Manslaughter victim's remains found in Banff National Park 3 years after killing

Nearly three years after Vida Smith was killed by her friend and former gambling partner, police have located her body in Banff National Park. 

But the Calgary Police Service won't say if the killer's information led to the discovery of the victim's remains.

Last fall, following a murder trial, a jury convicted Smith's a long-time friend Chris Lee, a.k.a. Kevin Barton, of manslaughter in her death.

Before Lee's sentencing hearing, he took homicide detectives to an area in the mountains where he said he had left Smith's tarped body.

Winter conditions hampered search

A snowstorm at the time prevented police from conducting a proper search.

Investigators returned last week and discovered Smith's remains near a rest stop off the eastbound Trans-Canada Highway, east of the Banff townsite.

A spokesperson for CPS says police will not confirm whether it was Lee's trip with detectives that led to the discovery.

The question: "Where is she?" was posed during the trial by prosecutor Shane Parker, who argued hiding Smith's body was the most aggravating factor of Lee's crime.

Smith was reported missing in July 2020 when she did not return to her home in Chestermere, Alta.

Less than two weeks later, Lee was charged. 

Blackjack card counters

Lee and Smith were had been friends and gambling partners for decades. The pair were blackjack card counters who spent decades travelling to casinos all over the world.

During his trial, Lee testified that he and Smith met on July 21, 2020, with a plan for Smith to sell him her ex-husband's passport so he could get into casinos he'd been kicked out of.

The two sat in his car to execute the deal, but Lee testified Smith handed him a birth certificate instead of the more valuable passport. He said she then tried to get out of the vehicle with his $10,000.

Lee testified he "accidentally" choked Smith as he tried to get her back into the car. 

Days after he killed Smith, Lee drove west, leaving her tarped body somewhere near Banff or Canmore, he testified.

During his sentencing hearing, Smith's children spoke of the torment they'd suffered not knowing where their mother's body was taken.

"You threw her body away like it was nothing, and I am haunted by that very thought," said Smith's daughter, Neda Power, in her victim impact statement. 

"You denied her dignity, a proper burial and a place where our family can pay their proper respects."