Forty years later, no one has been arrested in the killing of a young Medicine Hat woman who was strangled in an Edmonton motel room.
Melodie Riegel was 19 when she died. A chambermaid found her body on Sept. 21, 1986, in Room 320 of the former Pan American Motel in Edmonton’s Kingsway area. An autopsy showed she had been strangled.
The motel has since been torn down.
Riegel grew up in Medicine Hat. She had been taking a hairdressing course in Calgary, a friend says. Melodie was last seen around 10 p.m. on Sept. 20, 1986, in central Edmonton.
Whoever rented her room used a false name. Police say it was registered to a “Bruce Stevens,” who claimed to be from Grande Prairie. Investigators believe the name was invented, and that the man’s hometown claim was false, too. He had checked in at 11 p.m. the same night Riegel went missing.
Riegel, who was commonly called “Tasha” by her friends, stood roughly 5-foot-2, weighed 100 pounds and had blonde hair. When she vanished, she was wearing a purple leather jacket, a blue and black turtleneck sweater, blue jeans and white boots. Police released that description, along with the colour of her clothing, hoping someone would remember her.
The case is still open. The Edmonton Police Service lists it as unsolved on its cold case website. There have been no arrests in the four decades since.
Police reopened the file in 2011, on the 25th anniversary of the killing. A renewed appeal often helps, Detective Howie Antoniuk said at the time.
“A plea will always bring in tips,” he said. “I’ve been on this unit for four years and every time there’s a plea or a mention of something happening on a file, it inevitably jogs people’s memories.”
The case drew new attention Monday, the 40th anniversary of Riegel’s death.
A friend named Marina remembered her as gentle and kind.
“She was very sweet,” Marina said. Riegel once looked after her young son for a whole summer while she worked. Marina also criticized the original investigation.
“I was furious with EPS as they did not do a good investigation,” she said.
Anyone with information can call the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Police ask that tips include file number 86-154600.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2026.