Family of Jolene Cote still looking for answers 5 years after murder

EDMONTON – Oct. 12, 2016 will mark five years since Jolene Cote’s murder and police are no closer to solving the mystery of what happened to the Spruce Grove teacher.

Despite the events of that terrible day, friends and family still hope answers will be found. Many gathered on Saturday to celebrate Cote’s life by playing the sport she loved so much: soccer.

The Jolene Cote Memorial Soccer Tournament is now in its fifth year. The Spruce Grove event also raises money for KidSport, an organization that helps remove financial barriers to sports opportunities for children.

READ MORE: KidSport Edmonton sees ‘unprecedented” demand during economic downturn.

Cote spent many years teaching and mentoring young people in sports and her teammates believe she would have loved the idea.

“It just means the world to us that Jolene’s team is continuing to honour her memory with this tournament,” Cote’s sister Rhonda Berg said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It just means the world to us that Jolene's team is continuing to honour her memory with this tournament," Cote's sister Rhonda Berg said.

“There hasn’t been any new information in her homicide investigation and occasions like this help to put her back in the spotlight again. It’s really important to us that people don’t forget about her because her murder is unsolved.”

Police deemed Cote’s death a homicide but have never released a cause nor made any arrests. No suspects have been identified either. Cote was last seen on Oct. 12, 2011.

READ MORE: timeline: The Jolene Cote murder investigation

The 36-year-old had been playing soccer at the Edmonton Soccer Centre and stopped at a store on Stony Plain Road around 10:40 p.m. that evening.

She was found dead in her Parkland County home by her husband at 6:05 a.m. the following morning. The items Cote bought the night before were found in her vehicle, a 2002 silver Jeep Liberty.

“We’re still hoping that someone’s going to be arrested,” Berg said. “It certainly doesn’t get any easier with so many unanswered questions.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're still hoping that someone's going to be arrested," Berg said. "It certainly doesn't get any easier with so many unanswered questions.

“It’s just something that never goes away. We think about it all the time and constantly wonder who did this and why they did this.”

READ MORE: Two years after her murder, Jolene Cote’s family continues to search for answers.

The family is offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for her death.

“Somebody knows what happened,” Berg said.

Anyone with information should contact RCMP.