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Leslie Ann Talley, 29, died of blunt force trauma on January 6th, 2010.

Talley was Edmonton's first homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

A report of a partially-clad woman laying beside a truck brought investigators to 151st Avenue at about 31st Street, near Kirkness Park, at about 4:15 a.m. January 6th, 2010.

Emergency services were first dispatched to a "problem unknown" called in by the truck's owner as he was leaving for work. When EMS arrived, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Police were then notified.

Officers stopped motorists on their way to work and canvassed neighbourhood residences, looking for possible witnesses.

Investigators erected a tent over the body to protect it from a light snowfall.

They also combed nearby Kirkness Park for clues.

One report indicated a source close to the investigation figured something "very sinister" happened to the woman.

Overnight lows in the city reached -20C. Police did not comment on whether the woman was dressed for the temperatures.

Early on, homicide detectives became involved in what police initially described as a suspicious death.

"Of course finding a woman's body, a woman who's partially clad, in the circumstances that we did, that definitely is something that is suspicious," a spokesman later confirmed.

"The information [gathered] will help our officers decide if it needs to remain suspicious or go to criminal, or in fact it's not suspicious at all."

One neighbour said she heard an argument overnight in an area locals suggest is plagued with problems – read more »

Results of an autopsy conducted January 7th revealed that Leslie Ann Talley died of blunt force trauma. She was 11 days shy of her 30th birthday.

Police are trying to trace Talley's last movements and asked those with information to contact them at 780-423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.tipsubmit.com

Tips can also be text messaged. In Edmonton, text TIP250 + message and send to CRIMES (274637). In Northern Alberta, text TIP205 + message and send to CRIMES (274637).

A police spokesman said Talley led a high-risk lifestyle but it was too soon in the investigation to determine whether that was a factor in her death.

Talley was without a fixed address when she died and police believed her body was not on the road for long before it was discovered.

"At this point we are not prepared to release what investigators found in terms of what has caused that blunt force trauma," the spokesman said.

Edmonton police also consulted with Project KARE in connection with Talley's death.

Formed in 2003, Project KARE is a joint task force made up of the RCMP and major Alberta police agencies investigating the cases of more than two-dozen local women who have been killed or reported missing since 1983.

Leslie Ann Talley was remembered by family as a spirited woman with an infectious sense of humour. But it may have been her battle with personal problems that led her down a path toward a tragic end – read more »

Detailing their loss to media, relatives said Talley was a member of the Dene Tha First Nation. She grew up in Meander River, a community 800 kilometres northwest of Edmonton near High Level.

Talley was raised by her father Albert and her grandmother, Mary Nora Salopree.

"We took her in when she was about a month old," her aunt Vicki Salopree said. "All the family pitched in."

"She was just a happy, happy child," another family member said. "I know she was very loved at home."

"She was a cool person to hang out with," Talley's cousin, Cameron Camsell, said. "She liked to joke around."

"She's a sweet person ... just really kind," Leslie's aunt Evelyn Talley recalled. "She had a really big smile whenever I saw her."

Another of Talley's aunts, Mary Providence, agreed.

"Her laughter, jokes ... she always got a different kind of jokes all the time," Providence said. "She's always laughing – that's what I'm going to miss the most."

Providence said she was floored when she heard the news. She last spoke to her niece on New Year's Day and heard she wanted to come home. Talley was also drunk and told her aunt she was using drugs.

"I was just in shock. I said to myself, this can't be."

"She said she was missing everybody and she wanted to come back," Camsell echoed. Family said Leslie called regulary to tell them how she was doing.

Talley left behind two sons, one nine and the other two. She also left behind a tragic past.

About nine years ago, alcohol problems prompted Talley to try and commit suicide by jumping off a communications tower in High Level. Family urged her to move to Edmonton to try and straighten out.

Little did family know she would wind up laying straight on a slab in the medical examiner's office.

"I wonder if it was in an instant or if she had to suffer," Vicki Salopree speculated.

"She moved to Edmonton and I don't know what happened over there ... but she kept in touch with the family."

Talley was receiving financial assistance from the Alberta government. After an accident, six pins had been inserted in her arm.

"She was just a good person ... loving. She always tried to make other people happy," cousin Charmaine Salopree reflected.

"She had a lot of different issues going on in her life and any one of these issues could have been the reason for her demise," homicide detective Greg Murray said.

For Talley's family, it was the fourth tragedy they had dealt with since December. The other deaths were non-criminal.

Edmonton police said Talley was well-known to them. Her family hoped they would eventually know what happened to her on a cold night in Edmonton.

The Edmonton Police Service web site entry for Leslie Ann Talley can be seen here.

All the information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.
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deadmonton 2010 - leslie ann talley