The death of a popular artist and performer on Hornby Island is being investigated as a homicide, Comox Valley RCMP officials announced Friday.
A forensic autopsy was completed on the body of 25-year-old Tempest Grace Gale, and foul play is suspected, officials said.
Police withheld the cause of death.
Gale's body was pulled from the water at Ford's Cove Marina Wednesday morning. Gale lived on a boat in the marina.
Police took a person of interest in for questioning and later released that individual without charges.
Matthew Fredbeck, the owner of the marina, identified that person as a man who had showed up at the marina about a week before Gale's death. Fredbeck said the man had been harassing people in the community, including Gale's family.
Residents of the tight-knit community have said Gale was well-known for her poetry and music. She also rode a unicycle and performed on stilts.
Hornby Island is off the east coast of Vancouver Island and has a population of about 900 residents.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 1-250-338-1321 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
