Homicide investigators are looking for anyone who took videos or photos in and around Burnaby’s Central Park on the night 13-year-old Marrisa Shen was killed.
“There’s no need for you to screen the video looking for anything,” Supt. Chuck McDonald, operations manager at the Burnaby RCMP detachment, said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “If you have video from that night, whether it was dash-cam or personal video or you were taking selfies, if you can get that video or stills to us, we can add that to our database. That’s real important.”
Shen, who would have started Grade 9 at Moscrop Secondary in the fall, was reported missing at about 11:30 p.m. on July 18. Her body was found in the brush in the southeast section of Central Park at about 1:10 a.m. on July 19.
Shen was last seen leaving her home near the park at 6:02 p.m.
A short security video clip released by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) last week shows Shen apparently entering an apartment building near the crime scene on the day of her disappearance.
The video shows her wearing a dark-coloured T-shirt, shorts and runners.
Police say those appeared to be the clothes she was found with.
Investigators believe the teen was killed in a random attack, IHIT confirmed Wednesday, but few details were released about the circumstances of her death – including how police determined her killing was random, whether or not she had been sexually assaulted, who she texted during her last contact by phone at 5 p.m. on July 18, whether police believe she was killed in the park or her body was brought there after or whether they believe Shen’s killer was a stranger to her.
“I can’t speak to any evidence in the investigation,” IHIT spokesperson Cpl. Meghan Foster said repeatedly. “What’s important here and what the people need to know is that her death was random.”
Given the random nature of the killing, police have stepped up foot and bike patrols in Central Park and are urging residents to be vigilant about their personal safety.
McDonald had this advice for residents:
- Don’t walk or jog early in the morning or late at night when the streets are deserted
- If possible, walk with friends or in pairs
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Stay visible and stick to well-lit areas and walk with confidence
- If you think someone’s following you, switch directions or cross the street
- If a person continues to follow you, move quickly towards an open store or restaurant or lighted house
- Don’t be afraid to yell and call 911
McDonald said the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has been in daily contact with Shen’s family.
The superintendent, a father of two daughters, choked up as he expressed his sympathy for the family.
“I cannot imagine what they’re going through,” he said. “I lost my daughter for about 15 minutes at the PNE when she was two. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have your child taken away from you under these circumstances.”
