Calgary police have laid a murder charge in relation to the death of a woman whose partial remains were located east of the city.
DNA evidence identified the partial remains as Tammie Doreen Howard, also known as Irish, after police began a search for evidence relating to her death on Siksika Nation on Saturday.
“We have reason to believe that Irish’s remains could be located east of Calgary and search teams continue to examine a large area of terrain on Siksika Nation land,” Acting Staff Sgt. Lee Treit said in a statement, thanking the First Nation for its co-operation.
Following the discovery, 36-year-old Natalie Renee Vinje, also known as NV Evans, was charged with first-degree murder in relation to Howard’s death. Vinje remains in custody and is due to appear in court on Aug. 19.
Police said they believe Vinje did not act alone.
Howard was last seen in December 2016, with her family reporting her missing in April of the following year.
Treit said over the past five years, the Calgary Police Service’s missing persons unit has been following up on leads and reviewing evidence in an effort to locate Howard, who they believe was killed “in a particularly violent way.”
Police continue the investigation and ask anyone with information about Howard’s disappearance or death to call the police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers.