By rdnewsNOW staff

Blackfalds Victim

Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit charge four after 2020 Innisfail homicide

Apr 26, 2024 | 4:26 PM

The Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit has charged four individuals in relation to the 2020 homicide of 38-year-old Blackfalds resident Ryan James Gudwer.

During this four-year investigation, Mounties say officers have undertaken a plethora of investigative steps including forensics, surveillance, obtaining judicial authorizations and speaking to witnesses.

On April 10, 2024, after consultation with Alberta Crown Prosecutors, RCMP received support to charge four individuals with second-degree-murder. As all four suspects had moved significant distances since the murder, the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit began project K-Nova designed to locate and safely arrest each suspect. Supporting Units Codiac RCMP (New Brunswick), Abbotsford Police Department (B.C), and the RCMP Red Deer GIS/Intel Team were asked to assist.

On April 16, 2024, RCMP arrested Red Deer resident Cory William Hales, 44, in Red Deer. Mounties say Hales has been taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody, with his next court date set for May 3, 2024 at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer.

On April 18, 2024, RCMP arrested Thomas Jeffrey Houle, 27, in Calgary. Police say Houle has been taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody, with his next court date set for May 7, 2024 at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer.

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On April 19, 2024, RCMP with the assistance of Abbotsford Police Service arrested Abbotsford resident Amber Loretta Knickle, 25, in Maple Ridge. Mounties say Knickle has been remanded into custody and transported back to Alberta where she is awaiting her next court date.

On April 20, 2024, RCMP arrested Moncton resident Mathieu Bilodeau, 45, in Moncton. Police say Bilodeau has been remanded into custody and has been transported back to Alberta where he is awaiting his next court date.

“Since this crime our suspects relocated to different locations which presented unique challenges to our investigators” said Cpl. John Brown of the Alberta Major Crimes Unit, “With close coordination with our policing partners we were able to effectively locate and arrest each suspect.”

BACKGROUND (May 1, 2020)

On April 29, 2020 at 1:30 a.m., Innisfail RCMP responded to a 911 call to assist EMS with a male in medical distress at the Bluebird Motel.

Mounties say the 38-year-old male was declared deceased on scene and the circumstances of his death were deemed suspicious.

The RCMP Major Crimes Unit was deployed and are currently investigating what is determined to be a homicide.

RCMP believe this is an isolated incident. The investigation is in its preliminary stages and no further details are available.

If anyone has information about this homicide, please contact Innisfail RCMP at 403-227-3341. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.

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