Daniel Robert Nickel, 26, was found dead on January 13th, 2011.
Nickel was Edmonton's third homicide victim of the year.
Case status is open and active.
victim was facing sex charges
Police are investigating the death of 26-year-old Daniel Robert Nickel after his body was found in the river valley in northeast Edmonton.
At about 8:36 a.m. Thursday, January 13th, a man walking his dog along the edge of the North Saskatchewan River, near 137th Avenue and 20th Street, discovered Nickel's body and called authorities.
An ambulance and the tactical unit was called for but it was quickly determined their services weren't needed.
"It appears to be a body that has been there for some time," Acting Insp. Jerry Nash said, adding the body was buried in snow.
Police treated the death as suspicious and, as in such cases, homicide detectives were brought in to assist.
Investigators stayed on scene all day, sifting through a near-record snowfall that had occurred earlier in the week, to see what evidence could be gathered.
While police said they were dealing with a "suspicious death," crime-watchers couldn't help but observe an elevated sense of investigative diligence ...
... as the Air-Two helicopter flew overhead and a command post was set up.
The area remained cordoned off well into Thursday night as the investigation continued.
Some local residents recalled another incident in the area that also began simply as a suspicious death investigation – read more »
On April 26th, 2009, the body of 20-year-old Mahamed Farah Khalif was found in Hermitage Park, slightly upstream of the day's findings.
The Somali man had been kidnapped, shot and left for dead. Two men were each charged with first-degree murder along with robbery and kidnapping, with one man receiving an additional 17 weapons-related charges.
The area has a reputation among dog-walkers and joggers – as a place to avoid.
"Basically gang members," Jodi Perrin said of the people she sees hang out there.
"There's crackheads down here. Some of the older ladies won't walk their dogs down here anymore because it's not safe."
Activities such as graffiti, setting things on fire and carving up park benches with knives are frequently observed, Perrin said, adding she would like to see park patrols there to enhance a sense of safety.
The area where the body was found is at the northeastern-most end of the Capital City Recreation Park system, a maze of multi-use trails hidden from street view due to the river valley's high banks.
Access to the walking paths is by a long set of wooden steps.
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On Friday, police announced that autopsy results determined the death of 26-year-old Daniel Robert Nickel was a homicide, the third in two weeks.
Nickel's cause of death was not disclosed for investigative purposes. Police did say his death did not appear to be a random act but they don't believe there was gang involvement.
Investigators said they were interested in speaking with anyone, pedestrians or motorists, who may have seen or heard suspicious activity in the area of 137th Avenue and 20th Street, particularly between the evening of Wednesday, January 12th, and the morning of Thursday, January 13th.
Homicide Det. Dan Collins figured Nickel got into the park on foot.
"We believe he was likely killed there," Collins said.
Those with information about were asked to contact police 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 confirmation message and unique code number will then be sent. Tipsters can respond by replying.
Nickel's family and friends were in shock as they tried to deal with the mystery behind his death – read more »
Speaking with media, Daniel's cousin was left devasted.
"I'm doing very poorly," Raymond Nickel said.
"You could have knocked me over with a feather. He was a beautiful person. He never did any harm to anyone that I know of."
Daniel was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, but was raised in Regina, Saskatchewan.
He moved to Edmonton in 2003 and attended M.E. LaZerte High School. Willow, as he was called by friends, later became involved with the church.
While helping out with a youth group, he met Kaila James at the New Alliance and Freedom Centre Church, 4925 134 Avenue.
They dated for a short while and remained friends.
"The Dan I knew had a heart for God. He loved to laugh and smile," Kaila said.
"Something about him was that even if he had a lot going on, he still managed to stay strong and keep smiling.
"He wanted to go places in life, he wanted to be somebody.
"It kinda reminds me of the saying 'you don't know what you have until it's gone.'
"It's hard now because I'm still in shock and I know people are as well," Kaila added.
"He will be missed, and my heart breaks because so many people loved him and it upsets me to know he is gone," she wrote on Facebook.
Raymond said his cousin did not have a wife or children, but did have a brother, David, who was about a year older and was devastated by the loss.
Daniel family also included two step-sisters and a stepbrother.
The slain man had held a variety of jobs in carpentry and waste management, but Raymond wan't sure where Daniel had worked recently.
Raymond Nickel said he was waiting for Daniel's father and brother to come in from out of town so that funeral arrangements could be set.
Victim was facing sex charges
On January 27th, Global Edmonton reported that at the time of his death Daniel Nickel was facing sexual assault charges, including having sexual contact with children under 14 years of age – read more »
Court documents revealed that Nickel was facing four counts of sexual assault and four counts of sexual contact with someone under the age of 14. Nickel was also facing two charges of encouraging a minor to touch his body.
The alleged offences dated back to 2005. Six charges, three of sexual assault and three of sexual contact with a child, stemmed from incidents that occurred between 2008 and 2010.
Police laid charges in connection with six of the 11 offences just two weeks before Nickel was found dead. Nickel had appeared in court on some of the charges a week before he was killed.
Investigators have withheld his cause of death and continue to look into whether he knew his killer.
"The information we provided about a week or so ago is that this did not appear to be a random act," a police spokesman said. "That has not changed.
"We're still looking at the period of time between the evening of Wednesday, January 12th, to Thursday, January 13th, in the morning.
"So that's the time-frame our investigators are concentrating on."
Global Edmonton also reported that Nickel had an account on mybabysitter.com, an online service that matches parents with babysitters ...
... and that the site was accessed in the month before he was killed.
When Global spoke with Nickel's mother in Saskatchewan she said that she was aware that Daniel was facing the charges but that he "didn't deserve what happened."
Global also spoke with the pastor at the Freedom Centre Church who said Nickel wanted to speak with him about an unknown matter. Nickel died before the two had a chance to meet.
There was no indication in the court documents of how Nickel met his alleged victims.
Whether there was any connection between the assault charges and Nickel's death had yet to be determined (or revealed) by investigators.
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.
The Last Link on the Left practices fair presentation and the disclosure of relevant interests.
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