The woman who died in Stanley Park Thursday morning has been identified as a 33-year-old Surrey resident who was known to police.
Thi Yen Le was found barely alive by a park caretaker around 6 a.m. near Brockton Oval, just east of the Vancouver Aquarium.
She was in medical distress and died at the scene despite paramedics’ efforts to save her.
The cause of death has not been released but investigators believe Le was murdered, marking Vancouver’s fifth homicide of 2014.
“We won’t know all the details until the autopsy is completed. We’ll work closely with the coroner to determine the exact cause,” Const. Brian Montague said.
Police said Le was not jogging through the park before her death. She was found in flip-flops and black pants.
“This isn’t a case of someone in the park being randomly attacked,” said Montague, who added that the killing appears to have been targeted.
It’s unclear whether she was attacked in Stanley Park or taken there after the fact.
Police spent Thursday morning gathering evidence at the scene, some of it several meters from where Le was found.
A nearby parking lot was roped off with police tape and a tent was set up next to the Brockton Oval Field House to protect the area from rain.
Eight yellow markers were placed in front of the building.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Lisa Rossington
