While performing a citywide search of boardinghouses in Winnipeg on June 12, police entered the boardinghouse of Mrs. August Hill on 133 Smith Street, where Nelson had recently lodged. Upon a search of his room, the decaying, nude corpse of Cowan was discovered under the bed. Cowan's body, unlike that of his other victims, had reportedly been mutilated in a manner "reminiscent of victims of Jack the Ripper." Her clothing and belongings were missing and it was evident the bed had been slept in, leading police to determine that Nelson had spent the night sleeping with the body beneath the bed.