The family of an American man being investigated for several cold case killings think that he was involved in the infamous Templeton Woods murders.
Relatives believe he could have been involved in the deaths of Carol Lannen and Elizabeth McCabe in 1979 and 1980.
The man, who we are not naming, passed away four years ago but investigators are looking at DNA databases and genealogical research in a bid to solve at least two Californian murders.
Family have told the Record how they have looked at his links to Scotland in the 70s and are passing information on to Scottish investigators.
It’s more than 40 years since the strangled, naked body of 18-year-old mum Carol was found dumped and partly covered by snow in Dundee’s Templeton Woods. The part-time sex worker was last seen getting into a car in the city’s red-light district.
Less than a year later, trainee nursery nurse Elizabeth, 20, was found dead 100 yards from where Carol’s body had been left.
She too was near-naked and had been strangled.
No one has ever been charged with Carol’s murder and a man who stood trial accused of Elizabeth’s death was found not guilty by a High Court jury in 2007.
US investigators are believed to have been alerted to suspicions regarding the man, who died aged 72, last year.
Last night a relative said: “The police here don’t tell me much but they said the DNA link is still being investigated to rule him out or in, as the case may be.
“He hasn’t been cleared as a suspect yet. I’ve contacted Crimestoppers UK over my suspicions about him and his connections to Scotland.
“My relative visited Scotland several times during the late 60s, 70s and 80s. He had family connections there and was also in the military.
“He was extremely self-righteous. He was brought up in a strict Catholic family and would’ve disapproved of prostitutes and single mothers, like Carol Lannen. He wrote about his fascination of nurses, like Elizabeth McCabe.
“My theory is he was an organised, serial killer who planned out and stalked his victims.
“He also looked for coincidences in names and dates of victims with that of his own history/family, which he would get amusement from when those details would show up in the newspaper following the murder.
“Maybe he was overlooked by Scottish police because he was a tourist or they didn’t know about him? I’ve offered my DNA so they can do a familial link.”
Since Carol and Elizabeth’s deaths there have been several case reviews but they have yielded no results or further suspects.
Despite the similarities between the deaths of Carol and Elizabeth, police eventually concluded they were looking for two killers.
And in 2018 officers ruled out a bizarre link to the deaths with that of the infamous Zodiac killer.
A file sent to the CID in Tayside suggested an American man living in north-east Scotland should have been a suspect in the Zodiac murders in northern California from 1968 to 1974.
The dossier stated the killer had fled to Scotland and said the “Zodiac’s last act” was the murder of Carol, but that theory was quashed by Californian investigators.
A spokesman for the Crown Office said it couldn’t discuss how a particular case is dealt with but added: “As with all unresolved homicides, the cases remain open and careful consideration would be given to any further evidence that comes to light.”
Chief Inspector Suzanne Chow said: “All unresolved homicides are reviewed for opportunities presented by new information or advances in forensic science which will be acted on.
“Should anyone have new information in relation to the murder of Carol Lannen or Elizabeth McCabe they should call Police Scotland.”
