Naman Shrestha
Sundance Now’s ‘The Hunt for the Chameleon Killer’ is a true crime documentary series that sheds light on the crimes of the Chameleon Killer, who reportedly assumed multiple identities over the course of more than a decade. The show also explores the mysterious and horrific murder of a woman named Beverly “Bev” Ann McGowan, whose killing led the police to the most-wanted woman in the world. The three-episode series also features insightful interviews with the victims’ loved ones and the officials connected to the investigation.
Beverly “Bev” Ann McGowan’s Body Was Found by a Fisherman in 1990
On February 10, 1956, the McGowan family in Norfolk, Virginia, was blessed with a baby girl, Beverly “Bev” Anne McGowan. Over the years, the household reverberated with sounds of laughter of Bev, and her siblings — Steve and Jane McGowan. Bev’s talent and personality blossomed under the love and care of a loving family, helping her evolve into a free-spirited woman. By the year 1990 rolled around, the 34-year-old had made a great life for herself and her two cats in the sunny city of Pompano Beach in Broward County, Florida. While she was single and didn’t really have anything going on in the romantic aspect of her life, Bev was thriving professionally, working as a loan processor in the Glendale Federal Bank for two years.
Since Bev was looking for a flatmate to share her condo, in July 1990, she posted an advertisement for the same in a local newspaper — South Florida’s Sun Sentinel. On July 17, Jane talked to Bev, and the former didn’t seem to sense anything unusual from the latter’s demeanor. She mentioned her sister was as upbeat as usual. However, a couple of days later, handwritten letters written by Bev were sent to her siblings and other loved ones, explaining how she needed to make some changes in her life. Her friend. Mike Lubore received the most detailed letter, which revealed her possible plans as it read, in part, “…I’m off to improve me & my life. What else can I tell you. This will make my life so much better. I’ll try to keep in touch while traveling cause I do want to see you again when I get back. So for now, Adios, Bev.”
Not only that, it was reported that Bev also authorized her mortgage company to sell her condo and get rid of all her belongings. The fact that she failed to inform her workplace boss before quitting also raised a few red flags among her coworkers. Confused and suspicious about Bev’s sudden urge to leave her old life behind, Jane and Steve went to her condo, only to find her cats and car missing from the property. Around 5:30 pm on July 19, the same day when Bev’s siblings received the letters, a fisherman came across the dismembered body of Beverly McGowan in a drainage canal west of Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County. The rose tattoo on her ankle and dental records assisted the police in identifying the victim as 34-year-old Bev. Given the severe mutilation of her body, the medical examiners struggled to find an accurate cause of death.
The Authorities Believe a Con Artist Allegedly Killed Beverly “Bev” Ann McGowan
After Beverly McGowan went missing, her siblings carried out an investigation of their own and came across the name of her new roommate, Alice. Before her disappearance, she was excited about Alice moving in with her on July 17, 1990. According to Bev, her new roommate was from England, where she worked for IBM and had a successful career. Bev also told her friend, Cindy Sabourin, that Alice knew Numerology, and in order to get her chart reading done, Bev had provided her with her bank account number, passport, birth certificate, and social security number. Most of those items, including her vehicle, were missing from Bev’s condo, indicating foul play from Alice. The day after Bev was last seen, on July 18, the detectives learned that someone withdrew $1,000 from her bank account using an ATM in Miami.
What made Alice more suspicious in the eyes of law enforcement was that IBM had not transferred anyone from England to the South Florida area, as claimed by the suspect. A few days after Bev went missing, her car was discovered at Day’s Inn Motel near Miami International Airport. Inside the vehicle, the detectives found four strands of black synthetic wig hair. Despite the best efforts of the investigators, the limited clues led them nowhere but dead ends, resulting in the case turning cold. Several years later, the detectives finally found a break in the case as they believed that Alice traveled to England under the name Sylvia Ann Hodgkinson. As it turned out, both those names were disguises used by a woman named Elaine Antoinette Parent, who was far from an ordinary criminal.
When the investigators dug deeper into the con artist, they found out that she had assumed the identities of multiple women over the years. Finally, in April 2002, Elaine was cornered by the authorities. At the time, she was living under the name Darlene Thompson in the suburb of Panama City, Florida. As they received various tips about Elaine’s address, the police surrounded her apartment and ordered her to come out. In an unexpected turn of events, she ended up shooting herself in the chest with a .357 Magnum. According to the authorities, Elaine Parent is responsible for murdering Beverly McGowan for her identity. Given the brutal and gruesome nature of her murder, they also suspected that she might be involved in other murders as well.
Read More: Sarah Yarborough Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
