Man’s suspicious death officially ruled a homicide

By JEREMY APPEL on January 18, 2020.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel

The suspicious death of a man whose body was found Tuesday in Cypress County has been deemed a homicide, police say.

The victim was revealed Friday as a 27-year-old male from Brooks, although the RCMP are declining to provide further identifying information.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Deanna Fontaine told the News the victim’s name won’t be released because it doesn’t serve any investigative purpose.

“There are times where releasing the name of the victim helps, because we want to talk to anybody who’s last seen theme or been in touch with them, and the only way to achieve that is by releasing the name,” she said. “We would make sure the family’s aware that information is going out, so they can prepare themselves.”

Police found the body at the intersection of Township Road 114 and Range Road 61 – just south of Medicine Hat and east of Highway 3 – after a tip from a member of the public.

An autopsy was conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Wednesday in Calgary.

The RCMP Major Crimes Unit investigation is ongoing, but there’s not believed to be any broader threat to public safety.

Fontaine says police will provide an update on their investigation in the near future.