January 6, 2019, marked six years since Leah Anderson’s severely beaten body was found on a remote snowmobile-walking trail in Gods Lake Narrows and RCMP aggressively continue to investigate.
It has been six years since Leah’s brother and sisters last heard her laugh, six years since her friends met up with her to talk about boys, six years since she gave her loved ones a hug. RCMP investigators are determined to bring her killer to justice, a killer they know belongs to the community and remained in the community after the murder.
Police say that Leah was headed to the community arena to go skating on January 4, 2013. She left her house with her skates before 7:30 pm. Somewhere between the door and the arena, Leah met her killer. Her remains were found on January 6, 2013. There had been animal predation. Her autopsy showed she had struggled against her killer and fought for her life as she had numerous defensive wounds on her hands. It was determined that Leah died before 10pm that January night.
When Leah was found, she still had her skates with her. The skates and the bag they were in were positively identified as Leah’s by her sisters. Leah’s clothing and swabs from her body were sent for analysis and came back with a male DNA profile. With this information, investigators were able to make a direct link to the killer. Leah’s blood and toxicology was sent for analysis. She had zero blood alcohol content – there was no alcohol in her system.
There were rumours in the community, and tips came pouring in. Investigators followed up on these tips. More than 270 people were spoken to by police. Investigators canvassed the entire community. Every door was knocked on, and the majority of community members were spoken to by investigators.
Through investigation, several people were identified by investigators as persons of interest in Leah’s death, but were cleared through various investigative techniques, such as polygraph, DNA analysis, and corroborating statements confirming alibis. Further investigation helped investigators narrow the suspect pool even further, and they determined Leah trusted her killer and was comfortable with him.
On July 26, 2017, RCMP arrested a 23-year-old male from the community. The next day, he was released without charges, but remains a suspect in this investigation.
It has been six years, but Leah is not forgotten. Leah was a 15-year-old girl with so much potential. She was popular, funny, and had a fun-loving spirit. RCMP want to bring the person responsible for her death to justice and continue to aggressively work this investigation to find justice for Leah, her family, and her community.
