CANADA Canada - Lee Kirk, 15, & Kathy Potter, 13, Toronto, 1 Oct 1971

[Leekirksniece]

So I said I'd update this so I will. Cold Case came by my house to talk to my dad about his brother (deceased 2003) and get a dna swab from him. in regards to these murders as well as the 82 Toronto murder of Christine Prince. admittedly i was a little checked out when she explained the connection to that one but in regards to this my dad explained he would have had a job in rust proofing and also stayed in the same group home as the girls

Hello, I am Lee Kirks niece. My mother would really like closure. I would love to speak to you inregards to where this went and what was discussed. My email is tanya.paralegal@gmail.com I am going to be contacting the opp and finding out more. Thank you to everyone trying to help out

 

[Wannie]

Hello, I knew Lee Kirk when she was at a foster home in Rexdale. We spent many hours together as kids and I recall her being very protective of me. She was a tough girl. If anyone one was being picked on or bullied, Lee would jump in to fight the battle! I also remember her waiting in the driveway of her foster home on saturday mornings waiting for her dad. She would tell me he was bringing her a bike but he never showed up. She left Rexdale for a new foster home not long before she was murdered. I've often wondered, in my older years, if this case would ever be solved. Thank you for keeping it alive.

I am Lee Kirk's younger sister and yes she was a protector of people with a very big heart. I still am looking for some answers or some kind of closure.

 

[cherrymeg]

I am Lee Kirk's younger sister and yes she was a protector of people with a very big heart. I still am looking for some answers or some kind of closure.

I'm sorry for your loss. You deserve answers and so does your sister.

 

[cherrymeg]

I googled them and there wasn't much about them. It seems like two teens being murdered would be a big deal. It should be.

 

[Snively]

"Tests conducted at the Centre for Forensic Sciences showed flecks of auto body paint in colours...(orange, yellow, red, and pale green)...most likely used by youthful hotrodders. Light engine oil and grease were also found on the girls' clothing, (hands), and on the soles of their shoes...Also found were round blobs of metal consistent with welding". These discoveries led police to theorize the girls were killed at a garage, auto body shop, or general car repair shop, or at a motorcycle or car club. Or they thought the girls might have been transported in the back of a van or truck. Police at the time appealed for the public's help in locating such a site.

Investigators were stymied by the discovery of tiny crystals on the sole of Potter's foot. Tests determined they were composed of silicon, aluminum, iron, and titanium, but could not conclude their origin.

One thing that I have never have been found that was considered was looking into the amount of racing shops that were in the area at the time with Pinecrest Speedway being nearby.

A stock car racer (name withheld) kept his car near Thornhill. It was orange and lime green. The tiny crystals that were found make up the components of what the roll cages in the race cars were made of, due to their lightness and strength.

 

[dotr]

Wondering why there seems to be so little information about these double murders, especially as the victims were so young.
Has the case essentially been solved but there is not enough evidence to make an arrest?
speculation.

 

[Snively]

Wondering why there seems to be so little information about these double murders, especially as the victims were so young.
Has the case essentially been solved but there is not enough evidence to make an arrest?
speculation.

Unfortunately it's more an instance of something happening a long time ago. The newspapers at the time had a fair bit of information but Google searches don't pick up the archives of newspapers. So if someone hasn't written about things using the archive material, very little if anything at all, will show up in a regular search.

 

[jessica-]

I just want to say I have always wondered about these girls. My dad lived in Pickering all his life and was 13 years old when these girls were found. My dad has since passed away, but he always use to talk about a motorcycle gang that hung out in Pickering near Concession. 3? They were the Satan's Choice motorcycle club, and my dad said they use to make themselves known.

I know my father was a bit of a trouble maker, and he use to brag that he would travel through the farm fields to reach their club house and pick their weed plants. I guess one time a friend of his almost got caught and they stopped going back when they were threatened.

if anyone knows about the old club house or its exact address that might help. I'll try to find a location, but it's hard to find out old information online.

 

[Snively]

I just want to say I have always wondered about these girls. My dad lived in Pickering all his life and was 13 years old when these girls were found. My dad has since passed away, but he always use to talk about a motorcycle gang that hung out in Pickering near Concession. 3? They were the Satan's Choice motorcycle club, and my dad said they use to make themselves known.

I know my father was a bit of a trouble maker, and he use to brag that he would travel through the farm fields to reach their club house and pick their weed plants. I guess one time a friend of his almost got caught and they stopped going back when they were threatened.

if anyone knows about the old club house or its exact address that might help. I'll try to find a location, but it's hard to find out old information online.

You definitely are on the right track with the biker gang theory. They were in the Richmond Hill area. Their future President lived in Oak Ridges (just north of Richmond Hill) and hung out in Richmond Hill at this time. He became their President within a year and a half of this murder, possibly sooner. He was eventually shot and killed by another biker.

 

[Snively]

You definitely are on the right track with the biker gang theory. They were in the Richmond Hill area. Their future President lived in Oak Ridges (just north of Richmond Hill) and hung out in Richmond Hill at this time. He became their President within a year and a half of this murder, possibly sooner. He was eventually shot and killed by another biker.[/QUOTE

There's another biker from Richmond Hill from the same time and same gang who had a connection with the race shop I had mentioned earlier.

 

[jessica-]

Off topic, but I remember you (snively) posting on Unsolved Canada.

 

[jessica-]

Ok, so I have read this paper before, but I don't think I have mentioned this. The two witnesses Albert and Vincent found both Catherine and Lee at the Pickering gravel pit. However, if you look at the map I provided, you'll see that Vincent and Albert lived fairly close to where Lee and Catherine were taken. Not only that, but why is it they went all the way to Pickering? What are the chances that they lived right by these girls, and conveniently found them the next day... Guilty conscience? Not only that, but two men happen to find two missing woman. Was it not suspected that two people took these girls?

Again, I'm going off of the vague detail that is presented in this paper, and I only have street names, but when I mapped this I thought it was worth the share.

 

[Snively]

Good question Jessica, but it seems it was passed off as many kids went to watch the dirt bikes on weekend and these kids didn't really live close to North York. Finch station was still three years away from opening at this time. But I would like to see more about these two.

 

[jessica-]

Good question Jessica, but it seems it was passed off as many kids went to watch the dirt bikes on weekend and these kids didn't really live close to North York. Finch station was still three years away from opening at this time. But I would like to see more about these two.

I guess it's not too close. I'm from outside the GTA so I'm not familiar with downtown, York, etc. ; however, it's still sticks out to me as being something to look at.

 

[Fede]

I wonder if here we can find some more info (some of it is a little bit dark): Homicide---Catherine Potter/Lee Rita Kirk 1971 | In Memory of the Murdered and Missing

 

[dotr]

Feb 12 2021
HUNTER: 1976 Valentine's Day double murder still raises questions | Toronto Sun
''On Oct. 1, 1971, Kathy Potter, 13, and Lee Kirk, 15, ate dinner with their foster family on Rochell Cr. and left around 6:30 p.m.
The two were dropped off at a bus stop at the corner of Yonge St. and Finch Ave. with the intention of visiting Lee Kirk’s biological father in Richmond Hill. But they never arrived.

On Sunday, Oct. 3, 1971, their bodies were found in a Pickering gravel pit. Both had been strangled.

Two years later, on April 27, 1973, the bodies of Donna Stearne and Wendy Tedford, both 17, were found around 7:30 a.m. in an industrial site near Wilson Ave. and Keele St.''

Ws thread..
CANADA - Canada - Donna Stearne & Wendy Tedford, both 17, Toronto, 26 April 1973

 

[dotr]

Ontario Cold Cases – The Podcast

Explore the unsolved mysteries of Ontario, Canada with our captivating true crime podcast, Ontario Cold Cases – The Podcast. Join our team of dedicated detectives as they investigate cold cas…

nicollinvestigations.wordpress.com

'On Friday, October 1st 1971, Kathy Potter and Lee Kirk ate supper with their foster family on Rochell Crescent in Toronto. At about 6:30 p.m., they left home and were dropped off at the bus stop at the corner of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue in Toronto. The two girls were going to visit Lee Kirk’s biological father in Richmond Hill. The girls never made it to their destination and were not seen again until Sunday, October 3rd, when their bodies were found in a gravel pit in Pickering, Ontario'

"Jan 19, 2024 Ontario Cold Cases - The Podcast
Kathy Potter & Lee Kirk - S2-EP3 (Trailer)Hello, I’m Jay Nicoll of Nicoll Investigations and I’m here to tell you about our next episode of Ontario Cold Cases - The Podcast, coming this Sunday, January 21st.On Friday, October 1st 1971, Kathy Potter and Lee Kirk ate supper with their foster family on Rochell Crescent in Toronto. At about 6:30 p.m., they left home and were dropped off at the bus stop at the corner of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue in Toronto. The two girls were going to visit Lee Kirk’s biological father in Richmond Hill. The girls never made it to their destination and were not seen again until Sunday, October 3rd, when their bodies were found in a gravel pit in Pickering, Ontario.