The RCMP are turning to the public for clues in the slaying of Teri-Lyn Williams, a Calgary woman who was found dead in Surrey on June 9.
Police said the 41-year-old woman, who also goes by the name Toni, left Calgary in April. She was found dead in the bushes that line the 13600-block of 104 A Avenue. Police have now confirmed that her death was a homicide.
They are asking the public for help as they determine why Ms. Williams was in British Columbia and who could have harmed her.
"Our hope is that we will identify friends and associates in order to create a profile of just who Teri-Lyn Williams is and more importantly who would want to cause her harm," said Inspector Bill Fordy of the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
Police are also looking for a silver Mitsubishi Outlander that was registered to Ms. Williams in Alberta. The registration expired Dec. 31, 2009.
Ms. Williams had a 20-year history as a prostitute, said Insp. Fordy, but police do not know if she was working at the time of her murder.
While the industrial area is not generally frequented by prostitutes, they occasionally bring clients to the neighbourhood, said Surrey RCMP Staff Sergeant Darren Malcolm.
There are no known links to any other unsolved homicides of prostitutes, Insp. Fordy said.
Police describe Ms. Williams as mixed race, 5-foot-2 and 126 pounds.
She was last seen wearing a navy-blue tennis skirt and a cream-coloured blouse. Her hair was pulled back from her face with small white elastics, and she had a scar along the right side of her jaw. She was also wearing what looked like a house key around her wrist, police said. A black faux-fur coat was found at the crime scene.