For The Record
I don't recall having said any of this. If I did, it sounds like mush - my comments in red:
Remembering Theresa Allore; 29 years
Nancy Nourse, Special to The Record
BODY:It will be 29 years in November that 19-year-old Theresa Allore went missing from her Champlain College dormitory in the Sherbrooke borough of Lennoxville.It seemed to her family and friends that she had disappeared into thin air. Her body was found the following April.
The death was classified as a run-away, drug overdose, or suicide. In the opinion of Theresa's family, the case was never given the attention that it should have been. The family began their own investigation and "Truth for Theresa" was born. ("Truth for Theresa"? Who Killed Theresa? maybe)
"There have been many people who have tried to help by volunteering their time and expertise to this project," said John Allore. "We do feel that the justice force, nor the [school] administration, were not big in their efforts to solve this case but the outpouring of help and support from people in general has been wonderful. We are, however, grateful for the information that the SQ [Surete du Quebec] has found. Although we do understand the principal behind the rules that the SQ must abide by, we have been very frustrated by the fact that the official investigators have not been very forthcoming with much information that they have found so far." (they've been forthcoming - they just aren't investigating)
"I truly believe that there are people out there who know more about the case than the family has been made aware of," said John.
A recent university criminology department graduate is no longer formally involved in the Allore family investigation, but did meet with former police officers, bus drivers, school officials, family members and friends to try to discover new leads. (she can investigate, she just can't say she's representing mine or Theresa's interests)
In 2002, John, Theresa's younger brother, took it upon himself to begin investigating the circumstances around his sister's death. His persistence eventually led to the case being considered a murder.While it would have been easier to give up, he feels strongly that there are answers out there somewhere and is determined to find them.
Some of the leads that have been discovered have also led to the belief that Theresa's death was not an isolated one but one of a series of at least three committed by the same person -- but no one has been able to prove this theory to the satisfaction of law enforcement representatives.
There is a movement to see a cold case unit established in the Lennoxville/Sherbrooke area, something that the Allore family would be pleased to see established."I am not really as discouraged as I once was. I feel that the truth will come out and this will give my family... and Theresa some final sense of peace in the matter." (Huh? Don't think I said that... don't think I'd EVER say that.)
"But we all have to go on with our lives, no matter what happens from day to day and that is what we are all trying to do. This is not to say that we will ever give up until we do find out what really happened that November in 1978," added John. (don't think I added that)
He is working on a graduate degree in justice administration. Asked if this was a direct result of his sister's death, he admitted that it was.H
e's not interested in the "technical reasons" why things like murder happen (as ascertained by forensics scientists on the television show CSI) but rather the way the justice system works -- on how law enforcement do or cannot do their jobs.
Through this understanding, John hopes to contribute to making changes that will lead to faster and more efficient investigations into tragic events -- as well as work out a way to let the family know what's going on at a level that will appease their grief, while not impeding the investigation itself. (don't think that's part of my interest at all - leave that to AFPAD)
It was not until after Theresa's death that he learned from one of her good friends that she had been taking courses in criminology at Champlain College. They had had similar interests and he was not even aware of it (he was only 13 when Theresa died).
John Allore remains frustrated by the fact that he has written many e-mails and letters to Canadian officials requesting information or help, and rarely received a response. (A response on the Quebec cold-case bureau would be nice )
On the other hand, contacts that he has tried to make on the United States side of the border have led to almost instant responses -- helpful or otherwise, they were nonetheless responses.He can't understand why people can be so complacent in regard to those who have elected them. (See my letters from Jesse Helms, Al Gore and John Edwards!)
Allore and his family are glad, however, to see a new website offering support for families who are trying to survive the murder of a loved one, at www.AFPAD.ca. It is sponsored by the Association des Familles de Personnes Assassinees ou Disaparues de Quebec. For more info on this group, call 1-877-484-0404. (trying to remember if I put in a plug for AFPAD... they hardly need my promotion)
Weird...
