deadmonton 2006 - other police matters
miscellaneous matters in the metro area
Not all police matters covered by these pages involve homicide.
index | month by month
other police matters - 2008 | 2007 | 2005 | archives
main page | deadmonton 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | old case files
sources and related web sites | deadmonton site mapAll the information presented on this page has been compiled from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.
Index
Miscellaneous memos from the crime desk -- in chronologic order.
- Chris Cassidy - nearly run over by an LRT train at Churchill Station - February 8, 2006.
- Project KARE Reward Extended - February 21, 2006
- Amber Alert Issues - February 26, 2006
- Christopher Quinney - body found in car lot - March 21, 2006.
- Sexual Assault Suspect Sought - April 3, 2006
- Debra Ann Vanderhammen - found dead in a Sherwood Park pub parking lot - April 20, 2006.
- Death On The Tracks - near 82 Street and 127 Avenue - April 26, 2006.
- Elaine Rowan - body found near Shaw Conference Centre - May 27, 2006.
- Whyte Avenue Vandals - have you seen these people? - May 31, 2006.
- Alberta Government Launches Anti-luring Web Site - June 5, 2006.
- Body Found Near RV Park - June 13, 2006.
- Melissa Ann Jondreau - reported missing, found under unusual circumstances - June 15, 2006.
- Occupant-free Truck - June 15, 2006.
- Low-speed Chase Fatality - June 23, 2006.
- Edmonton Institution Death - June 23, 2006.
- Police Cell Death - June 29, 2006.
- Death On The Tracks - part two - June 30, 2006.
- Saskatchewan RCMP Deaths - July 7 - 16, 2006.
- We're Number One - July 20, 2006.
- Man Shot By Police After Stabbing Service Dog - July 27, 2006.
- Peter Robert Joseph Whitmore - July 31, 2006.
- Robert Barrington Leigh - missing, later found dead - August 13, 2006.
- Stephanie Stewart - missing August 26, 2006.
- James Rolheiser - found dead August 28, 2006.
- August 2006 Crime Report
- No Sam I Am - September 8, 2006.
- Body Found Pinned Under Truck - September 23, 2006.
- September 2006 Crime Report
- Suspicious Downtown Death - October 17, 2006.
- House Explodes - Man Found Dead In Basement - November 4, 2006.
- The Whyte Avenue Problem - November 2006.
- November 2006 Crime Report
- December 2006 Crime Report
2006 - month by month
feb | mar | apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sep | oct | nov | dec
February 2006
Chris Cassidy
Quick thinking and even quicker reflexes saved an Edmonton Transit rider from certain death.
While standing at the edge of the platform of the Light Rail Transit Churchill Station on February 8th, 2006 Chris Cassidy felt two hands on his back pushing him forward. In a split-second decision, Cassidy used the momentum of the shove to leap across the tracks and hug the east wall of the station as a northbound LRT train rushed by.
Witnesses say had Cassidy not jumped he would have met an almost-certain death » full details »
Project KARE Reward Extended
On February 21, 2006, a $100,000 reward set to expire in March was extended indefinitely. The Project KARE task force renewed its pledge to reward persons for providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the deaths of victims under the team's mandate » full details »
Amber Alert Issues
The Edmonton Police Service issued an Amber Alert on Sunday, February 26th, 2006 for a woman soon located in St. Albert. The use of the Alert and statements from the woman at the centre of the incident brought the Alert program to public and political attention » full details »
March 2006
Christopher Quinney
At 6:20 a.m. on March 21st, 2006 an employee opening up the Koch Ford Lincoln Sales dealership at 5121 Gateway Boulevard spotted a lifeless body inside the locked vehicle compound.
Reports from the scene suggested the body was not there when the dealership closed the previous night.
Police later announced the dead man was Christopher Quinney, a distant relative of murdered prostitute Rachel Quinney » full details »
April 2006
Sexual Assault Suspect
At about 10:15 a.m. on April 3rd, 2006 a Grade 2 student visited a washroom inside the Oliver School at 10227 118 Street. She was attacked by a man who was hiding inside a stall.
The girl was the victim of sexual groping, after which she managed to get away. She received a bump on her head and was later released from Stollery Children's Hospital where doctors examined her.
Police were looking for a 30-year-old black man, five-foot-nine, with medium-length black hair with a yellow or orange streak. He was wearing a red-and-white jacket » full details »
Debra Ann Vanderhammen
On April 20th, 2006 Strathcona County RCMP investigated the case of a 44-year-old woman found dead outside a Sherwood Park drinking establishment.
A cook at Oscars Pub, 221 Chippewa Road, had stepped outside for a cigarette break at about 3:55 p.m. About twenty minutes later a passerby found her unconscious on the ground in an alley beside the pub. A witness said she had "blood all over her head."
Emegency medical personnel tried to revive her but she was eventually pronounced dead at the scene » full details »
Death On The Tracks
At about 7 p.m. on April 26th, 2006 police were called out to the Canadian National Railway tracks near 82 Street and 127 Avenue behind the Habitat for Humanity warehouse.
A call had come in from CN Police stating that a dead body had been found lying among the tracks » full details »
May 2006
Elaine Rowan
At about 3:00 a.m. on May 27th, 2006 a homeless bottle-picker came across a dead body on the hillside near the top of the the North Saskatchewan River bank just east of the Shaw Conference Centre.
Police tentatively identified the woman but were unsure of the cause of death. Acting Sgt. Steve Zielie said her body had likely been there only for a couple of hours.
There was no apparent cause of death at the scene.
Police treated the death as suspicious and homicide detectives became involved » full details »
Whyte Avenue Vandals
On May 31st, 2006 Edmonton police released 10 photographs of people they are seeking in connection with activities on Whyte Avenue on Saturday evening, May 27th.
Up to 30,000 people gathered on the avenue after the Edmonton Oilers won game 5 of the Stanley Cup western semi-final. The win placed the hockey team in the Cup finals while the behaviour of the crowd tarnished Edmonton's image in the national media.
Police released the images taken from video surveillance in an attempt to identify and charge those responsible for some of the worst incidents of hooliganism and vandalism that occured that night.
On June 15th, 2006 police announced they have laid charges in connection with the May 27th disturbance. Details at the be on the lookout for - whyte avenue vandals page.
June 2006
Alberta Government Launches Anti-luring Web Site
The Alberta government announced it was tackling online luring by providing teens with information about online safety in movie theatres and through a new website written from a peer-to-peer perspective.
Children's Services launched www.weron2u.ca, a web site that includes information on predator tactics, safety tips and true stories.
The service said the site received 20,000 hits in the first ten days since it went online May 26th, 2006 » full details »
Body Found Near RV Park
On June 13th, 2006 at about 5:30 p.m. two people riding dirt bikes came across the body of a dead man.
The body was found at the east end of a recreational vehicle park just west of the town of Morinville, about 30 kilometers north of Edmonton.
Morinville RCMP at first treated the death as suspicious » full details »
Melissa Ann Jondreau
At about 2:30 a.m. on June 15th, 2006 the woman at the centre of a missing persons report was located under unusual circumstances.
At 4:00 p.m. the day before, staff of Cinema City 12 at 3633 99 Street found an abandoned car running with its driver door open wide in front of their complex. Forty-five minutes earlier, Melissa Ann Jondreau, 21, left her job at Southtown Hyundai at 3603 99 Street for lunch.
Ten hours after the discovery of Jondreau's car, police received a call from the Shell food store at 50th Street and Mill Woods Road East.
Jondreau was found wandering in the area suffering from minor injuries » full details »
Occupant-free Truck
Between 12:30 and 5:30 a.m. on June 15th, 2006 a 2004 Ford Super Duty truck was stolen from a hotel parking lot on 72nd Street and Argyll Road.
The vehicle was then driven to Edmonton's downtown area and a snowbrush was wedged between the gas pedal and the seat. The occupant-free truck was then sent northbound on 90th Street starting at 105th Avenue » full details »
Edmonton Institution Death
Edmonton police homicide detectives and the Correctional Service of Canada are investigating the death of a 42-year-old Edmonton Institution inmate.
On June 23rd, 2006 an ambulance was called to the Insitution when Reginald Dale Gogerla fell ill. He was transported to the Grey Nuns Hospital after resisting medical treatment by nurses at the prison.
While en-route, he stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Grey Nuns Hospital » full details »
Police Cell Death
On June 29th, 2006 32-year-old Vincent Patrick Beaudry was arrested for panhandling and a number of outstanding warrants. He was placed in cells at Edmonton Police headquarters.
At the time of his arrest police said Beaudry was "coherent and co-operative" and officers saw no sign that he was sick or injured.
Hours later Beaudry was found unresponsive in his cell during a routine check. Officers and paramedics tried to revive Beaudry. He was transported to hospital where he was declared dead » full details »
Death On The Tracks - part two
The family of 17-year-old Anthony Marino Gladue, whose body was found next to northside railway tracks on April 26th, 2006, is demanding a new investigation into his death.
Mary Auger was not convinced that her foster child son slipped trying to get on a train or committed suicide. Police ruled Gladue's death non-criminal at the time » full details »
July 2006
Saskatchewan RCMP Deaths
On July 7th, 2006 RCMP Constables Robin Cameron, 29, and Marc Bourdages, 26, were shot while pursuing a suspect involved in a simple domestic disturbance complaint in Mildred, Saskatchewan.
Nine days later the officers died within two hours of each other.
RCMP searched for and issued a Canada-wide warrant for Curtis Alfred Dagenais. Dagenais turned himself in to RCMP on July 18th, 2006.
The shootings of the officers bore an eerie resemblance to the March, 2005 events in Mayerthorpe, Alberta: both Dagenais and Jim Roszko had criminal records, were labelled "police haters" and had easy access to guns » full details »
We're Number One
Confirming what local residents have known for years, on July 20th, 2006 Statistics Canada released a report proclaiming Edmonton the murder capital of Canada.
The report cited that among cities of 500,000 or more, Edmonton led the nation in 2005 for the highest homicide rate in Canada, followed by Winnipeg and Vancouver.
In 2005, the city set an all-time record of 39 homicides -- 44 when the total metro area is included » full details »
Man Shot By Police After Stabbing Service Dog
On July 27th, 2006 police checked on the welfare of inhabitants in a house at 6907 99 Street.
There they encountered a man who sprang from where he had been hiding. The man challenged police with a knife and then escaped out a bathroom window. The man fled and refused police demands to stop and drop the knife. Police service dog Wizzard, a German shepherd, was then released.
"As the police service dog approached the subject, he slowed, turned around and aggressively began stabbing our police dog," a police spokesman said.
"Given those circumstances, the officer's only choice at that time was to pull his weapon, resulting in shots being fired and the suspect being hit" » full details »
Peter Robert Joseph Whitmore
On July 30th, 2006 Saskatchewan RCMP issued an Amber Alert for a ten-year-old boy.
On July 31st, RCMP issued a Canada-wide warrant for Peter Robert Joseph Whitmore, a 35-year-old convicted pedophile with a 13-year-long record. He was initially charged with abduction in connection with the ten-year-old boy's disappearance.
It soon emerged that Whitmore was also the last person seen with a 14-year-old boy, missing from a week before.
When details of Peter Whitmore's criminal past came to light, comparisons were soon drawn to Mountie-killers James Roszko and Curtis Alfred Dagenais.
While Roszko and Dagenais had histories of violence towards authority, Whitmore's speciality was pedophilia -- crimes involving children. He surrenderred to police after a ten-hour standoff on August 1st » full details »
August 2006
Robert Barrington Leigh
For nine days the story of Robert Barrington Leigh's disappearance led local newscasts and was a frequent topic of conversation around Edmonton water coolers and coffee bars.
How did a bright young math whiz vanish in a river valley full of festival-goers less than a kilometre from his family home?
The disappearance of Robert Barrington Leigh was also the story of a resourceful and loving family that opened their quest to public concern. They were rewarded with an outpouring of community support and volunteerism that has made Edmonton famous.
What the Barrington Lee family was not rewarded with was a happy ending to their ordeal.
The body of their son and brother was found in the North Saskatchewan River across from Gallagher Park -- the site of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival where Robert was headed the night he disappeared » full details »
Stephanie Stewart
Updated August 2007
Hinton RCMP asked for the public's help in locating a woman last seen at the Athabasca Lookout Tower where she was a seasonal employee.
Stephanie Stewart, 70, was reported missing from the tower, located 25 kilometres northwest of Hinton off of Highway 40, early Saturday morning on August 26th, 2006.
On August 30th RCMP announced they terminated their ground search and were now conducting a criminal investigation into Stewart's disappearance.
For more information about the feisty fire-spotter and the intense search effort to locate her, visit the Last Link Stephanie Stewart page.
James Rolheiser
James Rolheiser's remains were found August 28th, 2006 in a heavily bushed area on a steep hillside between 82nd and 90th Street below Jasper Avenue.
A Bissell Centre spokesman said the area is popular with the homeless because it's secluded and quiet.
Rolheiser was last seen on May 12th, 2006 and was presumed missing. A public appeal to locate him was issued at that time.
When he was last seen by his sister Janice MacDougall, Rolheiser was feeling very low and felt he needed to go to the hospital.
However, Rolheiser insisted on going home after being turned away from several hospitals. His sister made plans to talk to him the next morning but Rolheiser vanished » full details »
August 2006 Crime Report
Human remains are found in the river valley ‹› police continue to prowl the dead prostitute 'dumping ground' east of the city ‹› Robert Cormier can't seem to lose his bear spray addiction ‹› a 45-year-old son takes his 77-year-old mother hostage ‹› a Mill Woods man was shot, then beaten, during a wallet theft ‹› three men attack a 55-year-old man with a road sign ‹› a man and woman face numerous drug and firearms charges after a vehicle is pulled over ‹› a 36-year-old man is arrested after shots are fired during a standoff that closed a major commuter artery ‹› full details and more on the August 2006 Crime Report page.
September 2006
No Sam I Am
On September 8th, 2006 Edmonton police announced that service dog Sam had been put down.
It was the first time an active service dog had been euthanised and Chief Mike Boyd said he was not aware of such an incident happening anywhere else.
On August 27th, 2006 Cst. Glen Thursby took his service dog Sam to the police union's Blue Meadows campground in Edmonton's west end.
At some point the leashed dog bit two 11-year-old boys, Thursby's son Zach and his cousin, with Zach requiring 40 stitches to the head to repair the damage.
The head of the EPS canine unit said the decision to put the dog down was “extremely difficult” and was made in the interest of public safety » full details »
Body Found Pinned Under Truck
A day after the discovery of the city's latest dead body, Edmonton police chief Mike Boyd said, "At this point, it's premature to call it a murder; however we are treating it as a homicide and our homicide investigators were called in."
On September 23rd, 2006 police and paramedics were contacted after a dead body was found pinned under a pickup truck near the Clover Bar landfill.
None of the truck’s windows were broken, its lights were still on and it was sitting upright in the north ditch, wedged in tight among the trees.
Insp. Dan Jones said he doubted the man underneath the vehicle was the driver of the truck. “It would be pretty difficult to wind up in that position” » full details »
September 2006 Crime Report
River valley shooting ‹› tree foils car thief ‹› family feud almost finishes fatally ‹› dash and crash ‹› you never know who your neighbours are ‹› the green green grass of home ‹› shootout on gasoline alley ‹› another night in Abbottsfield ‹› cycle caper in Capilano ‹› Mounties get help getting their man ‹› full details and more on the September 2006 Crime Report page.
October 2006
Suspicious Downtown Death
At first police thought they were investigating Edmonton's 29th homicide of 2006.
At about 7:19 a.m. on October 17th, 2006 an apartment building caretaker taking out garbage called paramedics after noticing an unconscious man lying between two dumpsters in the alley behind Ravine Mansion at 11618 100 Avenue.
When emergency medical staff arrived they noticed the man had head injuries and called police. The man, who appeared to be in his late 40s, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Homicide detectives were called in and a large area was taped off. A blood trail led from the rear of the building to an area behind the dumpsters.
Police said the man was a resident of a nearby apartment building. His name was not released at the request of his family » full details »
November 2006
House Explodes - Man Found Dead In Basement
Fire investigators and an Edmonton Police Service arson investigator were looking into the discovery a man's body after an explosion blew apart an Ottewell neighbourhood duplex.
Fire crews were called to a house at 6021 97A Avenue after reports of an explosion at about 5:30 p.m. on November 4th, 2006. While there were hardly any flames, firefighters were met with thick black smoke.
A third explosion was heard, and it took six fire units a half-hour to bring the blaze under control. Fire crews then found a man dead in the basement.
Investigators reported the explosion appeared to have been started by gasoline vapour being ignited in the home’s basement » full details »
The Whyte Avenue Problem
The weekend of November 18 – 19th, 2006 saw Edmonton police dealing with an unusually high level of violence and death – even by Edmonton's standards.
Seven people were stabbed, two fatally, and the city's attention was focused on Edmonton's trendy night strip – Whyte Avenue, the scene of most of the weekend's troubles.
Reaction to the area's problems came swiftly from the community, business leaders, politicians and Edmonton police » full details »
November 2006 Crime Report
Student assaulted inside J.H. Picard school while memorial is held for Evan Grykuliak at Ross Sheppard school ‹› man yanked from truck and stabbed as violent weekend continues ‹› man stabbed over cellphone during weekend of violence ‹› one man drives wrong way up Groat Road on a night that sees two dead on Edmonton roads ‹› Whyte Avenue stabbing kicks off violent weekend ‹› full details and more on the November 2006 Crime Report page.
December 2006
December 2006 Crime Report
Four suffer attacks within 36 hours of anti-violence campaign launch ‹› pictures of person of interest in McGillis case are released ‹› full details and more on the December 2006 Crime Report page.
Related Pages
- crime seen
The Last Link look at the real world of crime investigation. - movies - film noir
Enter the dark world of noir.
movies | television | radio | web watch | final credits | edmonton | about this site | site map | contact us
The Last Link on the Left. Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. Stuart P. Bayens. All rights reserved.
This page updated
23:44 2007-08-24.