Gail Sandra Rogers, 26 known as Sam to her friends, was last seen on February 17, 1975, after working a shift as a go-go dancer at the Penthouse Night Club on Seymour Street. Gail’s sister Karen reported her missing and when police went to check her Kitsilano basement suite, they found a carpet and a claw hammer stained with blood.
Gail’s “mystery disappearance” as police called it, was immediately linked to the murder of Barbara Ann Larocque, a 22-year-old go-go dancer at the Syndicate City who was found strangled to death by her own scarf two months earlier, her body dumped in Langley.
Story from: Cold Case BC: The Stories Behind the Province’s Most Intriguing Murder and Missing Persons Cases
Body found in Squamish:
Gail’s body was recovered three weeks later below a bridge in a creek bed north of Squamish and found by three skiers. She had been wrapped in a blanket and tied at the ankles and knees. Her hands were tied behind her back and two pieces of clothing were tied around her neck. She had been thrown off the bridge.
On the day that Barbara went missing, a witness had seen her dragged into a car outside the club on Howe Street where she worked. The police theory was that Barbara’s death was the result of a contract killing. “People need to know that she was somebody and that people loved her,” says Barbara’s niece Shelley. “She was always happy and smiling. Auntie was just living the ’60s—free, groovy, enjoying life.”
Murder related to job?
Karen believes that her sister’s death was related to her job at the nightclub. She believes Gail was killed by a hit-man, her murder made to look like a crime of passion. “[Police] told me they knew who did it, but they didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him,” said Karen.
Gail, says Karen was very outgoing, fun and generous. “She had a great sense of humour, she was an excellent dancer, an honour student at Langley Senior Secondary and she had gone to the Vancouver School of Art.”
At the time of Gail’s murder, Karen was asked to go to the Vancouver Police Department and identify some items that included jewelry and a blanket that had been found with her body. Karen hasn’t heard from the police since 1975. When Karen’s daughter contacted the VPD to ask for Gail’s personal items, she was told that they had been thrown out years ago, along with the murder weapon and anything that could be used for DNA today.
“Just because they were dancers doesn’t mean they were bad people,” says Karen. “It still hurts after all these years, it doesn’t go away.”
Barbara’s family have not heard from the RCMP since her murder. Her file was originally with Langley RCMP but was moved to the Unsolved Homicide Unit at some point. And there it languishes.
If you have any information about either of these murders, contact crime stoppers 1-800-222-8477.
Show Notes:
Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours and Erin Hakin Jewellery
Music: Andreas Schuld ‘Waiting for You’
Intro and voiceovers: Mark Dunn
Buy me a coffee promo: McBride Communications and Media
Podcast promo: Nice Genes
Source: Cold Case BC: The Stories Behind the Province’s Most Intriguing Murder and Missing Persons Cases
6 comments on “The Nightclub Murders”
So sad that the families will have no closure
The RCMP strike again!! Considering current problems over the last couple of years ,one has to wonder about their abilities and value. Seems to be a lot of lost files and lack of followup? Perhaps they should be deployed to out reach areas where their numbers and presents can act as a deterrent?
You may wish not to publish this due the “RCMP bashing” aspect. But let’s be real and look at the cases and current situations and tell me they are staying on top of things . “They know who did it!” But all file data thrown out? Give your head a shake!
I agree 100%. The RCMP won’t help the public and it frustrates Canadians. Due to Eve publishing a story about a murder that I knew all about I contacted the RCMP and went to a station where I made a recorded declaration of what I knew and who I think is the murderer. That person is still a suspect but has always refused to give a DNA sample so the case remains unsolved. If they really cared they would easily get a DNA sample just like a Private Detective would, it’s not hard.
I agree with others that wonder why the RCMP was compelled to toss out their files. If the suspect is still alive, seems to me they could be ordered by the court, to get the person’s DNA.
It was the VPD who tossed the files. Unfortunately that happened a lot before the days of DNA. They didn’t see the value in keeping evidence
I wonder if anything more is known about the murder of Jacquie/Jackie Green, who might have been a “mule” in transporting drugs from Ontario to B.C, or vice versa. I knew the Green family; our mothers were friends from Birth as they both lived in Wildwood, Alberta and both moved to B.C. as did many Albertans of the time.