Emily Stauffer and the politics of murder

The suggestion by the Premier that more police would have helped is utterly ridiculous.

This monstrous crime appears to have been random and the murder weapon was a length of rope. No amount of policing could have prevented this crime -- at best the police will catch the murderer to avoid a future outrage.

The only hope for preventing this type of crime -- the occurrence of which is thankfully very rare -- is to watch for signs of mental instability. And that's not a policing role.

Alberta RCMP caution against vigilante justice

JOHN COTTER
The Canadian Press

RCMP were urging people in a tough energy town in western Alberta not to take the law into their own hands as more than 30 Mounties scoured the region for a man who killed the 14-year-old daughter of a pastor and left her body on a trail.

The slaying of Emily Stauffer in broad daylight on Saturday afternoon has filled many in the Edson area, 200 kilometres west of Edmonton, with grief and fear.

Mounties were searching Monday for a 30-year-old white man wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans who may have been driving an all-terrain vehicle — a description that could fit many people in rural Alberta.

"We don't know who this person is, we don't know where he is from and currently we don't know where they are," said RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes. "People who were near that trail area on Saturday should contact the Edson detachment."

Oakes added that because the description is so generic, the last thing police want to see is anybody engaging in vigilante justice."Mistakes are very likely to happen," he said. "It would be so tragic if somebody engaging in such an activity ends up on the wrong side of the law based on raw, emotional feelings."

Police released a composite sketch of a man whom they want to question, but said he is not a suspect.

Investigators have said Emily Stauffer was killed by a man who approached her as she strolled along a tree-lined walking trail. The girl was a nature buff who often walked in the woods to take photographs.

Police said two young boys riding their bikes witnessed the attack and pedalled home for help, but by the time emergency crews arrived, the girl was dead. A man has said he saw police performing CPR on the girl, who appeared to have been strangled with a rope.

Pastor Terry Stauffer paid tribute to his daughter on a website.

"Our precious 14-year-old daughter Emily was attacked and killed as she was out for a walk. We don't know a lot of details, but we know that two young men came upon the scene right away, but it was too late for Emily," he wrote."Please pray for us, for our church family who are meeting without us right now, and for family that is travelling."

People from across Canada and the world responded quickly to the tragedy, offering condolences and support on the website."We are praying for you. May God give you strength and courage to face this loss and the evil behind it," wrote Dave Groff, of Fort Frances, Ont.

A friend of Emily's from Edson also posted a tribute."I couldn't believe it. It left me windless and in shock. How could this be? Why would someone do such a thing, to such a little, innocent girl? She was such a wonderful, compassionate and sincere person who considered others before herself. Her refreshing sense of humour always lifted our moods. She would have been the next Mother Teresa, Clara Barton, or maybe the next Beethoven," wrote Taylor.

A prayer service was planned for Monday afternoon in Edson.

Stauffer's death came only weeks after RCMP charged a 42-year-old man in the kidnapping of a young girl and sexual assault of a woman in nearby Hinton, Alta., and with assaulting two people in Edson.

Robin Joseph Wingie, 42, of McBride, B.C., is in custody and is charged with kidnapping, abduction of a child under 14, dangerous driving and three counts of sexual assault.

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said Stauffer's killing shows that statistics that suggest crime rates are down don't mean very much to people. Stelmach pledged that crime — including hiring more police — is major issue for his government.

"This is one area that we are working on with the police chiefs to put additional resources into communities," Stelmach said. "We are going to work to see how we can further assist them so we can get rid of people who prey on young women."

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