"The resemblance is uncanny. To that sketch, yeah." — Brett (Describing the visual similarity between a suspect and a composite sketch.)
"We're not going to investigate till we find your body. Okay, we found her body. Uh, same theory. We're just still not going to investigate." — Ashley Flowers (Highlighting the frustrating and illogical response from authorities.)
"Why didn't they tell any of this to her family? I wish I could tell you. Like again, the only thing I can think of is like, oh, they withheld the information because the investigation was ongoing?" — Ashley Flowers (Expressing bewilderment at the withholding of crucial evidence from the victim's family.)
This episode chronicles the 1978 disappearance and subsequent death of 19-year-old Teresa Allore. Initially reported missing by her friends and brother, the investigation was hampered by jurisdictional issues between New Brunswick and Quebec police departments. Authorities quickly developed theories of substance abuse and promiscuity for Teresa, dismissing further investigation despite a lack of concrete evidence. Her parents, Bob and Marilyn Allore, took it upon themselves to hire a private investigator, Robert Buleck, who uncovered details about Teresa's last known activities and clothing, suggesting the clothing found by hunters in the woods might have been hers.
The discovery of Teresa's body in April 1979 initially offered a glimmer of hope for a more thorough investigation. However, the autopsy provided inconclusive results regarding cause of death, with police reiterating their overdose theory. Crucially, it was later revealed through a freedom of information request by Teresa's brother, John, that the initial toxicology report showed no drugs in her system, and the coroner had noted strangulation marks on her neck. This revelation exposed significant mishandling and potential cover-up by the Quebec Provincial Police (QPP), who appear to have deliberately misled the family and suppressed critical evidence.
The investigation into Teresa's death took on new dimensions as John, along with journalist Patricia Pearson, connected her case to other unsolved murders of young women in the same region, Louise Cameron and Manon Dubé. They identified a potential suspect, Luke Gregor, whose description matched composite sketches of an assailant involved in numerous assaults in the area during the late 70s and early 80s. Despite substantial evidence compiled by John and Patricia, including the discovery of Teresa's wallet with potential DNA evidence, the QPP consistently refused to reopen the case, often citing insufficient evidence or inconclusive results. The narrative concludes with a deathbed confession from a man named Geralt Lachance, suggesting he and his brother, Regis, along with another individual, were responsible for Teresa's abduction and murder, potentially linked to a police cover-up to protect Regis, a police informant.