RCMP say Fort McMurray serial killer reports are false, detachment flooded with calls

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Wood Buffalo RCMP say rumours that a serial killer is roaming Fort McMurray are false after the detachment was flooded with panicked phone calls last weekend following a post made to a popular local Facebook group.

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Police said on Sept. 29 that someone posted a comment in the Facebook group “Fort McMurray Girl Gang” that a serial killer was lurking in downtown Fort McMurray. As of Monday, the group has more than 20,700 members.

Cpl. Gina Slaney, a spokesperson with Alberta RCMP, said in an interview there is no evidence there is a serial killer preying on people anywhere in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. This did not stop police from being overwhelmed with calls, tips and complaints from terrified people who saw the Facebook post, she said.

“We want to reassure the public that there is no such investigation,” said Slaney. “This type of behaviour can ultimately result in criminal and/or civil liability for the persons spreading the misinformation or attempting to engage in vigilante justice.”

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While there are no local investigations into a serial killer, this does not mean there is no violence in Fort McMurray and RCMP say people should still be vigilant about suspicious activities in the community.

Statistics Canada data for Fort McMurray shows more people in 2023 than in 2022 were charged with assaults, criminal harassment, uttering threats, breaking and entering, stealing vehicles, arson, and disturbing the peace. Overall sexual assaults dropped, but sexual abuse against children increased.

Fort McMurray scored higher on the crime severity index than anywhere else in Alberta last year, as well as the indexes for violent, non-violent and property crimes.

Alberta RCMP will confirm a murder has happened once the cause of death has been determined to be a homicide.

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There have been no reported homicides this year. There were four reported homicides across the region in 2023. The last reported homicide was in Janvier in Oct. 2023. No arrests have been made. A couple charged with murdering a third man in September are scheduled to begin trial on Nov. 1.

Police might also confirm the identity of someone who died in a traffic incident or if they had been reported missing. In April 2021, for instance, police confirmed the deceased body of a woman found in a park was Ellie Herman, who had been reported missing in Oct. 2019. An autopsy could not determine a cause of death.

Police will also confirm when someone has died in a traffic incident. Police and media will rarely publicly report the specific details of suicides.

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The public will be asked for help when they do begin investigating a potential serial killer, or anyone else wanted for murder. Last May, Alberta RCMP announced they had connected the murders of four Calgary women to Gary Allen Srery, a convicted rapist who died in an Idaho prison in 2011. The public has been asked to help identify any other potential victims.

Anyone with information about any missing people or criminal activity is asked to contact Wood Buffalo RCMP at 780-788-4040 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). Tips to Crime Stoppers are always anonymous and can be sent to p3tips.com.

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vmcdermott@postmedia.com

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