Edmonton police take over homicide investigation of man found dead in burnt vehicle

The Edmonton Police Service’s homicide unit has taken over the investigation into the death of a 25-year-old man.

The body of Efriem Abebe Alatah, of Edmonton, was found inside a burnt vehicle in Sturgeon County at around 12:10 a.m. Tuesday.

RCMP Major Crimes and Morinville RCMP were originally leading the investigation after the vehicle was located in the area of Range Road 242 (66 Street) just south of Township Road 542.

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The area is located just outside Edmonton’s northeast boundary.

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Because of the “incident’s strong links to Edmonton,” it has since been handed over to police in Edmonton, the EPS said in a news release Thursday afternoon.

An autopsy was completed on Wednesday and while the manner of Alatah’s death is homicide, police are not releasing the cause of his death at this time “for investigative purposes.”

Police are asking for the public’s help to locate Alatah’s 2012 black Jeep Grand Cherokee with the possible Alberta licence plate CHX8636.

Anyone with information about the Jeep or the investigation is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.