UPDATE: UPDATE: According to Lethbridge Police Service officials, Melissa Tidlund turned herself in to police Friday night. Tidlund is facing charges for first-degree murder and arson to property.
Lethbridge Police have identified the victim found in a southside motel room and charged three people with first-degree murder.
Police have identified the victim as 34-year-old Christina Webber. According to police, officers found Webber’s body inside a ground floor room of the motel after responding to reports of a suspicious death on December 28th.
The Criminal Investigation division took over the investigation, and according to officials determined on boxing day two men and a woman visited Webber’s motel room. It is alleged an interaction took place that involved a weapon, resulting in the death of the 34-year-old. The trio is reported to have taken items from the room and then fled in an SUV, which was later found set on fire along 7th Avenue South.
Police have transported Webber’s body to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Calgary for an autopsy, which confirmed her death as a homicide.
According to a release from LPS, “During the course of the investigation, police obtained and executed search warrants at multiple properties in the city.”
Two male suspects are in custody for first-degree murder charges and an arrest warrant has been issued for a female suspect.
According to police 28-year-old Drew Austin Waters was arrested after leaving the Lethbridge Correctional Centre following him serving a weekend sentence for “unrelated offences.” Thirty-six-year-old Kyle Douglas Doddridge was arrested after police executed a warrant at a home in Lethbridge’s north side. According to police Doddridge was taken into custody following a “short standoff with members of the Tactical Team.”
Both men have been remanded into custody and are scheduled to appear in court later in January.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Melissa Christelle Tidlund. Police say efforts to locate the 23-year-old Pincher Creek woman are ongoing and ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact police.
Police say this incident is believed to be isolated, with no further risk to the public.
