Two weeks after the family of homicide victim Colton Crowshoe pleaded with the public to come forward with information about his 2014 death, Calgary police have made an arrest.
In a news release Thursday, city police said officers have taken a man into custody and charges are pending after an extensive investigation into the 2014 murder of 18-year-old Colton James Crowshoe. The arrest comes several days after Colton’s family spoke publicly about the devastating impact his death has had on the family, and their desire for his killer to be found.
“I know somebody out there knows — somebody knows something. You’ve seen us suffer every day, you’ve watched us do everything and anything we can to find Colton’s killer,” said Anne Crowshoe, Colton’s aunt, through tears at a press conference on June 23.
Jimmy Crowshoe, Colton’s father, said someone with information should come forward so the family could have closure. The family has spoken out annually for eight years, hoping someone might be inspired to share new information about the night of Colton’s death.
“I keep hoping that one day, somebody will stand up and tell the truth,” Jimmy said.
Colton went missing on July 4, 2014, after leaving a house party in the Abbeydale area. Calgary police waited to put out a missing person’s report until July 22, 2014, and Colton’s body was found two days later in a water retention pond near Stoney Trail and 16 Avenue N.E.
His death was determined to be a homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Over the last eight years, Calgary police’s homicide unit has conducted thorough witness interviews and reviewed CCTV footage in the effort to identify a suspect, according to police.
Members of the public with new evidence recently came forward, police said, and on Thursday, a man was taken into custody without incident.
“Our homicide detectives have been incredibly persistent throughout this investigation,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson of the homicide unit.
Investigators believe the accused and Colton were known to each other and that they left the house party in Abbeydale together. It’s alleged the accused then killed Colton a short time later and dumped his body into the retention pond.
According to police, a motive for the killing is still being determined but officers are not looking for additional suspects.
Police will not be releasing the accused’s identity until charges are formally laid.
Gregson said the investigators would like to thank the public for their help in the case, since the new information directly resulted in their ability to make the arrest.
“Assistance from the public is vital in investigations like these,” he said. “In this case, we are grateful that members of the public came forward and trusted our investigators with their information so that we could bring closure to Colton’s family.”
