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Jeanette Marie Cardinal, 40, was found dead on February 7th, 2011.

Cardinal was Edmonton's seventh homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

Police continue to investigate after a woman's body was found in a north-central Edmonton neighbourhood apartment building.

At about 1:00 p.m. February 7th, 2011, officers were called to the Eastwood Heights II apartments at 11926 81 Street to check on a sudden death.

The body of a 40-year-old woman was found by a repairman working in Suite 28 inside the building.

At first, police investigated the matter as a suspicious death, a situation that automatically brings out homicide detectives.

"Inside the residence there are some suspicious things that I am not prepared to talk about right now," was all veteran homicide detective Bill Clark had to say.

After an autopsy the next day, police declared the matter a homicide. No details regarding cause of death were revealed.

Police didn't say if the woman lived in the building or if she was known to them. They believed her body had been in the suite for at least a day before being discovered.

Police remained on scene the day after the discovery questioning residents. With it now being a homicide investigation, the forensics van arrived and officers stayed well into a third day.

While police said there were suspicious signs inside the suite, once media cameras got past the crime tape it was obvious there were suspicious signs on the outside of the unit – see images »

One resident said he had heard loud banging on the windows as if a group was trying to break in.

Neighbours said frequent parties had brought police to the building on numerous occasions in the past. However, news of a murder taking place where they lived had some residents rattled – read more »

A woman living across the hall from the suite where the woman was found described what she saw.

"All of a sudden I see a cop sitting in the hallway," Dolly said.

"I was just pacing around wondering what was going on ... what had happened. I was pacing around, looking through the peephole.

"All I could see was a stretcher and then all of a sudden I seen them bring out a body.

"I stayed up all night wondering what was wrong ... what was going on. Of course I went outside and seen them bring her body out ... taking pictures.

"I'm kinda scared to be here alone now, so I have a couple of my friends staying with me."

Comments made by others suggested the building's manager could soon have several vacancies on his hand.

"It's unsettling," Christine Green said. "I want to leave as fast as I can ... to know something like this happened right in the apartment we live in is terrifying."

Dakota Green described the area as "pretty rough sometimes" and that he wasn't surprised by the slaying.

"I was a little shocked at first, but then kind of used to it in this neighbourhood," he said.

NAIT student Elise Chung also planned on moving as soon as she could.

"I find it scary and undeserving," she said. "It's definitely not safe for a single girl to live around here and I'm leaving once my lease is up.

"I work down the street next to that police station," she said, speaking of the Eastwood community station exactly one block south.

"I thought living and working near a station would be a wise choice for me but it's not looking like that anymore."

Whether it was related to the crime or not, unwelcoming patches of blood were visible in the parking lot near the building's back entrance.

"There's a lot of us, you know, we'd like to have this neighbourhood cleaned up," 13-year tenant Stan Anderson said.

"Most times are alright but there are occasionally people who wander through this neighbourhood that are either bums or gang members – stuff like that – doing things that they shouldn't ... and we don't really need it."

The scene is just blocks away from the Coliseum LRT station. Two days before, police were called to a robbery complaint at the transit stop that eventually led to an officer-involved shooting death. 17-year-old Cyrus Green was gunned down after he allegedly challenged an officer with a bat and a knife.

Ten days before and five blocks south, the body of 32-year-old Christopher Allan Pirie was found in a snowbank. Three men were charged in connection with his death.

On February 9th, police confirmed the death of 40-year-old Jeanette Marie Cardinal was a homicide. Autopsy results were withheld.

Neighbours said Cardinal seemed like a nice woman. However, it was some of her many visitors who sometimes caused trouble – often banging on her door and later partying on – and urinating off – her balcony.

"I didn't think she was the problem, but people that come in caused problems," two-year building resident Kevin said. "I'm not shocked that it happened. I'm not shocked."

Cardinal grew up in Beaver Lake Cree First Nation near Lac La Biche, about 170 km northeast of Edmonton. She had moved to the city a couple of months before her death from Slave Lake.

Despite her best efforts, she and her boyfriend hit a rough patch and Cardinal decided it best to move closer to her children.

In an interview with the Edmonton Journal, 20-year-old Theresa Cardinal, the oldest of Cardinal's five children, said her mother suffered illness, including osteoporosis, that kept her from working.

"She'd always say her children were her heart and she'd always be here for us no matter what," Theresa said.

Being in town meant Cardinal could spent a lot of time with Theresa's 20-month-old son.

"She was a great mother and we loved her very much."

Theresa last saw her mother the day before she died and said she doesn't know what happened.

"It's a sad loss, but hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this."

Few in the apartment building seemed to know the woman.

One man interviewed said he ran into Cardinal while she was doing her laundry – just two days before she was found. He made a strangely prophetic offer.

"I said, 'Can I pray for you,' " he recalled. "She said, 'I'm OK.' That was the last time I saw her."

Meanwhile, homicide detectives are praying that anyone with information about Cardinal's recent activities will 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.

Cardinal's funeral was held on February 12th in Beaver Lake Cree First Nation.

At last word, detectives said they were making some progress in their investigation.

Police indicated some leads had been developed and that they were "diligently pursuing" at least one of them.

A building with a troubled past

Jeanette Marie Cardinal's murder was not the first at 11926 81 Street.

Homicide detectives had earlier been called to the walk-up in 1999 to investigate the stabbing death of 30-year-old Orville Derwin Powder – read more »

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 2011 - jeanette marie cardinal