Search for missing Calgary mother and child now ‘suspected’ double-homicide investigation

The disappearance of a Calgary mother and her 22-month-old daughter is being treated as a suspected double-homicide.

Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her daughter Aliyah Sanderson were last seen in the community of Cranston on the evening of Tuesday, April 16. Lovett’s family reported them missing after they didn’t show up to a family dinner on April 23.

At a media conference Thursday, Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta said they have been unable to find any evidence to confirm Lovett and her daughter are still alive.

“We did a very exhaustive investigation into the footprints of life – this included social media, health care, phones, banking information,” Schiavetta said.

The last activity on Lovett’s financial accounts was logged two days after she was last seen.

“Our victims were not in contact with their family, which is inconsistent.”

Schiavetta said that at no point in the investigation did officers believe the disappearance was an abduction.

WATCH: Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta explains the timeline of the pair’s disappearance, why the disappearance did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert and what police are searching for in their disappearance. 

A townhouse in the southeast community of Cranston is at the centre of the investigation, and is being searched by the forensic crime scenes unit. A registry search indicates the home belongs to Robert Leeming.

Global News has confirmed Robert Leeming worked at Paradise Truck and Trailer but an employee we spoke to said he is no longer with the company

Evidence markers could be seen throughout Leeming’s garage on Thursday.

A suspect is in custody and being questioned, police said.

Schiavetta said the suspect was known to police but the nature of their relationship with Lovett and her daughter was still under investigation.

“We are currently working with our crime scenes unit to examine a residence in the community of Cranston,” Schiavetta said, adding that a car was seized from the home.

Investigators say Sanderson’s biological father is not considered a suspect.

At the same time, search and rescue crews — including the HAWCS helicopter and officers on horseback — spent the day scouring heavily wooded areas near Bragg Creek and Priddis.

Property owners in Bragg Creek were asked to check their land and report anything suspicious.

“We’re looking for anything that may have been suspicious between April 16 and April 23,” Schiavetta said. “Anything on their property, they can call the Calgary police or the RCMP.”

With files from Nancy Hixt and Lauren Pullen