CALGARY — The family of a woman who Calgary police believe was killed by a friend is pleading for the public's help in finding her remains.
Police have said Vida Smith travelled to Calgary from Chestermere, a bedroom community east of the city, to meet the friend at a coffee shop on July 21.
Family reported the 69-year-old missing to the RCMP after she failed to return home and missed a medical appointment two days later.
Calgary police charged 60-year-old Kevin Barton with manslaughter on July 31, but Smith's body has yet to be recovered.
Smith's family said in a statement distributed by the Calgary Police Service that they are beyond devastated.
They are asking members of the public to come forward if they saw something or know something.
"Our mom deserves dignity and respect. We just want to find her and bring her home so she can rest in peace."
Smith's family said she's more than just a missing person or victim.
"She's a beautiful human being, she's a friend, a mother and a grandmother," the statement said.
"She loved her grandchildren more than anything in this world. Vida is so missed and forever loved by her friends and family."
Police are asking anyone who may have seen the accused or his beige Cadillac Escalade in Calgary or Edmonton to contact them. It's believed Barton travelled to Edmonton on July 22.
They are also seeking witnesses to "suspicious activity" in a parking lot on the west side of the Sunridge ATB in northeast Calgary on the day Smith vanished.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 12, 2020
The Canadian Press
