CANADA Canada - Phillip Fraser, 25, Stewart, BC, 18 June 1988

Danaya

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This is such an odd case and I'm surprised no one has posted it. I saw it on the unsolved mysteries website but there is no other information on it on the net. Go to http://unsolved.com/unexplained.html and click on Phillip Innes.
 
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I cannot find anything online about this other than the link you provided. There IS a convicted murderer named Philip Fraser that comes up....
 
Hmmm I don't think it's related... I wonder why there isn't any more information, that's pretty odd. It's a spooky story, though.
 
Truly odd! Was the couple that towed the car shown photos of Phillip and sketches of the hitch hiker? Poor young man!
 
strange case i just read the details on the link i wonder if someone contacted the ak police department and the canadian law people i wonder how much more info they have. also maybe doing a search on his name to see if anything comes up

if u go to veromi a bunch come up age range from 70s to 26 guys in the 40s age range and 50s age range come up as people living in co tx ma and washington
 
so if this guy took his id and his social and all his important info and wanted to use it to assume his identity wouldn't le have looked into that and if it was used then they would have found out right.?
 
I assume this victim is Philip Innes Fraser?
 
http://unsolved.com/archives/phillip-innes-fraser
Check out the recent comments by someone who said they think the sketches of the hitchhiker look like their brother. Then search for the brother's name and compare. Definitely very similar.

The statement you are referring to was proven false, as the person claiming to be the man's "brother" did not know that the alleged suspect was in prison at the time, and was not paroled until the 90s. I'm not sure what kind of sick individual would post something that is obviously untrue.
 
The statement you are referring to was proven false, as the person claiming to be the man's "brother" did not know that the alleged suspect was in prison at the time, and was not paroled until the 90s. I'm not sure what kind of sick individual would post something that is obviously untrue.

Hey Jets, the "alleged suspect" ... are you saying the dude's brother was in prison, or the authorities know who the suspect in the sketches is, and found him to have been in prison at the time?

Edited: Ah I went back and read the original link I had posted and see someone had posted the info there! The "brother" was in prison... Thanks Jets!
 
Have not thought about this case in a long time, so just re-reading and re-searching thingss today and found this:
http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1988-07-18-02 (Check the Tourist Alert section).
Phillip's parents put an ad in the Prince George paper on July 18th asking him to call... so about a month after his car was found.

Edit: And again I am posting before reading everything. The parents also posted an ad on July 8th.
 
I saw this case reenacted on Unsolved Mysteries. I got the impression the hitch hiker had some mental issues and probably doesn't have the smarts to evade capture for this many years. Because of this I think he's probably incarcerated somewhere, but with different provinces, territories, states,
and countries involved no one has put two and two together.


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Hi all, I'm actually working on producing a small video on Phillip Fraser for my new YouTube account. During my research, I found a detailed retelling of the events leading to his death by D. D. L. Moore on American Crime Journal (An Interrupted Journey). There's a lot of impressive research that this individual made regarding this story and I'm going to refer to it for assistance in researching the case myself, I'll update as I continue.

I really hope there is more emphasis on this case, I would hate to think that the person who killed Phillip got away. This guy was just a kid.
 
Terrace Standard
Terrace, British Columbia, Canada

24 Aug 1988, Wed • Page 2

RCMP want to question a man who hitched a ride with an Alaskan resident later found shot to death in a gravel pit near Stewart. Described as a person in which the police are interested, the hitchhiker caught a ride with Philip Innes Fraser June 17 or 18 at 40 Mile Flats, south of Dease Lake. Fraser, 23, left Anchorage, Alaska on June 14 in a 1983 black V.W. Jetta full of personal effects. It was later found burnt out in a Prince George carwash June 19. Fraser's body was found July 27 in the gravel pit on Hwy37A near Stewart. The hitchhiker is described as a white male, late teens or early 20s, five feet 10 inches tall and weighing between 200 and 220 pounds. He has brown short hair with a wave, is heavy set with a midriff bulge, has a fat . neck, badly decayed teeth, strong body odour, slow speech and light facial hair under the chin. He was wearing a blue or white T-shirt, red or burgundy coloured pants and was wearing running shoes. He had a packsack on a packboard and a Anatomy of a Start Search Philip Innes Fraser small day pack. There is no indication if the hitchhiker has an accent. Police also want to talk to a person driving a dark coloured pick up truck with a light stripe on the side who dropped off the hitchhiker at 40 Mile Flts. '. ) Sergeant Wayne' Watson of J the RCMP's Prince Rupert sub- division General Investigation Services (GIS) section said the pick up driver dropped off the hitchhiker who then caught a ride with Fraser. Fraser was five feet nine in ches tall, of light build, had light brown hair and blue eyes. He was normally dressed in blue jeans, shirt and seater. His Jetta carried Alaskan plates, licence number CBJ-358. The back window was taped in place after being shattered in an acci- Fraser travelled via the Alaska Highway from Beaver Creek border crossing in the Yukon. He travelled as far as Upper Liard, Yukon and then south on the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy37. He passed through Cassiar and Dease Lake. Watson said it appears Fraser was in Dease Lake on Friday June 17 or Saturday June 18. He was last seen at 40 Mile Flats in the company of the hitchhiker. The sergeant said Fraser was shot with a handgun and it is possible the hitchhiker is carrying a weapon. ... Watson added Prince George RCMP have a general idea of the personal effects in Fraser's Jetta and are keeping an eye out for them. Anybody with information relating to the incident is asked to contact the nearest detachment of the RCMP. hynfc realized after after on and both Aug. a " that in its to this university

RCMP have begun an extensive publicity campaign to help solve the murder of an Alaskan man in June near Stewart. The body of Philip Innes Fraser, 23, was found in a gravel pit near Stewart on Hwy37A July 27. He had been shot. In particular, RCMP want to question a hitchhiker who got a ride with Fraser June 17 or June 18 at 40 Mile Flats, south of Dease Lake. The campaign includes press releases sent to all regional newspapers, distribution of posters with pictures of Innes and a description of the hitchhiker and a Crimestoppers-style video filmed last week by Skeena Broadcasters. Information gleaned as a result of the campaign will be examined by a team of RCMP General Investigation Services (GIS) officers based in Prince George and in Prince Rupert. "We have lots of leads right now and expect lots more. No doubt this will generate a lot of response," said Sergeant Wayne Watson, head of the RCMP's Prince Rupert subdivision GIS section. He said four GIS members THRRACli PKU-CUT from Prince Rupert and six or seven from Prince George are involved. Prince George officers are in on the investigation as Fraser's 1983 black Jetta car was found burned out in a car wash there June 19. Watson said the number of officers involved in the investigation is standard given the type of offense.


Terrace Standard
Terrace, British Columbia, Canada

28 Sep 1988, Wed • Page 6

HUNT CONTINUES
RCMP officers investigating the July death of a man near Stewart took their case to his home state of Alaska last week. Sergeant Wayne Watson of the RCMP's General Investigation Services section in Prince Rupert was in the northern state conferring with Alaskan state trooper counterparts as part of the job of tracking down various leads into the murder of Philip Innes Fraser. Publicity from Fraser's murder has lead to numerous inquiries being made to RCMP detachments in the northwest. RCMP are looking for a male hitchhiker last seen in the company of Fraser who was found shot to death July 27 in a gravel pit near Stewart. The police last month issued a detailed description of the hitchhike who caught a ride with Fraser June 17 or June 18 at 40 Mile Flats south of Dease Lake. Another G1S officer, Constable David Keils said the leads will take some time to sort out. He described the process as painstaking but one that could pay off. 'It takes some time with this kind of investigation. We've got a lot of leads as a result of media coverage," said Dells. The officer said the investigation is still missing the one vital piece of information that would lead to the discovery of the wanted hitchhiker. The hitchhiker is described as a white male in his late teens or early 20s who is five feet, 10 to- Philip Innes Fraser ches tall and weighs between 200 and 220 pounds. He has brown short hair with a heavy, is heavyset with a midriff bulge, has a fat neck, badly decayed teeth, has strong body odour, slow speech and light facial hair under his chin. He was last seen wearing a blue or white t-shirt, red or burgundy coloured pants and running shoes. He had a packsack on a packboard and a small day pack. Police are also looking for the driver of a dark coloured pickup truck with a light stripe on the side. It is believed the driver dropped off the hitchhiker at 40 Mile Flats immediately before he got a ride with Fraser. Fraser was driving a 1983 black Jetta Volkswagen. It was later recovered burnt out in a Prince George carwash June 19.


Terrace Standard
Terrace, British Columbia, Canada

21 Jun 1989, Wed • Page 5
MURDER INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
It's been a year since Philip Innes Fraser was murdered near Stewart and investigating RCMP officers are beginning to fill up their second four-drawer filing cabinet of information. The job of finding the killer of the 23-year-old Alaskan resident is the fulltime occupation of two RCMP investigators from Prince Rupert with assistance from officers in Prince George and Vancouver. It's a difficult job, says one of those officers, Constable Dave Kells, and one made more challenging because of the isolation of northern B.C. If ; Philip Innes Fraser Socreds shift burden Dear Sir: I recently had a conversation about school taxes with a friend of mine. He was justifiably annoyed at yet another increase "In a populated area there would be a lot more witnesses. Compounding that is that Fraser was travelling from point A to point B, he was simply travelling through the area, and we could well be dealing with a transient who could be anywhere," said Kells recently. Fraser was found shot to death in a gravel pit near Stewart on July 27, 1988. It is known he crossed into Canada from Alaska June 17, 1988 and travelled south on Hwy37 where he picked up a male hitchhiker at 40 Mile Flat, a gas station and restauarant about 70km south of Dease Lake. His black Volkswagen Jetta was found burnt out in a Prince George carwash on June 19. The job of finding Fraser's killer was helped earlier this year when RCMP released a composite drawing of the hitchhiker. Described as a white male, late teens or early 20s,' five feet 10 inches tall and weighing between 200 and 220 pounds, he has brown short hair with a wave to the left. The man is heavy set with a midriff bulge, has a fat neck, badly decayed teeth, strong body odor, slow speech, light facial hair under the chin and is a nail biter) LETTERS RCMP describe the investigation as difficult given that the hitchhiker could not be a resident of the north. Most, if not all, of Fraser's personal effects were missing from his Jetta upon its discovery in Prince George. Each one of those people who might fit the profile of the hitchhiker Is checked as to their whereabouts at the time of Fraser's death. The release of the composite drawing lead to a number of lea'ds which are now being looked into by the officers. "We are slowly getting somewhere. There's a lot of work done already and quite a bit ahead of us. We're making inquiries all over the country. The release has given us a lot of suspects," said Kells. Each one of those people who might fit the profile of the hitchhiker is checked as to their whereabouts at the time of Fraser's death. At any one time, officers might have have a dozen people in which they are interested. Prince George RCMP officers are involved because that's where Fraser's car was found while Vancouver RCMP officers belonging to the serious crime unit give assistance for investigations down south. "Without their help, I don't know where we would be," said Kells. "The hitchhiker could have come from anywhere and could have been going to anywhere," he said. One of the disadvantages of investigating in the north is the distance involved in talking to somebody, said Kells, as it can mean a two day round trip just to talk to somebody for one day. Despite that, the investigators are confident they will come across the one crucial piece of information that will be invaluable. "We're very hopeful a name of somebody to track down, to lead us toward the right person. We're very optimistic something will turn up," said Kells. property owners presently provide less school tax revenue than they did in 1983 by thirty-five per cent while residential property owners provide more than Have you seen this man? Pensions offer little hope w nm : A'W I.


Houston Today
Houston, British Columbia, Canada

08 Feb 1989, Wed • Page 2

RCMP Requests Assistance
RCMP are looking for a murderer and need help. They are continuing their investigation into the murder of Philip Innes Fraser, an American citizen, whose body was found July 27, 1988 in a gravel pit next to Highway 37A, approximately 47 kilometres east of Stewart, BC. Fraser had left Anchorage, Alaska, June 14 and had been travelling south in his black 1983 Volks wagon Jetta, Alaska licence number CBJ-358. The Jetta was noticeably damaged from an accident which occurred in Alaska. Most noticeable was damage to the rear window which was held in by tape after this accident. It is known that Fraser crossed into Canada June 17 and travelled the Alaska Highway to the junction of Hwy 37 (StewartCassiar Hwy.) at Upper Liard. Investigation has led police to believe that Fraser then went south on Hwy 37 to 40 Mile Flat, which is a gas station and restaurant located approximately 70 kilometers south of Dease Lake, on Highway 37. Witnesses at this point saw Fraser pick up a hitch-hiker and have provided police with a composite drawing depicting this male. This hitch-hiker is described as: - white male, late teens to early request assistance - 5'10", 200-220 lbs. - short brown hair with a wave to the left , fat neck strong body odor light facial hair under the chin noticeably slow speech - nail biter carrying a pack sack on a pack board, dark brown or beige in color, and a small day pack wearing a blue or white shirt, red or burgandy colored pants and grey or blue runners The identity of this hitchhiker is unknown to date and police are extremely interested in identifying and speaking with this male. Here is a composite drawing depicting the hitchhiker. It is known that this hitchhiker was dropped off at 40 Mile Flat by someone driving a late model pick-up truck, possibly a Ford which was dark in color with a light stripe down the side. Inquiries by police to date have not been able to determine who these people were that dropped the hitch-hiker off at 40 Mile Flat. The RCMP wish to speak with these people as it is believed they can provide valuable information regarding this investigation, particularly in regards to the identity of the hitch-hiker in question. Fraser's car was discovered June 19 at 9:30 p.m. in Prince George, where it had been set on fire in the Car Pool Car Wash. Examination of the vehicle leads police to believe that most, if not all, of Fraser's personal belongings are still missing. These belongings include personal papers, luggage, clothing, a portable cassette player and numerous cassette tapes. Police are seeking assistance from any person who may have knowledge or information regarding this homicide, in particular the identity of the hitch-hiker picked up by Fraser at 40 Mile Flat prior to Fraser picking him up. It is requested that anyone who has information related to this investigation please contact the Prince Rupert Subdivision, RCMP General Investigation Section, at (604) 624-6787, or your local police at 692-7171 in Burns Lake. An artists sketch of a hit-chiker picked up by the murdered man.
 
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I'm coming back to this post -in addition to what some of you have said regarding no information online -there's no official cold case for Philip with the RCMP or any other police agency that I can find. It's truly odd that there seems to be no official resource to provide information or to see what law enforcement say regarding this homicide case. I'm not sure if anyone else has found anything that shows what jurisdiction would still be investigating this -I would assume the RCMP but I've found nothing online that shows their continued involvement with this case since contemporary newspaper articles...
 
The Philip Fraser UM segment is extremely unsettling. The remote nature of the locale where he was driving through & the brutal nature of the crime really creeped me out.

It seems fairly obvious that the hitch-hiker was the one that committed the murder of PF. It's not clear if it was anyone that the authorities already knew/know about, however. It also definitely seems that the hitch-hiker found out a lot of personal info. about Philip Fraser (probably from asking him about himself as they were driving) so he could kill him & at least briefly assume his identity.

It was interesting that the owner of the remote cafe & her daughter (who ran it with her) both mentioned that the hitch-hiker seemed "off" and that they were really glad when he left; the daughter said he seemed like he escaped from a mental institution. This is so true - there are some people out there that just give off bad "vibes", and he was obviously one of them. I've definitely run into people like this before.

Re: the UM segment, as was presumably observed by the cafe owner & her daughter, this is what happened:

First, as the hitch-hiker is leaving the cafe (after eating), he approaches PF in the parking lot & asks him for a ride. PF is hesitant & says he's going into the cafe to eat, and the hitch-hiker goes on his way.

However, not long after, PF (who decided not to go into the cafe after all) drives towards the hitch-hiker & as he drives past him, appears to slow down & say something to him. Right afterwards, the hitch-hiker runs after the car, grabs the door - and then gets in the car. So, it seems that PF was being wishy-washy re: whether he wanted to pick the guy up or not. And, if he really didn't want to pick the guy up...did he let the guy the guy in the car because he was forceful/aggressive, and PF was being too polite?! to tell the hitcher to get out of the car?! The hitcher was much bigger than PF (who had a thin build, based on the segment). So, it's possible/probable that the hitcher intimidated him.

That all being said - this whole situation is puzzling, because if he really didn't want to pick up the guy, he should have gone in the cafe to eat (or else spent some time in there), and then waited until the hitch-hiker had left the area before leaving. Of course, he may have still passed by him while driving - but it would have been a lot easier to avoid him if he was speeding down the highway.

I guess we'll never really know what happened here.

This case hits close to home for me because I have driven cross-country alone (not recently, though), though never in as remote of an area as PF was driving through. So, I can unfortunately see how something like this can happen to someone.
 

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