$40K in rewards for unsolved cases
Up to $40,000 available for leads in 38 unsolved homicides, one dating to 1975
One man was discovered dead of a gunshot wound after a fire in a Westmount apartment suite. Another was shot in his home after two men forced their way inside. A third was beaten to death by assailants carrying baseball bats.
Edmonton police commissioners last week approved cash rewards for leads in these three 2016 homicides, bringing the total number of cases in which police are offering rewards for information to 38.
“We look at them case by case, and often we look for there to be some rationale (for offering a reward),” said Deputy Chief Greg Preston. “(We) believe someone out there knows something.”
The three homicides approved for rewards all took place in 2016, a year in which there were 41 killings.
The first, the slaying of 37-yearold William John Patterson, happened early Feb. 21, 2016, when two males broke into Patterson’s home at 638 Chappelle Drive and shot him. Patterson died in hospital.
Police appealed for information in the case in 2017. Investigators were searching for two vehicles connected to the slaying — a white Mazda 3 and a dark-coloured Chevrolet Malibu that was spotted picking up a man in the area. The man, a person of interest in the case, was described as being six feet tall, in his mid-to-late 30s with an olive skin tone.
Around two months later, on April 14, 2016, 34-year-old Kelly Thompson was severely beaten by a group of males wielding baseball bats while walking in the 115 Avenue and 137 Street area. The culprits fled in a white SUV and Thompson died in hospital two days later. Thompson’s mother Linda Linton and sister Kim Thompson publicly appealed for tips in the case in 2017.
Blair Schmidt was found slain a few days after Thompson. Edmonton fire officials discovered the 30-year-old in a 10628 122 St. apartment while extinguishing a fire. It was later determined he died of a gunshot wound.
The commission also renewed two rewards that were set to expire.
Rose Decoteau, 43, was found strangled to death at the Royal West Motel in 2005. Police are still seeking information in her death.
Investigators are also offering $25,000 for the arrest of Christopher Meer, a suspect in a 2007 arson who has since fled the country.
The rewards in homicide cases are for up to $40,000 in case multiple people offer useful information.
Preston said rewards are not offered in all unsolved homicide cases, only those where investigators believe cash might produce new leads.
The oldest case that is up for a reward is that of Karen Ewanciw, an 11-year-old killed in the river valley near McNally High School in April 1975.
An autopsy later confirmed Ewanciw was sexually assaulted and slain, suffering a massive skull fracture during the savage attack. Her injuries were so extensive that dental records were required to accurately confirm her identity.
Investigators believe the killer lived in or near the Forest Heights and McNally area in the 1970s.