Karen-Lee TAYLOR – Case Overview
Karen-Lee Taylor was a bubbly, carefree 19-year-old, and according to her mother, had a wonderful, magnificent smile. She grew up in Ontario, and moved to British Columbia with her mother in 1989. Karen would go on to spend a short period of time with a friend in Alberta, but she eventually returned to the Lower Mainland.
It was August 24, 1990, when Karen was socializing with friends at the Cecil Hotel on Granville Street. During the evening, she met a man – someone she and her group of friends had never met before.
Karen and a girlfriend left the Cecil with their new male friend, telling the rest of their group that they would catch up with them later. The trio ended up at the Sub Shop in the 1100 block of Granville Street, which is where Karen was last seen alive.
At 8:00 a.m. the next morning, August 25, Karen’s nude body was discovered, dumped in the laneway of the 3600 block of Pine Crescent.
Karen’s friends and witnesses described the man she met that night as white, in his late 30s to early 40s, six feet tall, weighing over 200 lbs., with light brown, short hair. He was clean-shaven and wearing casual clothing. Investigators released a composite drawing of the man, who is considered a person-of-interest in the investigation.
On August 24, 1990, the night before Karen-Lee was murdered, a resident observed a man sleeping in a vehicle nearby where Karen’s body was later discovered. The only description of the vehicle is that is was lighter in colour and had Washington state licence plates.
In the early hours of Saturday, August 25th, 1990, a resident near the 3600 block of Pine Crescent was awakened to the sound of voices outside. The people were loud and appeared to be intoxicated and were coming from the lane area.
It’s not known if these incidents are directly related to Karen-Lee Taylor’s murder, but detectives are interested in speaking with anyone that can add to the information. Even the smallest of details can be of assistance to investigators.
Someone knows what happened to Karen-Lee that night, and the identity of the man in the composite drawing. Her mother can only hope they’ll come forward and help catch her daughter’s killer, and that justice will be found for Karen-Lee.
This is an ongoing file. Please check back regularly for updates.