SASKATOON – The six decades-old murder of a beauty queen nurse remains unsolved and Saskatoon police have renewed their appeal to the public for tips.
Alexandra Wiwcharuk, 23, was last seen leaving her home at 1223 – 7 Ave. North in Saskatoon’s City Park neighbourhood on May 18, 1962. Wiwcharuk, a nurse at Saskatoon City Hospital, was working the night shift and was scheduled to start at 11:30 p.m.
She told her three roommates – all fellow nurses – that she would be back and was going to mail two letters at nearby Mead’s Drugs. The letters were for her girlfriend in Edmonton, Alta., and her sister in Ontario.
Thirteen days later, on May 31, 1962, her body was found by a six-year-old boy in a shallow grave near the CPR Bridge along the South Saskatchewan River about 58 feet west of the intersection of 33 St. and Spadina Crescent and about 100 feet from the water.
Police found skin under her fingernails, which led them to believe that she had put up a “ferocious battle for her life,” reported local media.
Warning: Some readers may find details disturbing
According to 1962 media reports, her body was found partially nude and decomposed. Her face had been battered with possibly a concrete slab and she had been savagely attacked, police told reporters. Then Chief Jim Kettles had said her murder was the most heinous crime in his 25 years as an officer.
An autopsy report revealed that she was raped and still alive when she was buried. Her skull was broken in two places. Because her skull was fractured, the pathologist, Dr. E. J. Andres, believed she was unconscious when she was buried. She died of suffocation between 8:30 and 11 p.m. Sand and dirt were found in her windpipe, according to 1962 media reports.
Two boys, who had been fishing with their father, had wandered off when one discovered the grisly scene. Only part of one hand was above the dirt, according to media reports. Her body was nude from the waist down. She had a shoe on her right foot. A pair of lime green slacks covered part of one leg. Her multi-coloured blouse and brassiere were ripped down the front and her dark green cardigan was partly off.
Police Chief Kettles told reporters in 1962 that there was no indication her body was dragged to the scene but it could have been taken there by car. He said because of the nearness of houses, he believed the crime was likely committed between the river and the bluff. He said he thought her body was thrown in a crevice in the bluff and then covered with dirt.
Her left shoe was found near bushes. Her wallet, which her roommates believed she took with her, was never found.
Two of her roommates and fellow nurses, Doreen Badduke and Alice Hall, identified her clothing.
Police had conducted an extensive door-to-door campaign in the City Park neighbourhood. The search for her killer spanned across Western Canada. Scotland Yard even interviewed a person at Saskatoon Police Service’s request, according to media reports.
Everyone a suspect
Suspects included the son of a Saskatchewan politician her roommates had said she dated, a local doctor, and even serial killer Clifford Olson.
Olson had been sentenced in October 1961 to several months in a Prince Albert jail for minor crimes he had committed in Saskatoon. He was 21 at the time and had been released from jail in April 1962, one month before Wiwcharuk’s murder.
Police questioned friends, relatives, taxi drivers and staff from local bus, air, and rail terminals.
A sniffer dog was used but didn’t pick up a scent, likely because it had rained after her murder, reported media.
There were several reports of a red vehicle or a red sports car seen in the City Park neighbourhood the evening Wiwcharuk was murdered.
The local doctor and politician’s son were eliminated as suspects.
Her murderer could have been a suitor whose sexual advances weren’t successful or it could have been a stranger, police told media in 1962.
Police release sketch of boy, about 13
In 1962, police released a sketch of a boy they believed had "valuable information" about Alexandra Wiwcharuk's death.
"Police feel the lad, believed to have been fishing in the area of the dam on the night of the murder, may not be aware of the fact that he is object of a search," reported the media. The story went on to say that the boy was about 13-years old and the sketch may give the impression of an older person but the features were said to be accurate.
In 1962, serial rapist Larry Fisher, who was later convicted of raping and killing Saskatoon City Hospital nursing assistant Gail Miller in 1969, would have been 13 years old at the time of Alexandra Wiwcharuk's rape and murder.
Gail Miller, who was wearing her nurse's uniform on her way to work at Saskatoon City Hospital, was murdered in an alley behind 211 Avenue N South in Saskatoon’s west side Pleasant Hill district on Jan. 31, 1969. David Milgaard had served 23 years for Miller's rape and brutal murder before being exonerated by DNA evidence. The DNA evidence at Gail Miller's murder scene matched Larry Fisher's
Alexandra chosen Johnny Cash's 'Girl from Saskatoon'
In 1962, Alexandra Wiwcharuk’s father Alex, told the media that his daughter was a well-behaved girl.
Her brother-in-law Bob Moss told reporters that she was “an average girl but smart and popular."
He said: “She went through her nursing training with flying colours. She didn’t have an enemy. She was very popular and a good sport. She had won a beauty contest and was selected as Johnny Cash’s girl from Saskatoon when he was here last year.”
Alexandra Wiwcharuk was the Wheat Queen candidate for Yorkton, according to media reports of the day. At the time of her murder, she was only working at Saskatoon City Hospital less than a year and had planned to quit at the end of June to go with her sister to Emma Lake for the summer, according to local media.
She was born in Yorkton and was one of 10 children of a religious Ukrainian farm family. She grew up in Yorkton but attended high school in Saskatoon and returned to Yorkton to attend nurses training after she graduated.
Alexandra Wiwcharuk was crowned queen and a short while later she was selected by Johnny Cash as his “Girl from Saskatoon” from one of his hit songs.
I am Alexandra
On the official website Justice for Alexandra it states:
"My name is Alexandra Wiwcharuk...It was 1962, a warm spring evening and I went down for a walk by the river. Everything happened so fast. I was savagely beaten until I lost consciousness, viciously raped and buried alive in a shallow grave.
The website post continues:
"My body was exhumed in 2004 to search for more evidence but still nothing. Missing evidence, alleged police corruption and whispers of political cover ups shroud my case. It’s up to you now, you are the Voice of the Dead, speaking for those who cannot. Only you can help solve my murder. My family still cries for justice, they want 'Justice for Alex.'"
Renewed request for tips
Saskatoon Police Service have renewed their request for public help to solve her murder.
“An expansive effort began as police investigated her murder; following countless leads and interviewing hundreds of people,” said SPS in a May 16, 2024, media release. “Throughout the years, investigators have used new technology, including DNA testing, as it became available.
The investigation into Wiwcharuk’s historical homicide remains open and investigators maintain contact with her family.
Investigators believe members of the public may have information helpful in solving the case. Anyone with relevant information to offer is asked to contact police directly at 306-975-8300 or submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Your information might help bring answers to Alexandra's family, say police.
