In the book Wish You Were Here by John Allore and Patricia Pearson, the authors share the investigation into the murder of John’s sister Theresa Marie Allore and what they have done to find the person responsible.
The book
The book highlights the complete overview of the investigation spanning several decades. We meet the people who tried to help, including some with access to police files, and most importantly, what police procedure meant in the 70s and 80s as compared to now.
Wish You Were Here is also a compendium of cases related to Theresa’s in location, murder method, discovery, etc.
In the book, we see how women, especially those deemed unworthy or expendable, were treated. Their safety, sexual assaults, rape cases, were all treated with indifference. If the cases were investigated at all, the minimum was done. The Allore Family had to fight to get any follow-up information about the progress or evidence gathering.
We see how terribly unprepared and unexperienced law enforcement was, especially the Lennoxville police department, to deal with these cases. Dismissing a rape case felt like the norm and victim blaming the standard treatment for college students and sex workers. Their risky lifestyles were assumed.
Theresa’s school was ill-prepared for the academic year. They had dorms and student housing without any supervising staff. Some of the buildings were at such a distance from the main buildings on campus that transportation was needed. That bus did not have a regular schedule and there was no well-lit route connecting these buildings. As a result, many students walked in the dark along the road between those buildings.
Confronted with questions about Theresa’s disappearance and subsequent murder, the administration’s attitude was to protect themselves and keep their reputation intact. That it came at the cost of Theresa’s case investigation did not seem to matter. Corruption within law enforcement in Quebec did not advance the case either. It took more than two weeks to get search parties going.
Theresa Marie Allore (Oct 12, 1959 – missing Nov 3, 1978)
Theresa Allore was 19 years old when she was murdered. Contrary to what was suggested in the beginning, she did not kill herself and she did not die of an overdose. From the start, the autopsy by Coroner Durand showed the cause of death: strangulation. It was just that some people conveniently forgot that or claimed not to know.
Blaming a young student for her own death, suggesting she may have been out partying, using drug, then accidentally overdosing, to be left outside the campus by the other party people who panicked, that is too easy. Worse, these lies about the college party culture hindered a professional and independent investigation.
Theresa was in her first semester at Champlain College in Lennoxville. It is near Montreal, Canada. She was assigned a student residence at Gillard House near campus yet, as described above, it was far enough from the main campus so she had to use the shuttle bus. Without a regular transportation schedule, she walked or hitchhiked between the buildings. No supervising staff member lived in Gillard House.
On November 3, 1978, Theresa Allore went missing. She was last seen between the campus buildings and the dorm. Her remains were found April 13, 1979.
The way the family was treated is infuriating and the carelessness of the authorities is inexcusable. The family tried to find justice for Theresa themselves. Eventually, John Allore teamed up with Patricia Pearson, a journalist and old friend. Together they did extensive research and found other unsolved cases. Most importantly, with the years passing by, they were able to use modern technology. And, with the help of independent experts, Theresa’s case slowly came into focus. Rape culture and the lack of knowledge about sexual violence within law enforcement is discussed at length.
Geolocation and Profiling
In this book, the authors present Theresa’s case and the investigation in connection with all the other unsolved cases of that period in the Montreal area. Thanks to their professional approach, they uncovered more information and connections between those cases than was previously known.
Theresa was not murdered where she was found and that should immediately have caught law enforcement’s interest. She had trauma under both her armpits clearly caused by dragging. Knowing that there was a second crime scene, their first reaction should have been to consider a third crime scene, e.g., a vehicle, due to the location where she was found. Instead, they assume she overdosed. No drugs were found in her body. The toxicology report is discussed in the book too. On page 4 is the description of what Coroner Durand did find: marks of strangulation around her neck.
After she finished high school, Theresa got a job in a ski factory in Point-Claire, Montreal. That is where she met her boyfriend, Vlad Kulich. Early in the investigation, he was eliminated as a suspect. He has remained in contact with the Allore Family.
Seeking Solutions
Finding who is responsible for Theresa’s murder would only be possible if we had her personal belongings for DNA testing. On page 152 your heart sinks when the police state that Theresa’s bra and underwear were tossed out. The whole paper trail of evidence overseeing, they said if it was not in the file then maybe that got destroyed too.
The criminologist Kim Rossmo brings light into the darkness. He pioneered geographic profiling. The description of his involvement in the case starts on page 155. Rossmo tells John Allore about the least-effort principle, proximity of houses to highways and railroads, and clustering. How many other girls were murdered in an area on average, that is your base rate. It tells you if you have an unusual situation. Look for geographic connections. A cluster of missing women found dead could mean they have in fact been murdered. If you suspect drugs were to blame, find out if men disappeared at the same rate. On page 181 you can read about geo-profiling.
“The most powerful behavioral predictor of crime linkage is spatial-temporal proximity. Crimes that occur near to each other and close in time are more likely to be connected that those separated by distance and a significant time interval.”
The rest you need to read for yourself.
Thoughts
After I read the book, I had no clue how to write a review. I started to read with curiosity to become furious, angry, desperate, despondent, and then hopeful that modern technology and investigative techniques can and will advance Theresa’s case. However, much of the evidence is lost just like in the other cases that are mentioned in the book.
The journal notes from Theresa’s dad and brothers Andre and John, make clear how surreal their situation was. It adds a deeply personal touch to the story.
Warning
This book describes the sexual assaults, rapes, and murders of several women of various ages. The language is not sensationalized or provoking but there is no easy way to describe assault, rape, or murder.
There are eight pages with black-and-white photography. They do not contain graphic materials. In the back, there are notes and an index.
Highly recommended reading.
My other book reviews are here.
About the authors
John Allore
In 2017, John Joseph Allore (February 4, 1964 – March 30, 2023) started the podcast Who Killed Theresa. The focus was the unsolved murder of his sister Theresa and other unsolved murders in Quebec, Canada. John touched on issues of criminal and social justice as they were at the time of the crime and what could be done now with advanced technology.
In 2018, John was awarded the Senate of Canada’s Sesquicentennial Medal for his work in victims advocacy. He wrote for a variety of publications including Canada’s National Post newspaper, The Montreal Gazette, The Sherbrooke Record, and Quillette.
On March 30, 2023, John died after being hit by a car while he was cycling. He was 59 years old.
Rest in peace, John.
Patricia Pearson
Patricia Pearson investigated Theresa’s case with John. She meticulously detailed what gaps there were in the investigation. Due to her bond with John and the Allore family, the book is not only about murder and mystery. It is about grief and how we all handle it differently. She shows how Theresa’s father and two brothers struggled to keep their sanity and how each tried to advance the case.