The RCMP say advancements in forensic science have led to new and viable leads into the murders of Jeffrey Taylor and Leanne MacFarlane.
Approximately three months before the murder, the couple, former owners of Shuswap Wireless Connections Ltd., had moved from Salmon Arm to Cranbrook to expand their business.
They were shot at a rural home about 20 kilometres east of Cranbrook on May 29, 2010. MacFarlane died at the scene while Taylor died later in hospital.
Police later concluded the pair, both in their forties, were brutally killed in a case of mistaken identity.
The house had previously been visited by police investigators who were looking into a targeted shooting outside the Sam Steele Inn in Cranbrook in October 2009. The home had been linked to the drug trade.
A former resident of the home, Doug Mahon, was one of the assailants connected with the Sam Steele Hotel shooting.
Then, in 2013, three Cranbrook men were convicted in a complex murder plot that targeted Mahon in 2009.
Since the murders occurred, police say hundreds of witnesses were interviewed including several who saw two people walking or running from the crime scene along Highway 3 near the couple’s home.
While the RCMP is not elaborating on the new forensic evidence or leads, police say the developments have prompted more officers to be assigned to the case, new witnesses to be interviewed and some witnesses to be re-interviewed.
“As the result of tireless investigative efforts, police have been successful in moving the investigation forward,” said Staff Sgt. Dave Dubnyk.
The RCMP has established a dedicated tip line for the double-murder. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-877-987-8477.