Post by Sher on May 9, 2005 8:08:05 GMT -5
Police are waiting for autopsy results to determine if a teenage girl whose body was discovered on the banks of the Bow River yesterday was murdered.
Staff Sgt. Barry Cochran of the violent crimes unit said police are treating the death as suspicious because of the girl's age, the location where she was discovered -- a wooded area immediately west of Bowness Park -- and the position of her body.
"It's a suspicious scene that needs further investigation," Cochran said. "She wasn't dressed for the weather or the conditions."
Police are hoping people will come forward who can help identify the girl, believed to be in her mid to late teens.
She was found wearing a short black tank top, black pants and no socks or shoes.
A family taking a Mother's Day stroll along park trails at around 12:30 p.m. discovered the girl face down, with her arms straight at her sides, said Insp. Bob Couture.
"One parent noticed the body and then shielded it from the children," he said.
The family immediately called 911. EMS arrived on scene and officially pronounced her dead.
Police are not sure how long she had been lying on the riverbank but based on the condition of the body, they say she likely hadn't been dead for long.
Cochran said an autopsy is scheduled for 9 a.m. today to determine exactly how she died and whether the violent crimes unit should continue investigating.
If foul play is ruled out, the investigation will be turned over entirely to officers in District 7.
Empty beer bottles were scattered not far from where the body was found, but Cochran couldn't say whether the girl had been partying in the area.
Cochran said police hadn't received any calls from witnesses or relatives of the girl and last night they still weren't able to identify her.
"We are hoping to get calls from people who have noticed that she's missing," he said.
Early in the evening, police removed a mountain bike from the scene, but Cochran said it's still unclear as to whether it had anything to do with the girl.
A wide area of the park was cordoned off with police tape, just across the Bow River from the water treatment plant and below the Stoney Tr. bridge.
Anyone with information can call police at 266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
Staff Sgt. Barry Cochran of the violent crimes unit said police are treating the death as suspicious because of the girl's age, the location where she was discovered -- a wooded area immediately west of Bowness Park -- and the position of her body.
"It's a suspicious scene that needs further investigation," Cochran said. "She wasn't dressed for the weather or the conditions."
Police are hoping people will come forward who can help identify the girl, believed to be in her mid to late teens.
She was found wearing a short black tank top, black pants and no socks or shoes.
A family taking a Mother's Day stroll along park trails at around 12:30 p.m. discovered the girl face down, with her arms straight at her sides, said Insp. Bob Couture.
"One parent noticed the body and then shielded it from the children," he said.
The family immediately called 911. EMS arrived on scene and officially pronounced her dead.
Police are not sure how long she had been lying on the riverbank but based on the condition of the body, they say she likely hadn't been dead for long.
Cochran said an autopsy is scheduled for 9 a.m. today to determine exactly how she died and whether the violent crimes unit should continue investigating.
If foul play is ruled out, the investigation will be turned over entirely to officers in District 7.
Empty beer bottles were scattered not far from where the body was found, but Cochran couldn't say whether the girl had been partying in the area.
Cochran said police hadn't received any calls from witnesses or relatives of the girl and last night they still weren't able to identify her.
"We are hoping to get calls from people who have noticed that she's missing," he said.
Early in the evening, police removed a mountain bike from the scene, but Cochran said it's still unclear as to whether it had anything to do with the girl.
A wide area of the park was cordoned off with police tape, just across the Bow River from the water treatment plant and below the Stoney Tr. bridge.
Anyone with information can call police at 266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.