Turner Valley, Alberta — Jane Johnson, along with her daughter, Cathryn Johnson, were murdered in their home on the evening of September 3rd, 1996. The culprit(s) set fire to the residence in an effort to conceal the crime. According to the RCMP, these killings were likely committed by an individual(s) who had been acquainted with the victims and was aware of their routinely day-to-day patterns.
Most reports on the case narrow it down to two persons. Sam Johnson is Jane's ex-husband and Cathryn's father. Henry Reichert was Jane's boyfriend at the time Jane and Cathryn were murdered. Jane and Henry had been together for four years. Henry maintains that he was at his home the night that Jane and Cathryn died. Several other suspects were identified but there was insufficient evidence.
Firefighters found the remains of Jane Johnson and her daughter Cathryn inside a burning home in Turner Valley, AB, on Sept. 3, 1996. An autopsy revealed that Jane was five months pregnant and was stabbed to death. Cathryn's cause of death has never been released.
Before Jane and Cathryn's lives were tragically cut short, Jane worked with special needs children at Millarville Community School, and Cathryn was getting ready to start Grade 3 at Turner Valley School.
In 2011, Alberta RCMP announced that a 'person of interest' in a 15-year-old double-murder case may be living in B.C. Alberta RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb said that the fire had been deliberately set. "Although the fire was initially thought to have caused their deaths, it was soon determined that they had been murdered and that the fire had been set to cover the evidence," Webb said in a written statement.
Investigators spent thousands of hours gathering physical evidence, interviewing and re-interviewing witnesses, checking and following up on hundreds of tips, but charges were never laid.
Jane and Cathryn's murder remains unsolved.
A reward of $50,000.00 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of person(s) responsible. If you have any information about this case, please contact "K" (AB) Division, Serious Crimes Branch South Airdrie at 403-420-4900 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477.
