On Oct.13, Cochrane RCMP responded to a call at a rural property outside the town where human remains were found.
The remains were investigated by the RCMP Major Crime Unit, as well as the Calgary Forensic Identification Section before they were sent to the Alberta Medical Examiner where they were officially confirmed to be human in origin.
“As of right now, we have no further information regarding the investigation,” said RCMP Media Relations Officer Sgt. Josée Valiquette. “The remains will be tested and an identification will be made, but as of right now that has not yet been determined.”
When it comes to the process behind the identification of remains, Alberta Medical Examiner spokesperson Jason Maloney explained there is no definitive timeline that can be set as each case depends on the state of the remains and the amount of personal information on record for that individual.
“Identifying a body relies heavily on what condition the body is in when it’s recovered,” said Maloney.
“Sometimes we rely on family members to do the identifying and sometimes we rely on things like dental records, tattoos, scars and DNA.
This whole process can take weeks or months. There are a variety of things that need to be done and no average in terms of time at this point.”
In cases where no immediate identification can be made, the office will turn to the public for assistance.
Through the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General website people are able to assist in identifying remains that are currently awaiting an official identification.
“Though the remains from Cochrane have not be listed on this website, we do have other cases where we can use the public’s help,” said Maloney.
To see the list of requests for public assistance, visit www.justice.alberta.ca
Cochrane skate shop
Shortly after 3 a.m. on Oct. 15, Cochrane RCMP were called out to an alarm at the Shredz Skate Shop on First Street.
Upon arrival, it was determined that someone had broken into the local business and a variety of clothes had been stolen.
The exact amount and cost of the items taken have yet to be determined, but a description of the suspect was given.
The individual is described as a male, 25 to 35 years of age, dark skinned, with a slim to average build.
He was wearing a blue hoodie with a white DC logo and a red-brimmed baseball hat.
Three days later, in the early morning hours of Oct. 18, the store was the target of another break-in. Cochrane RCMP believe the two break ins were done by the same individual.
“These two break-ins do appear to be related,” said RCMP Cst.Tony MacMillan. “We don’t currently have any suspects, but we did get a few pictures that were taken from the store. We will be releasing those photos and will be asking the public for their help in identifying the suspect.”
Chestermere assault
On Sept. 30 at around 1 a.m., a 22-year-old Chestermere man was walking home along Westchester Boulevard when he was approached by a woman and three men who appeared to be in their early twenties.
One of the males approached the victim and shoved him to the ground and then began to assault him. As the attack continued the other three individuals within the group pleaded with the attacker to stop.
After the assault ended the 22-year-old man was able to return to his home and notify Chestermere RCMP of the assault. He did not sustain serious injuries resulting from this encounter.
Upon questioning the victim said he did not know his attacker or the other individuals who approached him. He described his attacker as being a Caucasian male with short blonde hair, standing approximately 6’2” tall and wearing a blue puffy jacket with white trim.
“The location where this assault took place is pretty remote, but we are hoping that maybe someone out there has some information and can help identify the attacker,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Glenn Henry. “We take this sort of thing very seriously because we want our community to be safe. We need to identify this attacker and we hope the public will dig deep to help.”
If you have information on any crime, contact your local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at www.crimestoppers.ab.ca or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) Crime Stoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information that leads to the arrest, recovery of stolen property or seizure of illegal drugs. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and the identity of the caller will remain anonymous.
