This incident has crushed me in more ways than anyone will ever know. We all have our theories [as to what happened] …
I went out to Peachland [British Columbia] in the summer of 2010 and saw Vivian, and was so glad I did. I had a very good chat with her. We laughed and cried.
Vivian looked tired. She died in January 2011. I miss her.
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Thank you for bringing this story back to life – so to speak. I was a young teenager in Edmonton at the time and remember this well. You could say it was one of the moments that as a city our innocence was lost. This was a heart-wrenching story for us to follow.
Thank you also Byron for pointing out at the very end of the article what I have been saying for years. Through very simple and slight manipulation or misuse of information, news somehow becomes fact – or is, at the very least, presented for us to accept as fact.
Great article.
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Very riveting article — I was a mom with three children living not too far away at the time (123 Street and 77 Avenue). Tania’s disappearance has crept into my mind many times over the years until today when I Googled Tania’s name to see if she had been found. My heart goes out to the remaining family and I hope that with the dogged determination of people such as yourself that they someday find closure.
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Please post what city that the prime suspect moved to in Ontario? You may not be able to share his name for obvious reasons, but if we know the city we can find out if any further such crimes ensued in that area.
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I joined the Edmonton police cadets last year, and so I check the crime maps quite frequently. So yesterday I decided to check crime files: missing persons. When I saw the picture of the little girl named Tania Murrell, my heart sank. So I searched her and found this wonderful and interesting article. This really opened me to the spirit world. I hope they find the body and get the prime suspect. By the way, the police did all they could, it’s the Judicial system that is at fault here. This is truly a remarkable story.
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I was just a year older than Tania when this happened. I remember all parents suddenly walking their kids to school, and kids instantly stopped going home at lunch hour. It made a big impact on daily life for everyone. And the fear never went away as the person who did this was never caught, so when I was growing up parents were always aware this could happen again and that some creep was still out there.
Now that my youngest daughter is also 6, I find it oddly comforting that the police did have a suspect in mind. It’s not shocking that Tania’s parents defended their friend -– sociopaths are generally some of the nicest, most charming, charismatic people around. Sociopaths and psychopaths don’t walk around with a big ‘crazy’ stamp on their foreheads -– they look and act like anyone else. Actually, they generally seem to draw people in and become trustworthy friends in appearance. It’s how they use people and it’s how their crimes are enabled. It’s too bad no physical evidence has ever been found to put this case to rest.
Thanks for a great article.
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Thank you for the very informative article. I remember when Tania disappeared from the media … the intensity from the rumours swirling until the media found the next big story. I have a nine year old and because of Tania’s disappearance and ensuing missing children, I watch her like a hawk.
Mr. Hurst just may have had an ability to speak to the other side. There were some things that were interesting. Like the name Bobby. I looked up that name on a missing person list. There was a person of that name missing. His name was Robert (Bobby) Richards and he was 5 when he went missing in Edmonton. He disappeared and has not been seen since. What’s interesting is that the date was January 26, 1981 … two years before Tania’s disappearance. Just what Mr. Hurst had said. Was PS involved in this case also?
I hope that the family gets justice and the peace they deserve.
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Such a tragic story. Well done.
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Heartbreaking.
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Such a very sad story. I was a friend of Ralph Hurst — the psychic. He was an amazing reader – I’m sure all of the information he gave was correct. Too bad all of the leads he gave were not followed up on.
Ralph gave me some incredible information over the years — info from the Spirit World that was correct (about my life). There is no way he could have received it any other way.
He is dearly missed!
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This article has some odd connections. Was Elk Island National Park ever searched for the remains of Tania? … possibly near the place where Kevin Reimer’s body was found?
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I copy and pasted this from a chat forum from googling Kevin’s name.
I think there is a connection.
Ralph Hurst’s readings could potentially point a person in the direction of Elk Island …
“A” stotin Lake
Tons of fences
Ponds all over
Makes a person wonder…
Verona↓
Re: Kevin Reimer Missing since 1979
Thursday, August 16, 2012 2:20 pm
Kevin’s remains were found in 1989, about 10 years after he was reported missing.
I lived across the street from his family at the time of his disappearance. Kevin and I were 10 years old. Kevin was my older brother’s best friend. My family had spent time camping with Kevin’s family. We always went camping in large groups with 4-5 families gathered together.
The weekend Kevin went missing, my family was camped out at Edmonton Beach, west of Edmonton with a bunch of other families. Kevin’s family had dedcided to go to Elk Island that weekend, which is east of Edmonton.
It came across the radio, that Kevin was missing. The next thing I remember was we were packing up camp and heading home. When we got home, my dad and several other dads that knew the Reimer family went to assist with the search for Kevin. Of course, the results were not successful.
Over the years I stayed in contact with the Reimer family and remained friends with one of Kevin’s sister’s. His remains were found in an area of Elk Island that used to be Marsh Land. They surmised that he had wandered off and got lost ending up in the marsh.
His sister told me a different story. She remembered that when they were called in for supper, they took off back to the campsite from the playground. Kevin fell behind, so he was left behind. This was normal behaviour at the time when you were kids. No one thought anything of it.
When Kevin failed to show up, then the search began. She remembers seeing a couple of shady looking guys sitting at a picnic table. They had no picnic food and they were watching the kids playing at the playground. They didn’t talk to any of the kids but she remembers that they looked strange to her.
It has haunted her to this day that she ran ahead of Kevin and left him behind. She is sure that the two strange guys had something to do with his disappearance. My family regrets not insisting with the Reimers to come with us that weekend to Edmonton Beach. For those ten years he remained missing our world as kids in the neighborhood changed forever. We had to stay in full contact with our parents at all times. Use the “buddy system”. Older kids walked younger ones back and forth to the store or to other places etc.
Nothing was the same after Kevin disappeared. My older brother named his first born son, Kevin. Kevin had never been far from our thoughts and the experience has taught us that everything can change in the blink of an eye.
As a mom of two boys, I always know where they are, who they are with, and what they are doing. When they get upset with me or other parents question my protectiveness, I bring up Kevin. Then suddenly, they understand and I have noticed that some of the other parents I meet also begin to watch their kids a little closer.
Besides Kevin, I know of two other kids who disappeared and turned up murdered. Corrine Gustavson (her uncle babysat us) and Nina Courtepatte (I knew her mom growing up). All I have to do is talk about these tragedies and people listen and change their way of thinking when it comes to protecting their loved ones. My hope is that once you read this, you too will watch your children more closely.
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Great story. I was new to Edmonton, from a tiny Maritime town, it was sad and distressing. I worked at the 7-11 at the time of the disappearance and nobody came to the store for information, or to see if any of us saw anything or anyone on the day of her disappearance.
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I have thought so much of Tania over the last 30 years. She was in my thoughts today.
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Very well-written. I appreciated listening to my Dad’s reading to you as well, as it has been nearly 10 years since I have heard his voice.
I remember my Dad talking about this case, along with several other missing persons cases around that same time. I also remember being disappointed that they didn’t always have a happy ending, or an ending at all, for that matter.
I hope you continue to follow this one; you’re long over due for a well-deserved piece of mind.
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Hi, Meghan I never knew about your father’s involvement in this case. Was there any more information that he had concerning this?
I don’t call myself a psychic, but I “get things” and last night I had some things revealed to me. I then decided to search psychics and Tania Murrell and I came upon this, including your dad’s messages [sorry for your loss]. There were some eerie similarities, very eerie. It actually made me sick to my stomach.
I’d really love for there to be closure on this. Hence me contacting you.
Kind regards
Rye
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Hi Rye,
Sorry I don’t have anything to really offer! My cousin, Vanessa Hurst, is a psychic in Ontario. She does readings as well, and is very good!
You can find her on Facebook and send her a message. She also does phone readings for those who cannot meet her in person.:)
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I too would like to thank you for the post of my Dad’s audio recording. It has been a long time since I heard his voice, and never have I heard it so young.
Peace of mind is still to come of this.
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I read this story weeks ago and finally got around to commenting.
I grew up in Edmonton and moved to Calgary as a teenager, and your stories take me back to all the places and events during when I grew up. There were a lot of nasty crimes in Edmonton during the early 80s. I remember so much fear after Tania disappeared, getting my picture taken at a child ID event (I think at London Drugs) and having very few unsupervised moments growing up, along with vivid dreams of being kidnapped. So very sad and distressing.
Thank you so much for your site Byron. This seems to be the only comprehensive webpage about her disappearance. Thanks for the 360 view.
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I, along with so many others, will never forget the disappearance of this precious little girl.
I do believe in psychics. We all have some sort of intuition/psychic connection to the Spirit World, just some are much more connected than others. I also believe Tania is on the Other Side and do hope that some day her remains will be found and the perpetrator responsible for this crime punished.
Thank you Byron for such an amazing job on writing this story.
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So sad that Tania has never been found and her family has not gotten the closure they deserve.
I also remember this case well as I lived in Edmonton at the time and was only two years older than Tania and recall the fear kids felt. We all lost a bit of our innocence that day.
I remember that there were a lot of attempted abductions a couple of years later as it was in all the papers and I myself had an incident when a man impersonating a policeman tried to get me to go with him. I am so thankful that I was one of the lucky ones who made it home.
I think of Tania often and will never forget about her and hope she will be found.
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The only reason the police and media have not released the name of ‘PS’ is because he was not charged with the abduction and murder of Tania Murrell.
His identity, however, would be released if/when charges related to Tania Murrell is sworn against him (sworn is a legal term that refers to being officially charged).
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This was an excellent article. Could you have the police involve SARDAA (Search and dog rescue association of Alberta) to search the ravine near 142 street? I think he buried her near where he lived.
This story has haunted me for years and if we could just find her body it would help her brother heal.
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Deb,
I’ve not heard of SARDAA, but perhaps these folk could help. If Tania is buried in that location, I don’t know what would be left of her remains after 30 years.
I was to the ravine in 1993 or so with two Edmonton Police detectives, Ian Shoaf and John McLeod. Ian and I climbed down into the ravine together, but John seemed totally disinterested; he remained in the cruiser staring out the window.
Once we got back to the car, the officers talked about cadaver-searching dogs, but they wondered what would be left after a decade. Don’t know what the EPS eventually did on this matter, if it did anything at all. Police kept the media up on some developments, but generally police did their thing, reporters did theirs.
I said that if I was a detective working on the file, I’d arrange for a fake contest to be set up at the suspect’s workplace in Ontario. The guy would be a winner, with a free trip for two to Edmonton, accommodation at the hotel at West Edmonton Mall, a $1,000 shopping voucher … and a free rental with unlimited mileage. My thinking was that a free shopping takes his spouse out of the picture, and he’s got the rental. You tail ’em because these bastards often return to the site. Ian said the City would never go for that. Too much money and not above board, he said.
According to psychic Ralph Hurst, Tania was wrapped in two garbage bags and buried fully clothed. Given the location, if that’s where she is, I suspect the killer would not have buried her very deep.
And yes, you are correct, the prime suspect did live fairly close by. He pulled out of town in the spring, not long after the snow melted. I don’t know if he had a freezer — someone said he thought he had one — but I wasn’t able to confirm that. I mention this because Hurst said the body was removed from a cold container before being buried in the ground.
Finding Tania’s body would not only bring closure Tania’s friends and relatives, but I think everyone who lived in Edmonton at the time. That was one crime that had tremendous impact on the city. I think the city would be relieved if the child got a proper burial.
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I have followed the Murrell story over the years but nothing comes close to your coverage. I knew that the police thought it was a former friend that was responsible but you actually talked to him and talked to people who knew him!
Keeping the story in the news is so important. There is always a chance it will help bring answers.
Some cadaver dogs can still detect bodies 35 years after death. SARDAA is based in Edmonton and works with the police for free. I know it is a long shot, but you never know.
Fortunately there are not many cases like this where there are no answers. You are right when you say that the public needs Tania found.
I didn’t know her but I am a parent and I need her to be found and for the pervert to pay for what he has done to her and her family.
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Such a sad story. Well done.
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Byron you bring a lot of good information to light. Like others (and I am sure yourself) this case has haunted me.
Your article and audio clips brings forth a few questions. Did Brenda Dawson have a personal relationship with PS? She seemed to know a lot about him and the poem was in her possession. Was PS married when Tania disappeared? Or did he get married after?
Also I could be mistaken on this but I thought i read somewhere that PS was mechanically inclined … Vivian’s car died that day, perhaps he tampered with it? Just a thought …
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Hi Sherilyn,
I don’t believe Brenda Dawson had a strong, personal relationship with the suspect. These two were so different. The suspect was a heavy drinker and Brenda wasn’t. She was actually quite classy, unlike the suspect.
I believe Dawson was happily married, with children; and I don’t think the suspect had any relationship, other than with the bottle.
Police tell me he married after he left Alberta and returned to Ontario. I’m told he married a woman who had a child, then the couple had one of their own, named Tania.
Have not heard the suspect being mechanically inclined, I didn’t pick that up in my meeting with him. He struck me as a dreamy, but loser type who could whip your ass at chess.
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Unfortunately this story is a well written lie. Whomever wrote it, you should be ashamed, using Tania & her family, for shame. My suggestion would be to look at the documented facts. Tanya’s murder is one that I will never forget, as I was a teenager that lived next door to the Murrell family in the Greenwood Acres townhouses in the Beverly area.
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I think you have mistaken Punky Gustufson’s murder for Tania’s as Punky’s family lived in Greenwood Acres in Beverly when she was murdered.
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I have known the Murrells for almost 40 years and not once did they mention to me they lived in the Beverly region [of east-central Edmonton].
I find it unlikely they lived in Beverly as it never once came up in our many talks, and I knew quite a bit about their lives and where they had lived.
When I met Vivian, Jack and the kids they were living on the southside of Edmonton; from there they moved to the west end of the city, then to the Okanagan in British Columbia.
I was very close to Vivian; I saw her only months before she died. We also spent a LOT of time on the phone. I miss her.
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I was born in November 1983 in Edmonton and lived here all my life.
I grew up seeing Tania’s missing child poster. I can remember as a child thinking to myself “I wonder what happened to her.” The poster could be seen everywhere here in edmonton. It was even on the back of these colouring/activity books we used to get in school.
I never knew her or her story, but I never forgot her face or her big bright smile.
Thank you for writing this story and shedding light on a life that was taken way soon.
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Did anyone ever look into the circumstances surrounding Tania’s missing dog?
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The girl that was Tania’s friend, Brandy, is my little sister. I am one year older than Brandy and Tania. Tania ate at my house at lunch just over a week before she disappeared. I remember it well.
One of the bits of info nobody seems to state is that the grade 1 teacher, Mrs. Holmes (who was my grade 1 teacher the previous year) let the grade 1s out of class early that afternoon. Like 10 minutes or so. That’s one of the reasons why there were hardly any other kids around at the time.
I heard Mrs. Holmes really beat herself up over that, blaming herself. I do remember my sister mentioning Tania wanting to go to the store later on when being questioned as Brandy was the last person to see her. But my sister knew she had to wait for me to walk home, or she would get in shit big time if she didn’t wait for me to come home for lunch.
I remember that day really well. When I saw the principal of the school come to our door — he was going door to door with a picture of Tania — my 7-year-old brain knew that it was very serious and very bad. Within the next few days, police were also doing door-to-door searches; they searched our bushes and freezers. Very eye-opening and morbid for my 7-year-old eyes to see. But I remember that like it was yesterday.
I know my sister has carried this with her for a long time. I saw Tania at our house a few times but at that age, little boys tend to ignore sister’s friends.
The terror that gripped our school and everyone in it remained for a long time. It seemed like every kid and parent was on high alert – stranger Danger – after that.
The fear of the unknown, not having closure, is really one of the worst parts. And I guess the death of innocence. For my sister who was 6 and I, 7, it was a big slap of reality … awakening into the possibility of darkness that we never knew existed in our young mind’s until that happened.
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So sorry to hear that this case is still a cold case.
I lived in Grand Prairie at the time of her disappearance. I remember seeing the posters about her.
Having two small children at the time I couldn’t imagine this happening. This little girl has always been in the back of my mind, I will never forget her name.
Thank-you for writing this story and shedding some light on this terrible crime.
Hopefully in the end the abductor will finally confess what happened and her sister will be able to finally have some closure.
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Thank God they have you. Never stop looking, never stop fighting for the answers.
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I won’t give up. And should I too ‘cross over’ before the truth comes out, I’ll try to file a story from the Other Side. Hopefully they’ll have an Internet connection then.
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Has anyone tried another psychic i.e. Nancy Myer?
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Just read your blog post from 2012 — wow. Thank you.
I’m not family nor a friend of the family. I was a little girl just like Tania, when I heard she was missing. I was living in south Edmonton at the time. Her story impacted me — and is one that I still re-tell to my children as a cautionary tale to remind them of the dangers on their journey to and from school.
I want so badly, like many others, for this little girl to be found. I left Edmonton in 1997. Was there ever a monument put in place for her?
I know so little about the story … your post was so informative and above and beyond what I am used to reading in the media.
I wish I could compensate you in someway other than an electronic thank you for all the work you did in assisting with the family and this case. God bless.
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Very well written.
I have taken the whole day to read and process what I am reading about Tania, her family, the sitter, friends and neighbours, the police, investigators, media, the PS and psychics. I could feel, see, think and fear, like all the people involved. I feel like I was there, your writing is so vivid.
I am sad that more wasn’t done about a new lie detection test on the suspect, and that the area Ralph Hurst found to be Tania’s resting area, wasn’t completely turned over in order to find her body. It is shocking and disappointing to say the least.
When you are talking about a missing, possibly dead child, why wouldn’t those things have been top priority?
I know there were a lot of people involved in helping but there were some definite mistakes made. Unfortunately, that is the part that will haunt me.
It is so obvious to me who did it and what should have been done, but I guess back then, not all saw it that way. I hope they are all together on the Other Side and have found peace.
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I still live in West Edmonton, born and raised.
I remember this story like it was yesterday, I am so sorry that most of the family is now gone. This little girl, that changed so many lives that day, deserves to have justice.
This is so sad.
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I grew up just off 149 street and 104th avenue. At the time of Tania’s disappearance I was 9 years old and I will never forget the sadness and despair of these events.
One memory that will never leave me is when someone knocked on our door to ask to search our yard, garage and the garbage cans out in the back alley. As a young girl and being so close to home, I will say the story of Tania Murrell will always be part of me and who I am today.
I still live in Edmonton, born and raised in the West end and closure for the family and the City would be a miracle and a blessing. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you for this post.
I was Tania’s age, living in Edmonton, when her abduction happened. I vividly remember seeing her missing persons-poster on the bus and hoping she would return home.
I just can’t believe, to this day, she has not been found. I think of her often and hope this case is solved someday.
My heart goes out to Elysia, being the only surviving, immediate family member. She has undergone more tragedy than any person deserves in a lifetime.
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I was gripped by this story. Tears are streaming as I read this.
I do not understand why the hell that ravine was not searched again until it was completely covered. Definitely sounds like someone dropped the ball.
Bless you for all you’ve done for this family.
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As the youngest brother of a missing sibling, I just want to give some hope to Elysia.
After 42 years of waiting, wondering what happened to my sister Colleen — and who did it — there was some closure to her case.
An asshole was identified as her killer, an American drifter, long a suspect in British Columbia’s highway of tears. Although he was already dead, it was the last chapter in a long and tortuous journey no one should ever have to endure.
Colleen MacMillen, RIP.
As this is testament to the hard work of many an investigator, journalists, and the public, etc, there is hope that some questions will be answered.
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I was living in Strathcona County from 1982 to 2008. I had a 10-year-old child and found Tania’s disappearance very disturbing. I followed the news reports with great interest, hoping — like everyone — that Tania would be found.
I wondered who put up the reward money and was rather surprised to learn it was Peter Puck.
I’ve wondered over the years about where the family was and now with your update there is a bit of closure. Now if only Tania could be found!
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