A man is dead and Alberta RCMP's Major Crimes Unit is asking the public for help after a homicide at a Peace River gas station in the early hours of Thursday morning a community roughly 130 kilometres northeast of Grande Prairie.
At approximately 4:23 a.m. on April 23, Peace River RCMP were called to the Petro-Canada on 78 Street after a male was found deceased at the gas pumps. When officers arrived and reviewed surveillance footage, they made a disturbing discovery the man had already been dead for roughly two hours before anyone called police.
What the Video Shows
Surveillance footage obtained by RCMP shows a physical altercation between the victim and the suspect. The suspect then got into the driver's seat of the victim's vehicle a red 2005 Dodge Caravan taxi and ran the man over while fleeing the scene. The victim died as a result.
The taxi, bearing Alberta licence plate L98636, had white lettering on the doors with business information and a white taxi lamp on the roof. It has since been recovered.
Who Are Police Looking For?
RCMP have released surveillance images of the suspect but have not publicly identified them. The suspect was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, a black T-shirt with a white decal, black boots, and mismatched gloves one grey, one black.
Why the Two-Hour Gap?
Police were called at 4:23 a.m. but the incident happened approximately two hours earlier, around 2 a.m. RCMP have not confirmed who called police or why it took two hours before anyone contacted authorities.
What Is RCMP Asking the Public?
Investigators want to track the movements of the stolen taxi between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. on April 23. If you saw the red 2005 Dodge Caravan with licence plate L98636 anywhere in the Peace Region during that window, RCMP want to hear from you.
The Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit has taken over the investigation, with support from the Peace River RCMP Forensic Identification Section, General Duty, and the Edmonton Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Crime in the Grande Prairie and Peace Region
The Peace River homicide is the latest serious incident in a region that has seen a notable uptick in violent and property crime in recent months.
In late December 2025, two people were shot and killed on a rural road in Grande Prairie County. David Lagace, 54, and Michelle Lagace, 44, were found deceased in the area of Range Road 35 and Township Road 730 in the early morning hours of December 27. RCMP issued a public alert warning residents the suspect was armed and dangerous. Curtis Halladay, 42, was arrested later that day near McLennan and now faces two counts of second-degree murder. His case is proceeding through the Alberta Court of Justice in Grande Prairie.
Earlier this month, Clairmont RCMP arrested three known suspects in stolen vehicles in less than a week. James Patrick Gosse, 47, Danielle Marie Myler, 45, and Gordon Rawlyk, 50 all from the Grande Prairie area were arrested between April 15 and 17 on charges of possession of property obtained by crime. Gosse and Rawlyk were remanded into custody.
In March, Grande Prairie RCMP laid charges against a 27-year-old Horse Lake resident after he pointed a replica firearm at multiple locations in the city, including a college. The individual was remanded into custody.
Grande Prairie Gets Its Own Police Service
Grande Prairie is also in the middle of a significant policing transition. The Grande Prairie Police Service took over as the primary police of jurisdiction for the city on April 1, 2026, replacing RCMP after decades of Mountie-led policing. The transition is ongoing.
How to Contact Police
Anyone with information on the Peace River homicide is asked to contact Peace River RCMP at 780-624-6611. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at P3Tips.com, or through the P3 Tips app.
Sources:
Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit — Peace River homicide news release, April 23, 2026: rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Alberta RCMP — Grande Prairie County double homicide, December 2025: rcmp.ca/en/alberta/news/2025/12/4348941
Alberta RCMP — Grande Prairie disturbance at college, March 2026: rcmp.ca/en/alberta/news/2026/03/4351739
Clairmont RCMP — stolen vehicle arrests, April 2026 (confirmed via RCMP release)
Grande Prairie Police Service: gppolice.com
