Robert McKay, 34, drove for Edmonton's Yellow Taxi off and on for several years. At 8:25 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 1959 Mr. McKay radioed his dispatcher from the Canadian National Railways station. That was his last call. At 10:30 p.m. George Bates was returning home to 130th Street in the Laurier Park area when he saw a Yellow cab parked in the middle of a dead end street at the corner of 85th Avenue and 131st Street. When he found Mr. McKay unconscious and slumped over the steering wheel he called police. As police and ambulance attendants were removing Mr. McKay from the cab he struggled weakly and mumbled "What are you guys trying to take me for now?" Mr. McKay was rushed to the Royal Alexandra Hospital and immediately prepared for surgery. Doctors found that he had suffered a compound fracture of the skull and other head injuries, resulting in severe brain damage. They operated on him all night but he never regained consciousness and died Thursday. One of the taxi windows was broken and there was blood on one of the doors, but no obvious signs of struggle near the taxi. Then a resident directed police to a location several blocks away where they found a hammer smeared with blood and hair, a pair of rubber boots and Mr. McKay's cap. The items had all been set beside each other on the road. A nickel and dime were found a few feet away. An overnight snowfall hid any tracks or signs of struggle so police barricaded the whole area, hoping that the snow would melt and reveal something useful. Unfortunately a motorist removed part of the barricade to drive up a lane, obliterating any evidence. Robbery did not seem to be a motive as all the money that Mr. McKay received for his recorded fares was still in his pocket. His wife told police that he had only a few cents on him when he left for work.

Robert McKay. (Source: Edmonton Police Service, Crime Files: Robert McKay) A few days later a man was arrested in Regina after a routine police check and held overnight for questioning about Mr. McKay's murder. The man had no driver's license and his car reportedly contained a bloodstained jacket. He was released the next day after paying a $20 fine. Fellow cab drivers put up a reward of $300 for information leading to the arrest of Mr. McKay's killer. In 1970 the casa was still unsolved, but Edmonton police stated that the files on all unsolved cases wree considered to be open.