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Treating suspicious death as homicide helps ensure thorough investigation

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Shannon Rogers in happier times.

Saanich police continue to treat the suspicious death of 26-year-old Shannon Rogers, whose body was discovered on June 12 in Colquitz River Park, as a homicide investigation.

“Typically we will classify it as the most serious of offences, and then work backwards from there,” Sgt. Dean Jantzen said, explaining that detectives are being thorough with the evidence they’re gathering. “It’s hard to work backwards (after) you realize that there has been a crime or you learn something changes than what you initially believed. Until we learn otherwise, it’s treated as the most serious of crimes.”

Rogers was reported missing to Victoria police on June 10. Her body was discovered by a 10-year-old boy walking with his father through the park.

The young woman led a high-risk lifestyle that involved street drugs and the sex trade.

Police say they’re still trying to piece together a timeline of Rogers’ movements in the day leading up to her death.

Her boyfriend, who reported her missing, said he hadn’t seen her in a week.

“This is a young lady who was entrenched in a street lifestyle, and many in her social circle have the same kind of lifestyle,” Jantzen said. “So we’re having a difficult time finding these people and conducting good quality interviews where people remember dates and times.”

Anyone with information on Rogers can contact Saanich police at 250-475-4356.

kslavin@saanichnews.com