Second murder charge filed against Washington man in 1987 death of young Saanich couple

Second murder charge filed against Washington man in 1987 death of young Saanich couple
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SeaTac-area man William Earl Talbott II, 55, appeared in court on May 18, 2018. He has been charged with the first-degree murder of Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18.

SeaTac-area man William Earl Talbott II, 55, appeared in court on May 18, 2018. He was charged with the first-degree murder of Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18.

 

NOHOMISH, Wash — A second murder charge has been filed against a Washington State man accused in the death of a Canadian couple 31 years ago.

William Earl Talbott is facing two charges of aggravated first-degree murder, according to court documents filed Friday in Washington state’s Snohomish court.

The bodies of Victoria’s Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, and her high school sweetheart Jay Cook, 20, were found in 1987 about one hour’s drive apart in Washington State.

 

Jay Cook, 20, and his girlfriend Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, of Saanich were killed while visiting Washington state in 1987. Photo courtesy Times Colonist.

Jay Cook, 20, and his girlfriend Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, of Saanich were killed while visiting Washington state in 1987. Photo courtesy Times Colonist.

 

The Skagit County Sheriff’s department announced Talbott’s arrest last month after investigators made a break in the cold case using a new strategy involving genetic genealogy, uploading DNA from the crime scene to a public, online genealogy database.

Investigators then combed the family tree to identify Talbott as a suspect and collected a fresh DNA sample from him to confirm a match.

Talbott, 55, was arrested in May and charged with the first count of first-degree murder in Van Cuylenborg’s death, with investigators saying at the time that they expected to lay a second charge in Cook’s death after gathering more evidence.

The Cook family van that was driven to the United States. The van was located in Whatcom County (Washington State), locked up and abandoned, in a Blue Diamond parking lot near State and Holly Streets in Bellingham, Wash. on Nov. 25, 1987.

READ MORE: Seattle man arrested in connection with 1987 murders of Saanich couple in Washington state

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