Derek Saretzky, accused of killing Alberta toddler and father, charged in senior's slaying

An Alberta man already charged in the slayings of a little girl and her father in the Crowsnest Pass area has now been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 69-year-old woman in her home.

Derek Saretzky, 23, was charged with first-degree murder last fall in the deaths of Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette and her father, Terry Blanchette. There is an additional charge of committing an indignity to a body in the girl's case.

That Blanchette case triggered an Amber Alert on Sept. 14, 2015, when two-year-old Hailey was reported missing. Her body was found in a rural area near Blairmore, a day after her father was discovered dead in their home in the town of about 2,000.

On Wednesday, police announced Saretzky has also been charged with killing Hanne Meketech, 69, who was found dead in her home in Coleman on Sept. 9, 2015.

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RCMP said the Crown's office in Lethbridge, which is handling the Blanchette murder charges, will also handle the Meketech murder charge.

Saretzky is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in June for the deaths of the father and daughter to determine whether there is enough evidence to take the case trial.

On Wednesday, RCMP said Saretzky's next court appearance has yet to be determined.

Meketech's friend Terri Putnam said she was taken aback when she got a call from RCMP Wednesday morning informing her that Saretzky had been charged.

"I was confused. I was shocked," Putnam said.

"I want to know why ... I guess that's my main concern, now, so that I can have a peace of mind and that Hannah can rest in peace."

New evidence surfaced

Putnam said she and others in the area suspected Meketech's death might have been related to the deaths of Hailey and her father, as all three happened in a short period of time last September, but RCMP said for months the two investigations were not linked.

​That has since changed, according to Insp. Derek Williams.

"As the investigation into the deaths of Terry Blanchette and Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette was underway, evidence surfaced which led police to consider Mr. Saretzky a suspect in this case," he said.

Police haven't released a cause of death for Meketech, nor a possible motive.

Saretzky remains in custody.

Crowsnest Pass is about 230 kilometres southwest of Calgary.

Meketech remembered

Putnam and those who knew Meketech remember her as a hard-working woman who "persevered through many difficulties and challenges in her life."

In an article written in the Crowsnest Community Support Society, to which Meketech belonged, the society said she was "charitable, gentle and had a heart of gold."

She enjoyed sports, crocheting, and had an "unconditional love" for animals. 

Meketech lived with medical conditions and a mental disability, yet was an "independent woman and darn proud of it."

"Her choices were not always in her own best interest but she made those choices independently and in her own way learned how to overcome obstacles," the article stated.