‘Be doubly careful’: officials fear a killer may be loose
Officials warned the public to be on high alert on Wednesday, after police declared the killing of Marrisa Shen was a random act.
The 13-year-old’s body was found in the bush at Burnaby’s Central Park at 1:10 a.m. last Wednesday, less than two hours after she’d been reported missing.
“Until we catch this person, everybody should be doubly careful,” Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan said. “I was hopeful we would have found a suspect at this point. It’s even more concerning police are saying this is a random act.”
Burnaby RCMP has ramped up patrols of the park, including uniformed and plainclothes officers and bike patrols, Supt. Chuck McDonald said.
The RCMP is doing everything in its power to keep the community safe, he said. “It is not something we can do on our own,” McDonald said.
“This is a time for us to watch out for each other, to be open about where we are going and who we are with,” McDonald added.
He urged parents to talk to their children about safety and advised joggers and walkers not to go out in the dark.
“Stay visible and walk with confidence. If you think someone is following you, then switch directions or cross the street. If the person continues to follow you, move quickly to an open store or restaurant or lighted house. Don’t be afraid to yell and call 911,” McDonald said.
There are no suspects, Cpl. Meghan Foster of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said.
“These events have caused great distress and sparked much concern about safety in the community,” she said. “I can say there have been no links made between this homicide and other reported acts of violence.”
Police have not released details of how Shen died. Video captured the girl leaving her apartment building around 6 p.m. on July 18, her last known whereabouts.
She did not appear to be in distress when caught on camera, Foster said. She was reported missing at 11:30 p.m.
“I lost my daughter for 15 minutes at the PNE when she was two. I can’t imagine what the (Shen) family is going through in these circumstances,” Supt. McDonald said.
“It is very difficult to make sense of and as a parent of two daughters I cannot begin to imagine the impact and terrible toll this has had on Marrisa’s family.”
A TV series resumed filming in the park Wednesday. Production had shut down for a week while police searched the park.
“There were a lot of shady characters coming in and out of this place that night,” said Michael Roger, a member of the film crew who worked the night Shen’s body was discovered.
“It’s a hub, this park,” his workmate Michael Jones said. “The (Patterson) SkyTrain station draws shady people.”
Tamara Ukwu, a mother of two young boys, lives across the street.
“The kids played there every day and we always felt it was safe,” she said. “There is a killer on the loose here in the park. That is very scary.”
As a parent of two daughters I cannot begin to imagine the impact and terrible toll this has had on Marrisa’s family.