Random murders in British Columbia are not commonplace, but the victims remain etched in the public's consciousness. The infrequent occurrence of the crime is no comfort for residents of Burnaby and the family and friends of 13-year-old Marrisa Shen, who died earlier this month in a popular park.
Last week, police classified her death as a random act of violence, but no suspect has yet been identified.
The RCMP are cautioning parents to be vigilant.
As with other classmates of Marrisa's, Manya Sharma said her parents have become more anxious and protective than before, but she understands why.
"I think it's important that all parents do that, because it's scary that we didn't expect it. It just happened so suddenly. I think it's like a warning that you have to pay attention and take safety seriously," she said.
But these events don't happen very often.
In B.C. in 2015, the latest data available from Statistics Canada, there were 95 homicides. Only 12 were random killings, just over 11 per cent.
That's about the same for the rest of the country: In Canada, 58 out of 451 solved murders in 2015 were carried out by strangers – 13 per cent.
And that figure is dropping.
From 2005 to 2014, 17 per cent of the solved homicides were committed by strangers.
"B.C. has 4.5 million people in total … [so] a person in B.C. would have approximately a one in 450,000 chance of being the victim of a stranger homicide," said Jennifer Armstrong, instructor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at University of the Fraser Valley.
Nonetheless, the victims of these horrific crimes are not soon forgotten.
In 2010, 15 year-old Laura Szendrei died after a sexually motivated attack in Delta's Mackie Park. She was killed by Wyatt DeBruin, who was days shy of his 18th birthday when he committed the murder.
Mr. DeBruin was sentenced to life in prison. Before taking Laura's life, he had assaulted three other females in the same park.
In 2009, Wendy Ladner-Beaudry – a well-known physical-fitness advocate and a mother of two – was killed while running in Vancouver's Pacific Spirit Park. Her killing has been designated random and the case remains unsolved.
On the seventh anniversary last year of Ms. Ladner-Beaudry's death, her family offered a $30,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the killer.
Former Vancouver police officer Kim Rossmo, an expert in murder investigations, said while random violent attacks don't often occur, they can be very difficult to solve. Assistance from the public is often key.
"The reason most homicides are cleared is because of a connection between the victim and the offender. Without that connection, the investigation is much more difficult and complex. Co-operation from the community in terms of what people observed or know will be very important," Mr. Rossmo said.
Robert Gordon, criminology professor at Simon Fraser University, said random attacks are often carried out by males who are motivated by sexual gratification.
"[These cases] usually involve sexual assaults. The targets are usually women. … Women need to be more careful of where they are and what they're doing," he said.
Dr. Gordon suggested people not wear earphones when they hike or go to some parks, because it could prevent them from knowing what's happening around them.
Since Marrisa's death, Burnaby RCMP has warned the public to be careful and asked parents to talk to their children about safety.
"These events have caused great distress and sparked much concern about safety within the community," said Corporal Meghan Foster of the region's RCMP-led homicide unit.
But Mr. Rossmo added that the public should be aware that the likelihood of a random attack occurring is very low.
"They should not be unduly worried about it," he said. "They are at much greater risk simply driving along a busy highway."