Clifford Olson Jr. (The Beast of British Columbia)

Clifford Robert Olson Jr. was born on January 1, 1940, in Vancouver, British Columbia. His criminal record began during his teenage years, when he was sentenced to nine months in jail for burglary in 1957. He subsequently developed a long history of criminal offending and spent much of his adult life in and out of prison. By the time of his arrest for the murders, he had accumulated more than 80 convictions.

Olson was repeatedly imprisoned for offences including burglary, theft, fraud and other crimes and developed a reputation as an informant while incarcerated. He escaped custody on several occasions and served sentences in different British Columbia institutions. He was released from his final pre-murder sentence on September 7, 1980, less than two months before the disappearance of his first confirmed victim, 12-year-old Christine Weller.

Olson's confirmed murder series began with the disappearance of 12-year-old Christine Weller in Surrey on November 17, 1980. Her body was discovered on Christmas Day with evidence of stabbing and strangulation. Over the following eight months, Olson abducted and murdered 10 more children and teenagers across British Columbia.

His victims were Colleen Daignault, Daryn Johnsrude, Sandra Wolfsteiner, Ada Court, Simon Partington, Judy Kozma, Raymond King, Sigrun Arnd, Terri Lyn Carson and Louise Chartrand. The victims disappeared from different locations around the Lower Mainland, and their bodies were frequently left in remote areas. Olson later confessed to all 11 killings.

The murders occurred with increasing frequency during the summer of 1981. Olson frequently approached young people in public places or while they were hitchhiking and used promises of transportation, employment or other assistance to gain their trust before abducting them.

Olson primarily targeted children and teenagers, both boys and girls. He approached victims in circumstances where they were separated from their families, including while hitchhiking, travelling through public areas or seeking employment.

After gaining their trust, Olson transported victims to isolated locations where he sexually assaulted and murdered them. The confirmed killings involved different methods, including strangulation, stabbing and severe physical violence. Their bodies were then abandoned or concealed in remote locations throughout British Columbia.

Olson's previous criminal experience and familiarity with the British Columbia area helped him evade detection while the disappearances accumulated. Police initially struggled to establish that the missing children and teenagers were connected, but by the summer of 1981 the disappearances had become a major investigation.

Police had identified Olson as a suspect before his arrest and placed him under surveillance. On August 12, 1981, investigators observed him picking up two young hitchhikers on Vancouver Island.

Police intervened and arrested Olson before he could abduct the hitchhikers. His arrest provided investigators with the opportunity to question him about the growing number of missing children and teenagers in the Lower Mainland.

Olson eventually confessed to the 11 murders. His information enabled investigators to locate the remains of several victims and establish details concerning the circumstances of the killings.

Olson's trial began in January 1982 in British Columbia Supreme Court. He initially pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, but within days he changed his plea and admitted responsibility for 11 first-degree murders.

On January 14, 1982, Olson was sentenced to 11 concurrent life sentences, with no possibility of parole for 25 years. The sentencing judge stated that Olson should never be released from prison.

The case became controversial almost immediately after the guilty pleas because it emerged that police had agreed to pay Olson's wife $100,000 in exchange for information that helped investigators locate the remains of his victims. The arrangement became known as the "cash-for-bodies" deal and generated considerable public criticism.

Olson later applied for parole in 1997, 2006 and 2010. Each application was rejected. During the 2006 hearing, the National Parole Board assessed him as a high-risk sexual sadist and narcissist who would pose a serious danger if released.

Olson was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2011 and died at the institutional health-care centre of Archambault Institution in Quebec on September 30, 2011. He was 71 years old.

The "cash-for-bodies" agreement became one of the most controversial aspects of the Olson investigation. Police agreed to provide $100,000 to Olson's wife in exchange for information that helped locate the remains of seven victims and information concerning four other murders. The payment generated widespread public outrage because Olson effectively received financial consideration for helping authorities recover the bodies of children he had murdered.

Olson continued seeking attention while imprisoned and made numerous extraordinary claims during his later years. At his 1997 parole hearing, he claimed responsibility for more than 100 additional murders, although those claims were never established. He also made other unsubstantiated claims concerning major crimes and terrorism. His parole applications were repeatedly rejected, with authorities continuing to regard him as a serious risk to the public.

The victims' families remained outspoken about Olson and the justice system's handling of his case. Several relatives later became involved in victims' rights advocacy, including Sharon Rosenfeldt, whose son Daryn Johnsrude was among Olson's victims and whose family helped establish Victims of Violence. Olson died in custody after nearly 30 years of imprisonment.

Sources:

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Correctional Service of Canada
• National Parole Board of Canada
• British Columbia Supreme Court
• British Columbia Attorney General
• Canadian Press
• Global News
• CityNews
• The New York Times
• UPI