Homicide investigators have been getting offers of extra help from police within other departments of the RCMP to solve the murder of a 13-year-old Burnaby girl.
Cpl. Meghan Foster with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said investigators from the RCMP Lower Mainland Division have stepped forward, asking to be taken off their own cases to assist the team.
“The homicide of Marrisa Shen has really hit home with a lot of people in our nation. And a lot of our police officers are parents — they can identify,” Foster said.
Shen was found dead in Burnaby’s Central Park on July 19.
Police are still trying to piece together the final hours of Shen’s life, a period between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m., when police found her remains.
WATCH: Police release surveillance video of Marrisa Shen
“Everyone wants to help because everyone wants to see the person or persons responsible arrested and detained and dealt with and prosecuted,” Foster said.
Investigators have described Shen’s murder as a “random attack,” but have otherwise remained tight-lipped about the details of the case.
No suspect has been publicly identified as of yet.
People living in the area have been warned by police not to travel alone late at night or early in the morning, to stick to well-lit areas and to report anything suspicious.
“Everyone wants that resolution,” said Foster. “That’s a collective effort from everybody.”