A popular musician was found dead in the water near a boat house where she lived on Hornby Island in B.C. They say there has never been a murder before on this island paradise. So is this Paradise Lost? Or did she fall and drown.
VANCOUVER, B.C. - (Update) A classic mystery is shaping up on an Island paradise in British Columbia over the death of a 25-year-old local star of the rock band called Killer Bagels.
Tempest Grace Gale, a well-loved performer known for her music, poetry and stilt walking was found dead in the water on Wednesday off a dock where she lived on a boat with her boyfriend.
Police have released a man they were holding as a "person of interest" and now face the tough task of proving Gale was murdered. An autopsy may not show anything more than drowning as the cause of death.
Gale was apparently fished out of the water by her boyfriend. Her parents, Michael Gale and mother Jazzmyre Corrigan also live on boat house nearby.
The picturesque, island, home to about 900, sits on the east side of Vancouver Island, in the Strait of Georgia. People say there has never been a murder on the Island in recorded history.
Police issued a
statement saying: "Her family and the community are grieving and ask that the media respect their privacy at this very difficult time. This is a tragic event and our sincere condolences go out to the Gale family."
RCMP arrived by helicopter early Wednesday to start an investigation.
"At this point, foul play has not been ruled out," they said in a statement. "We have a "person of interest" at the detachment and are also speaking to numerous individuals about this incident."
On Thursday, police issued an update stating the man they were holding has been released and an autopsy is scheduled to determine how she died.
Killer Bagels was a family band with dad, mom and daughter playing alternate music.
Their myspace.com web page states: "Killer Bagels is an alternative to the mainstream. Their origins are nebulous, and are rumored to have Andromedan genes. Emerging from the surrealistic shores of B.C. it is a trio of family; mom, dad, daughter."
"Thanks to their battery powered equipment, they've played in many obscure locations such as the beaches of Oregon and California, the canyons and deserts of Arizona and Nevada and often been sighted afloat off the shores of Hornby Island, their curiously eclectic electric sound subsisting solely on solar power!"
"A westcoast blend of many genres, their music is trans generational, appealing to peoples of all ages. It is at the same time soothing and rousing, simple yet complex and stimulating, with an overall welcome edge," the page says.
Reports said police are holding a man who is a recent arrival on the island.