Ex-fiancé stalked woman found dead in car, her aunt says
CBC News | Posted: October 26, 2012 1:31 PM | Last Updated: October 26, 2012
Body of Lacey Jones Mcknight discovered near bridge where man tried to hang himself
A woman found dead in Calgary's northeast was being stalked by her ex-fiancé, according to the woman's aunt.
The body of Lacey Jones Mcknight, 20, was found in a car on Thursday around 10 p.m. MT near the 900 block of 112 Avenue N.E.
Nearby, police had to rescue a man in his late 20s attempting to hang himself off a bridge.
The man was taken into custody and is currently being treated in hospital. No charges have been laid against him.
Sources tell CBC News the man's name is Kristopher (Tray) Guenther.
Mcknight’s aunt, Edie Lepage, who lives in New Brunswick, told CBC News her niece had been engaged to Guenther.
Lepage said that when they broke up he began stalking her niece. Mcknight was last seen Thursday when her mother dropped her off close to a mall to meet with friends.
It was just one of many times her mother had dropped her off, but it would be the last time she saw her, said Lepage.
Family called police multiple times, says aunt
According to Lepage, Mcknight’s mother would drive her to and from work because they were afraid of what Guenther might do.
"They had called the cops on this guy for the last month," she said. "He was texting her. He was following her and he was threatening."
Brian Jones, Lacey's uncle, says his niece and her mother had been asking for the police to help for weeks.
"I guess it was a terrible time that they went through with him stalking her and not knowing where he's going to be and threatening 'I will get you' and running into him in different times," Jones said.
On Thursday night, Lepage said Guenther showed up at the home where Mcknight had been living with her mother and said, "I just murdered your daughter."
Police confirm they are looking into a connected incident where a woman in her 40s was assaulted by a man who later tried to hang himself.
The woman did not require medical attention.
Autopsy scheduled
At this point, police are not sure what caused Mcknight’s death, but say it is suspicious and likely the result of a domestic dispute.
An autopsy was scheduled to be carried out Friday.
Police said they received a call Thursday saying a man had killed a woman and moved her body in a car.
Duty Insp. Paul Stacey said police are interviewing several witnesses and investigators visited a home in the southeast community of Walden Friday morning.
"The homicide unit was called in and they are conducting the investigation right now," said Stacey.
Police confirmed they have had "numerous interactions" with Guenther.
"As part of [the] homicide investigation, we will take a look at all previous interactions with the individuals involved in this incident," Calgary police said in a statement. "We'll also take a look at those incidents to see if there are lessons to be learned."
Previous run-ins with police
CBC News conducted a court document search and found no restraining order had been filed against Guenther.
But court documents show that he was convicted in 2004 of uttering threats and was given a suspended sentence of 12 months probation.
Guenther was also acquitted in 2006 of aggravated assault and two weapons charges.
He had filed for bankruptcy protection twice, once in 2004 and again in 2009.
Corrections:- An earlier version of this story said the car where Lacey Jones Mcknight's body was found was located at the busy intersection of Country Hills Boulevard and Coventry Boulevard N.E. Police later said it was found in the 900 block of 112 Ave. N.E. October 26, 2012 9:00 AM