Edmonton police are trying to identify a man who sexually assaulted a teenage girl in the city's river valley last month, and they're asking the public for help.
The assault happened between 8 and 8:30 p.m. on June 23, in a heavily treed stretch of the river valley west of Grand View Drive near 62 Avenue, according to the Edmonton Police Service. Two teenage girls were walking there when a man they didn't know passed them, then doubled back, came up behind one of them, and assaulted her. She got away and ran to the nearby neighbourhood.
The suspect description
Police describe the man as Asian or Indigenous, around 40 years old, five foot six to five foot eight, with a thin build and messy brown hair. Two details stood out to investigators: a noticeable slouch and a slow walk. He was believed to be wearing black sweatpants or jeans.
That description is the whole reason for the public appeal. Someone may recognize the combination, the age, the build, the posture, even if they never saw the assault itself.
How a case like this gets solved
Stranger assaults are among the harder files police work, because there's no existing connection between victim and attacker to trace. That's exactly why EPS put out a description this detailed and why the appeal matters as much as it does.
Investigations like this tend to move on the things around the crime rather than the crime itself. A resident's doorbell or security camera that happened to catch someone walking to or from the river valley around 8 p.m. A jogger or dog-walker who passed a man matching the description on the trails that evening. A driver who noticed someone near Grand View Drive. Any one of those can give investigators a direction they don't currently have. It's the reason police ask people to come forward even when they're sure they didn't see anything important, the person who saw the suspect leaving often doesn't realize what they witnessed.
What police are asking for
If you were in the area that evening, saw something that seemed off, or have any information at all, EPS wants to hear from you. Call 780-423-4567, or #377 from a mobile phone. Tips can be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at p3tips.com/250.
Using the river valley this summer
Edmonton's river valley is one of the largest urban park systems in North America, and on a summer evening the trails are busy. Attacks like this are rare, and police haven't flagged an ongoing threat, this is an appeal about one specific incident, not a warning. Still, it's a fair prompt to use the usual caution on the more isolated, treed sections: go with someone when you can, keep your phone within reach, and trust your read on a situation if something feels wrong.
Police are continuing to investigate and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Where to get support
Anyone affected by this, or by any sexual assault, can reach free, confidential support in Edmonton. The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) runs a Support and Information Line at 780-423-4121, staffed by trained volunteers daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., for survivors and for the people supporting them.
Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence offers phone, text, and chat support at 1-866-403-8000, also 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with interpretation available in more than 200 languages. Outside those hours, the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Centre operates a 24-hour line at 1-866-956-1099. Support is available whether or not someone chooses to report to police.
Sources:
Edmonton Police Service, media release, "Police seek public's assistance following stranger sexual assault," July 10, 2026 (file CP26R003)
