Family asking for tips regarding deadly hit and run of 20-year-old woman in Canmore

RCMP are looking for more information about a hit and run along Highway 1 in the Canmore area that left a 20-year-old woman dead.

The parents of the woman are also pleading with the public for details about the event, days after it occurred.

Global News has identified the victim as Ariana Blackwood.

A Facebook post said Blackwood had turned 20 on Sunday, the same morning she was apparently hit by a vehicle on the highway.

“We are absolutely heartbroken and devastated at this tragic loss,” Jodi Blackwood wrote. “We are reaching out for help and asking for anyone who may have any information or may have seen anything to please come forward and contact the local (RCMP) detachment.”

On Sunday morning, police diverted eastbound traffic of the Trans-Canada Highway along Bow Valley Trail.

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Police said Blackwood’s body was found by a passerby near the Canmore information centre.

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Thursday afternoon, RCMP said they were looking for CCTV footage from between 2:30 a.m. and 3:50 a.m. on Sunday from residences or businesses in the area between Canmore’s hospital and the Canmore information centre.

“Investigators are seeking any information regarding the movements of a slim blonde female wearing light blue jeans and a black shirt with sleeves,” an RCMP statement said.

They also hope anyone with dashcam footage of a woman walking in the same area between 3 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. will pass it along to police.

Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert said it is premature to say whether the death could have been prevented.

“I think the important thing right now is condolences and comfort to Ari’s family while they grieve.”

A crowdfunding page was set up to cover funeral and bereavement funds on Thursday. In one day, more than $30,000 was raised.

A 2018 petition urged the Town of Canmore to build a pedestrian bridge spanning Highway 1.

The town’s 2022-2026 budget promises “a comprehensive transportation network of streets, roads, bridges, sidewalks, pathways, parking lots and transit that move us through town.”

Information about the incident can be passed along to Canmore RCMP at 403-678-5519 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers.