DARTMOUTH, N.S. — Police won't say what caused the death of an 18-year-old Nova Scotia woman found dying on a dark Dartmouth walkway this week.
Chelsie Probert was rushed to hospital late Tuesday, where she later died of her injuries.
Halifax Regional Police ruled the death a homicide following an autopsy but have not released the cause of death.
Const. Dianne Penfound said Thursday police are not disclosing how Probert died as the investigation is ongoing.
"We have to protect all aspects of the investigation," she said.
Forensic officers are continuing to comb the murder scene in search of clues into what happened Tuesday night.
As to why investigators cordoned off garbage bins in a nearby plaza with police tape, Penfound said anything of potential interest is being investigated.
"We'd be checking everything to see if there is any potential evidence," she said.
Penfound would not say whether the woman was killed at random or by someone she knew, or whether she was attacked at the scene or somewhere else.
"At this point in the investigation it's really too early to determine that," she said. "We're still exploring all avenues so we can't really speak to that."
The hardscrabble area of north end Dartmouth has struggled with violence.
A man was stabbed on the same north end Dartmouth pathway in late February, which cuts through Farrell Street Park near Albro Lake Road.
Police stepped up patrols in the neighbourhood last summer after a string of violent incidents, including a number in the nearby area of Farrell Street and Windmill Road.
Although residents said this week it's a hard-working family area, they also said more efforts are needed to address issues that have persistently plagued pockets of the neighbourhood like violence, drugs and prostitution.
The Canadian Press
