Woman brutally stabbed, left to die in Vanier parking lot, Ottawa police believe

By Gary Dimmock, The Ottawa Citizen August 20, 2010

OTTAWA — Detectives are investigating a suspicious death after the body of a woman was found in a Vanier parking lot Friday morning.

The Citizen has learned the victim was stabbed in the head and legs, leading police to believe she had been knifed as she tried to escape — only to be cornered and then left to die in the parking lot of a walk-up apartment building on Alice Street in Vanier.

Her body was found next to the building between parked cars in the east-end of the lot.

Initial calls to police indicated that she had been found by a man, possibly a boyfriend who had hopes of marrying her one day.

By day’s end, police were still trying to confirm her identity. An autopsy to determine her cause of death is scheduled for Saturday morning.

It was expected that police were investigating Ottawa’s ninth homicide this year.

Detectives worked hard Friday interviewing a handful of people who live on the street. These police witnesses mostly reported they did not see or hear anything out of the ordinary Thursday night or early Friday morning.

The body of the dead woman, who was wearing heavy make-up, was removed by morgue services at about 2 p.m.

Earlier Friday, detectives emerged from a house on nearby St. Ambroise Street with what appeared to be bags of evidence. The house is about 100 metres from where the body was found.

A man who answered the door said the police spoke with him earlier in the day but would not comment further.

Police identification officers could also be seen taking photographs in a backyard and in the parking lot near the building.

Yellow police tape was strung around the area and police closed off two blocks of Alice Street, which is in Vanier near the intersection of Beechwood Avenue and the Vanier Parkway.

Neighbours said they heard nothing unusual. One woman said she looked out at 7:30 a.m. and saw nothing. Fifteen minutes later, the area was cordoned off with police tape, she said.

Erica Ayres, who lives across the street from the parking lot where the incident occurred, said she didn't know anything had happened until she received text messages from friends asking if she was alright Friday morning. She looked out her window and saw the woman's remains under a white cover, she said. "I was thinking, Whoa, this is too much for me first thing in the morning," she said.

Residents said the street is usually quiet and safe. There are some problems with drug use and prostitution in the area.

Jesse Mulloi, whose apartment overlooks the parking lot where the woman's remains were found, said she was shaken by the incident. “It’s right behind where my room is. It’s terrifying,” she said.

From: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Woman+brutally+stabbed+left+Vanier+parking+Ottawa+police+believe/3421836/story.html