KIM PEMBERTON. The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, B.C.: Oct 29, 1993. pg. B.2
(Copyright The Vancouver Sun)

Police are looking into "disturbing'' similarities between the murder of a Kelowna woman and the disappearance of a Kamloops woman.

Both Jennifer Shawn Cusworth, 19, and Sherri McLaughlin, 20, were last seen alone in early-morning hours on city streets -- Cusworth in Kelowna and McLaughlin in Kamloops, which is only 1/2-hour drive away.

Cusworth's body was found Oct. 17 while McLaughlin, who went missing in Kamloops Sept. 20, has never been found.

"There are disturbing similarities between them,'' said RCMP S.Sgt. Peter Montague. "We're not saying one person is responsible for both cases, but we're not ruling this out either.''

RCMP in Kelowna, meanwhile, are investigating a report of another 20-year-old woman who was frightened by a man walking behind her in the area where Cusworth was last seen. The incident happened Saturday around 2:45 a.m.

The woman was able to run to a local hotel and called police, who released a composite drawing of the man Thursday.

"We're not calling him the suspect because we don't know if he is the guy who murdered her (Cusworth)," said Kelowna S.Sgt. Darrell Graves.

"He was definitely acting suspicious, but who is to say those suspicious actions can't be explained by something not criminal.''

Graves said police are taking the tip -- the only one of its kind to Kelowna RCMP so far -- seriously because it occurred in the immediate area of where Cusworth was last seen.

The OkanaganUniversityCollege student earlier had been at a house party attended by about 130 people. She was walking home alone at 5:30 a.m.

McLaughlin disappeared at about 3 a.m. while riding her mountain bike to her ex-boyfriend's home. Her damaged bicycle was found by the side of the road.

Kamloops Cpl. Wayne Zaksauskas said there have been preliminary discussions between investigators on the McLaughlin case and those working on Cusworth's murder.

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