214:, escorted to Kamloops under guard, and charged with the second-degree murders of the six members of the Johnson and Bentley families. The clue that ended the long search for the killer was gleaned during the Clearwater questioning after the truck was found; one person told police that, over a year earlier, Shearing had enquired about how to re-register a Ford pickup and repair a hole in its door. The police had never revealed that there was a bullet hole in the Bentleys' truck.
271:
meantime, online and paper petitions garnered 15,258 signatures urging the parole board not to release him. Family members of the
Johnsons and Bentleys also appealed for relief from the agony of reliving the tragedy and campaigning against Shearing's release every few years. His 2021 appeal was again rejected.
201:
not far from Wells Gray
Provincial Park and, like the Johnsons' car, it had been burned. The police were criticized for embarking on a costly wild-goose chase across the country when, for that whole year, the truck was just a few kilometres from the murder site. It now seemed probable that the killer
206:
helicopter and flown down the mountain to a flat-bed truck, then taken to the RCMP crime lab in
Vancouver. The media were told that the truck yielded no new clues. Police then conducted a second door-to-door questioning in Clearwater. By then, they had amassed a total of 13,000 tips about the case.
180:
During spring 1983, several innovative methods were used to try to solve the baffling murders. In April, the presumed crime was re-enacted on-site for TV cameras and aired across Canada in hopes that some significant clue would be triggered. In May, police drove a replica of the
Bentleys' 1981 Ford
151:
On August 2, 1982, three generations of a family set out on a camping trip. They were Bob and Jackie
Johnson, their two daughters (Janet, 13 and Karen, 11), and Jackie's parents, George and Edith Bentley. The family last contacted relatives on August 6 when Edith called a second daughter, according
270:
ruled that he still had violent sexual fantasies, had not completed sex offender treatment, and was not ready for freedom. His second application, in 2012, was also rejected. Shearing, now known as David Ennis, applied again in 2014, then withdrew the request a month before the hearing. In the
181:
camper truck to
Ontario and Quebec, as over 300 people had claimed they had seen such a vehicle heading east during the fall and winter. The reward for finding the truck was raised to $ 7,500 and 10,000 posters were sent out to police detachments and post offices across North America.
172:
reported finding a burned-out car near Battle
Mountain Road that was similar to the one the Johnsons were driving. When the RCMP officers searched the vehicle, they found the burned bodies of the four missing adults who had been shot in the head with a
247:
It was only after his sentencing that the true nature of
Shering's crimes was revealed. When questioned by Sgt. Eastham after the sentencing, he said that on August 10, he had stalked the victims at their campsite and shot the adults with a
230:
described the crime as "a cold-blooded and senseless execution of six defenceless and innocent people...a slaughter that devastated three generations in a single bound. What a tragedy. What a waste, and for what?" He sentenced
Shearing to
188:
holiday weekend, the weather was splendid and the media advised tourists not to head to
British Columbia's parks because all campgrounds were full. The exception was Wells Gray Park where only 18 of 105 sites were occupied.
258:. This allowed him to kidnap the girls who he kept alive for a week, raping Janet, and then killing them: on August 16, Shearing shot Karen in the back of the head; the next day on August 17, he killed Janet the same way.
29:
289:
184:
A year after the families disappeared, the murderer had still not been caught and the summer of 1983 became one of the worst for tourism in nearby Wells Gray Park. During the
152:
to retired RCMP Sgt. Mike Eastham whose book about the investigation was published in 1999. On August 16, Bob Johnson failed to return to work at Gorman Brothers Lumber in
360:
514:
499:
137:
and 18 km (11.2 mi) south of the Wells Gray Park entrance on Clearwater Valley Road. The story was featured as Episode 1 of the CBC television series
202:
lived in the Clearwater area as few outsiders would be familiar with the maze of logging roads on Trophy Mountain. The truck was lifted out of the forest by a
504:
464:
133:," because that is where the human remains were found, the actual murders occurred elsewhere, including Fage Creek, 18 km (11.2 mi) north of
409:
544:
539:
519:
484:
334:
469:
293:
534:
509:
432:
479:
24:
364:
489:
139:
156:
which was considered very unusual for the 44-year-old employee. A week later, he was reported missing to the local police.
117:
of a family of six, committed by David Shearing in August 1982 while the family was camping in the Clearwater Valley near
474:
134:
153:
118:
46:
524:
227:
210:
On November 19, 1983, local residents were shocked when David William Shearing (b. 1959), 24, was arrested in
494:
529:
386:
197:
On October 18, 1983, the missing truck was found by two forestry workers on an abandoned logging road on
267:
236:
252:
85:
330:
203:
174:
126:
198:
169:
165:
235:
with no eligibility for parole for 25 years. This was the maximum possible penalty for
232:
223:
458:
20:
211:
255:
114:
75:
185:
433:"Parole denied for B.C. man who murdered family of 6 on camping trip in 1982"
226:
to six counts of murder. In his ten-minute summation, Supreme Court Justice
122:
249:
239:
and the first time in Canadian history that it had been handed out.
168:, where the family had planned to meet up. On September 13, a
266:
In September 2008, David Shearing was up for parole. The
177:
weapon. In the trunk were the remains of the two girls.
16:
1982 mass murder of a family of six in British Columbia
290:"Wells Gray murders won't soon be forgotten: Mulgrew"
361:"B.C. multiple murderer seeks parole after 25 years"
99:
91:
81:
69:
61:
53:
42:
37:
329:, 6th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC.
8:
121:, about 120 km (74.6 mi) north of
34:
103:David Shearing (now known as David Ennis)
515:Missing person cases in British Columbia
280:
321:
319:
317:
315:
313:
311:
7:
500:1982 mass shootings in North America
439:. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
410:"Wells Gray murderer denied parole"
505:Mass shootings in British Columbia
465:20th-century mass murder in Canada
387:"THE MONSTER FROM WELLS GRAY PARK"
222:On April 16, 1984, David Shearing
111:Wells Gray Provincial Park murders
38:Wells Gray Provincial Park Murders
14:
431:Graveland, Bill (15 Sep 2021).
292:. Vancouver Sun. Archived from
160:Search and murder investigation
129:. While media coined the term "
1:
545:20th-century fires in Canada
540:1980s fires in North America
520:Child sexual abuse in Canada
485:August 1982 events in Canada
561:
470:Murder in British Columbia
119:Wells Gray Provincial Park
65:Johnson and Bentley family
49:, British Columbia, Canada
47:Wells Gray Provincial Park
535:Arson attacks on vehicles
510:Child abduction in Canada
346:Eastham, Michael (1999).
327:Exploring Wells Gray Park
480:1982 in British Columbia
363:. Canada. Archived from
164:The search centered on
25:Infobox civilian attack
490:1982 murders in Canada
325:Neave, Roland (2015).
30:considered for merging
350:. Warwick Publishing.
268:National Parole Board
237:second-degree murder
475:Mass murder in 1982
296:on January 15, 2015
253:Remington Model 572
86:Remington Model 572
367:on August 17, 2015
348:The Seventh Shadow
131:Wells Gray Murders
57:August 10–17, 1982
335:978-0-9681932-2-8
256:pump-action rifle
107:
106:
552:
449:
448:
446:
444:
428:
422:
421:
419:
417:
405:
399:
398:
396:
394:
389:. Dyingwords.net
383:
377:
376:
374:
372:
357:
351:
344:
338:
323:
306:
305:
303:
301:
285:
127:British Columbia
35:
560:
559:
555:
554:
553:
551:
550:
549:
525:Arson in Canada
455:
454:
453:
452:
442:
440:
430:
429:
425:
415:
413:
412:. Kamloops News
407:
406:
402:
392:
390:
385:
384:
380:
370:
368:
359:
358:
354:
345:
341:
324:
309:
299:
297:
287:
286:
282:
277:
264:
245:
220:
199:Trophy Mountain
195:
170:mushroom picker
166:Wells Gray Park
162:
149:
72:
33:
17:
12:
11:
5:
558:
556:
548:
547:
542:
537:
532:
527:
522:
517:
512:
507:
502:
497:
495:Family murders
492:
487:
482:
477:
472:
467:
457:
456:
451:
450:
423:
408:Youds, David.
400:
378:
352:
339:
307:
288:Mulgrew, Ian.
279:
278:
276:
273:
263:
262:Parole appeals
260:
244:
241:
233:life in prison
224:pleaded guilty
219:
216:
194:
191:
161:
158:
148:
145:
140:The Detectives
105:
104:
101:
97:
96:
93:
89:
88:
83:
79:
78:
73:
70:
67:
66:
63:
59:
58:
55:
51:
50:
44:
40:
39:
18:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
557:
546:
543:
541:
538:
536:
533:
531:
530:Arson in 1982
528:
526:
523:
521:
518:
516:
513:
511:
508:
506:
503:
501:
498:
496:
493:
491:
488:
486:
483:
481:
478:
476:
473:
471:
468:
466:
463:
462:
460:
438:
434:
427:
424:
411:
404:
401:
388:
382:
379:
366:
362:
356:
353:
349:
343:
340:
336:
332:
328:
322:
320:
318:
316:
314:
312:
308:
295:
291:
284:
281:
274:
272:
269:
261:
259:
257:
254:
251:
242:
240:
238:
234:
229:
225:
217:
215:
213:
208:
205:
200:
192:
190:
187:
182:
178:
176:
171:
167:
159:
157:
155:
147:Disappearance
146:
144:
142:
141:
136:
132:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
102:
98:
94:
90:
87:
84:
80:
77:
74:
68:
64:
60:
56:
52:
48:
45:
41:
36:
31:
27:
26:
22:
441:. Retrieved
436:
426:
414:. Retrieved
403:
391:. Retrieved
381:
369:. Retrieved
365:the original
355:
347:
342:
326:
298:. Retrieved
294:the original
283:
265:
246:
221:
212:Dawson Creek
209:
196:
183:
179:
163:
150:
138:
130:
110:
108:
100:Perpetrators
23:
250:.22-caliber
228:Harry McKay
175:.22 caliber
115:mass murder
76:Mass Murder
71:Attack type
19:‹ The
459:Categories
393:August 15,
275:References
218:Sentencing
186:Canada Day
135:Clearwater
143:in 2018.
28:is being
437:CBC News
204:Sikorsky
154:Westbank
123:Kamloops
113:was the
43:Location
32:. ›
21:template
443:8 March
193:Capture
82:Weapons
416:2 July
371:2 July
333:
300:2 July
243:Crimes
92:Deaths
62:Target
445:2022
418:2014
395:2015
373:2014
331:ISBN
302:2014
109:The
54:Date
125:in
461::
435:.
310:^
447:.
420:.
397:.
375:.
337:.
304:.
95:6
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.