Update, November 7, 5:00 p.m.

RCMP have now positively identified the victim as Tia Bella Blacklock, a 21-year-old resident of Fort McMurray. Wood Buffalo RCMP and the Major Crimes Unit are extending their sincere condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of Tia Blacklock, and acknowledge that this is a profound loss of life for the family, and the community as a whole.

Updated, November 6. 8:00 p.m.

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta— A Fort McMurray man is facing a second-degree murder charge following the death of a 21-year-old woman in a Thickwood neighbourhood on Monday. Wood Buffalo RCMP responded to a report of an incident at around 12:53 p.m. After arriving on the scene, they discovered the body of a 21-year-old woman who was the victim of an apparent homicide

RCMP say the suspect had already left the scene by the time police arrived but was located shortly afterward near Hardin Street and Franklin Avenue. Witnesses in the area describe a heavy police presence in the area, followed by officers with their guns drawn surrounding a vehicle that was stopped in a parking lot.

Kayde Marshall Lefebvre, a 22-year-old resident of Fort McMurray was arrested without incident and has been charged with second-degree murder. Lefebvre is set to appear before the Alberta Court of Justice on November 7, 2024.

An autopsy conducted on the victim confirmed the cause of death as homicide. The RCMP has not yet released the victim’s name.