RCMP officers are looking for information after determining that the death of a 25-year-old woman in the Smith area was a homicide.
According to an RCMP press release, members of the Slave Lake detachment responded to a 911 call April 29 at 3:30 p.m., after a caller said they had found a deceased woman in a rural residence near Smith. Police identified the woman as Chantelle Hole, a resident of the house.
The release also states that an autopsy conducted in Edmonton May 2 determined the Hole’s death was a homicide.
Cpl. Hal Turnbull of the RCMP’s communications unit said the investigation is being conducted under Major Crimes Unit (MCU) with assistance from members of the Slave Lake detachment.
Turnbull said the investigators will not give specific dates on when the incident may have occurred, but notes she was seen alive approximately two days prior.
“They won’t give me the dates, but I can confirm that within a day or two, before being found, she was alive,” he said.
Investigators do not believe this was a random incident and are looking to speak with anyone who may have observed any unusual activity in the area April 29.
“They don’t believe this was just somebody who showed up at her house and killed her,” Turnbull said. “They believe that there was a reason. It was not a random act. I hesitate to say targeted, because we don’t have that information, but we know it wasn’t random.”
Turnbull said the RCMP are interested in talking with anyone who may have seen unusual activity in or around Smith April 29.
“We’re definitely looking for information from anybody who may have seen or heard anything from (Smith) on Saturday.” he said. “I would even extend that to the evening of Friday.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Slave Lake RCMP detachment at 780-849-3045 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
