In the early morning hours of Monday, May 6 police located the bodies of 25-year-old Jasmine Lovett and her daughter Aliyah Sanderson, 22 months, in Kananaskis, concluding a nearly three week-long investigation into their disappearances.
Robert Andrew Leeming, 34, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, set to appear next in Calgary court on Tuesday, May 14. Leeming is the same man who was taken into custody and then released two weeks ago.
The investigation led officers to a heavily wooded area near Grizzly Creek located off Highway 40, where the bodies were discovered.
The autopsies remain ongoing and formal identification of the victims will be released at the conclusion of the autopsies, conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Cause of death will not be released in this investigation.
To protect the integrity of this investigation and future court proceedings, police are unable to release details about what led to the discovery of the bodies but did thank Alberta Fish and Wildlife for "ensuring the safety of their officers during the search, due to bear activity in the area."
The pair went missing around April 16 and the homicide investigation began shortly after with investigators scouring the Bragg Creek area for their bodies. Snow did hamper search efforts but officers forged on.
Initially, investigators were asking for public assistance from anyone who witnessed a Caucasian man in his mid-30s driving a grey, luxury SUV in the Bragg Creek and/or East Kananaskis area between Tuesday, April 16, and Thursday, April 18, 2019.
The man may have been alone or with either of the victims, and may have been carrying mulch in his vehicle. Investigators specifically believe the man was in the Fullerton Loop/Elbow Falls area between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. on April 18 – the last day on which there was activity on Lovett's financial accounts.
Investigators had Leeming in custody for questioning but released with no charges, although he remained the primary suspect in the case. Police do not believe this incident to be random because the suspect and victims knew each other. Police focused their investigation, combined with the efforts of multiple other agencies, in the Cranston area – where the victim and accused lived – and the area around Bragg Creek and around Highway 40.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by members of the Cranston community to cover the costs for the memorial services for the victims, topping $21,000 by press time with a goal of $30,000. Any leftover proceeds will go to a Calgary women's shelter.
