The death of a woman at a west Edmonton apartment building on Wednesday morning has been deemed suspicious and police say homicide detectives have taken over the investigation.
At about 5 a.m., police said officers were called to a weapons complaint at a building in the area of 156 Street and 100 Avenue. They found a woman who had sustained life-threatening injuries.
Police said paramedics arrived and tried to save the woman’s life but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family identified the deceased as Winterstar Dion, a mother to a seven-year-old girl.
“She was a good girl,” Belinda Dion, the victim’s mother, said. “She was only 23 and she had a whole life ahead of her and now she’s gone. She had a heart of gold.”
Belinda said her daughter had only recently moved into the building.
A major police presence was seen at the apartment building Wednesday morning. At one point, a Global News crew at the scene saw members of the Edmonton Police Service’s tactical unit in the area with their weapons drawn.
Police officers appeared to be paying particular attention to one suite’s broken window.
Neighbours say there have been numerous break-ins and fights in the area, saying people constantly come in and out of the building, including on Wednesday morning.
“(We are) aware that there was some type of disturbance that led up to this and we are going to try and figure that out,” said acting Staff Sgt. Jared Buhler.
Anyone with information about the death is asked to call the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
Police said an autopsy has yet to be scheduled.