Dead inmate linked to cold case killings of Newport teens

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities in Lincoln County say a man who died in an Oregon prison six years ago is linked to the 1995 deaths of two teens near Newport.

District Attorney Rob Bovett said Monday that investigators have been working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate Bobby Jack Fowler.

The Oregonian reports the link between Fowler and the Newport slayings emerged when Canadian police discovered DNA implicating Fowler in the 1974 killing of 16-year-old Colleen MacMillen in British Columbia.

Bovett says the Newport and Canada cases are very similar. The bodies of 15-year-old Jennifer Esson and 16-year-old Kara Leas were found in 1995 weeks after they went missing.

Detectives haven't linked Fowler's DNA to the Newport girls, but they recently submitted evidence for testing.

They say Fowler is also person of interest in the killings of two teenage girls whose bodies were found near Eddyville in 1992.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press