The Longueuil police haven’t made an arrest in the death of a young woman Tuesday night along a bike path.
But they confirm they’ve met two key witnesses and are receiving numerous tips from the public.
The still-unidentified woman was likely the victim of a totally random attack as she was walking home.
Local residents stopped by the site to pay tribute to the woman Thursday.
“When I (hear) about this, I think it can be my daughter, that's why I’m touched by this,” said local merchant Josee Poirier.
CEGEP student Gabriel Charbonneau said the attack’s location and the victim’s age were particularly concerning.
“It's near my school. For sure it touched me. She was like 23 and I'm 21,” he said.
On social media, there's been an outpouring of support for the victim and her family.
A member of the victim's family told CTV News not all of her relatives have been reached for the time being, and that's why they don't want to release her name publicly.
Police now confirm the 23-year-old victim was attacked with an unusual level of violence, and they now think it was a completely random attack against a woman who was simply walking to her nearby home after work.
“We can now confirm that a blunt object has been used as a weapon to injure the woman,” said Tommy Lacroix of Longueuil police.
On Wednesday, an eyewitness reported that three suspicious men had been spotted near the murder scene on the bike path.
Police now say they were initially detained, and two are considered important witnesses.
“One of them was the one who called 911. The other two were near the area. We're still trying to find out if they saw the aggression itself. Or if they were just in the area,” said Lacroix.
The bike path is popular among joggers. The Longueuil police says it's stepping up patrols near the bike path for now.
“We will have special patrols in the nearby to be sure people are in security,” Lacroix said.
The murder is the only one this year in on the Longueuil police’s territory.
