Kelowna's unsolved murder files starting to pile up | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Light Rainshower  10.8°C

Kelowna News

Kelowna's unsolved murder files starting to pile up

KELOWNA - Arrests are yet to be made in more than half a dozen homicides that happened in Kelowna over the last three years.

RCMP Const. Jesse O'Donaghey confirms the murders of Tiffany Goruk, Jeremy Snow, Theresa Neville, Chris Ausman, Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia, Hazel Budiongan and Tura McCarty remain active and outstanding. Here's a rundown of these unsolved homicides.

On Feb. 18, 2013 the bodies of Tiffany June Goruk, 30, and Jeremy Daniel Snow, 33, were found murdered inside a vehicle in West Kelowna. A coroner confirmed the couple did not die as a result of the crash and it was declared the first homicide of 2013. Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said at the time they were looking for information from the public, particularly about a man who fled the scene. No arrests have been made.

Exactly four months later on June 18, 2013, the body of Theresa Ashley Neville, 27, was found by paramedics at 397 Yates Rd. in Glenmore shortly after midnight. An autopsy concluded she was murdered but RCMP would not say how. Neville was a single mother and all indications are that a stranger broke into her home at night and killed her. RCMP released a composite sketch of a suspect they believe may have been involved but there have been no arrests.

FILE PHOTO - The body of Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia, 47, was found inside his home on Feedham Avenue July 7, 2015. A neighbour told iNFOnews the victim’s girlfriend was tied up but managed to escape the home.
FILE PHOTO - The body of Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia, 47, was found inside his home on Feedham Avenue July 7, 2015. A neighbour told iNFOnews the victim’s girlfriend was tied up but managed to escape the home.

The only unsolved homicide of 2014 happened on a Rutland sidewalk Jan. 25. The body of Chris Ausman, 32, was found by RCMP in the 100-block of Highway 33 just after 2 a.m. There are indications he had been involved in a fight and blood could be seen on the pavement. There have been no arrests.

Two murders from 2015 are still being investigated, including one in Kelowna and one in West Kelowna.

Kelowna RCMP were called to a neighbourhood in Black Mountain on July 7, 2015, when the body of Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia, 47, was found inside his home on Feedham Avenue. A neighbour told iNFOnews.ca the victim’s girlfriend was tied up but managed to escape the home. Police will only say they believe they know who did it. No arrests have been made.

And on Nov. 4, 2015, the body of Hazel Delgado Budiongan, 37, was found inside a house that burned down on Boucherie Road. An autopsy concluded she died of homicide however police have yet to release cause of death or confirm the fire was set deliberately 

“Investigators are confident that the suspect and victim were known to each other,” Sgt. Craig Andirchuk said in a media release. “The RCMP strongly believe this to have been an isolated incident.”

FILE PHOTO - The body of Chris Ausman was found on a Rutland sidewalk at around 2 a.m. Jan. 25, 2014. The murder is one of at least ten that remained unsolved in Kelowna and West Kelowna since 2011.
FILE PHOTO - The body of Chris Ausman was found on a Rutland sidewalk at around 2 a.m. Jan. 25, 2014. The murder is one of at least ten that remained unsolved in Kelowna and West Kelowna since 2011.
Image Credit: Global Okanagan (with permission)

The first homicide of 2016 happened Jan. 6 when the body of Summerland resident Tura McCarty, 22, was found inside a vehicle parked on Bear Creek Road. The death was first called suspicious before it was confirmed to be a homicide. RCMP have not said how he died and there have been no arrests.

While the death of Ontario tourist Zachary Gaudette, 30, after an "altercation" in front of Cactus Club on Water Street hasn't been officially ruled a homicide, it hasn't been solved yet either. A 25-year-old man has been identified by police as the suspect involved in the death. The suspect could potentially be charged with manslaughter, second degree murder or criminal negligence causing death.

In West Kelowna on March 2 the bodies of Kimberly Ansell and Marcello Verna were found beside Shannon Way at around 7 a.m. Police stopped short of calling it a murder-suicide, saying only they do not suspect a third person was involved and the two were in a relationship. A source close to the couple told iNFOnews Ansell was dating other men and both were murdered. A gun was found near the bodies but police have yet to release cause of death or say who they suspect was the shooter.

Of the 11 confirmed homicides in Kelowna and West Kelowna since 2011, only four have suspects awaiting trial. 

Anyone with information on any of these unsolved murders are asked to call the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

FILE PHOTO - An impromptu memorial appeared on the spot where Chris Ausman was found murdered last February.
FILE PHOTO - An impromptu memorial appeared on the spot where Chris Ausman was found murdered last February.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2016
iNFOnews

  • Popular kamloops News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile