‘Very odd’: Death of young Calgary woman remains a mystery: police

Calgary police are calling on the public to come forward with any information they may have following the death of a young woman found unconscious on a northeast pathway.

A passerby found Jelisa Maschki, 23, in medical distress on the Nose Creek Pathway near Fox Hollow Golf Course at 4 a.m. on Monday.

She was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition and placed on life support.

On Wednesday, police announced Maschki had died.

The Calgary Police Service's homicide unit is investigating, but says Maschki’s manner of death remains "undetermined."

Speaking at a Thursday news conference, Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson said it's a "very odd" incident.

"At this time, it's unknown if Jelisa was the victim of an assault or a tragic accident," he said.

"The injuries are obviously significant enough that they caused her death, but not significant enough to determine… there's not multiple injuries that would lead us to believe that a serious assault occurred here.

"That's really one of the odd parts of this investigation."

Gregson said if Maschki was attacked, there's nothing to indicate it was targeted.

He said they don't know why she was in that area, saying it would have been a "significant" walk from her home in southeast Calgary.

"We don't know. We know she left her home at about 7 p.m. the night before," he said.

Officers are now attempting to figure out what Maschki was doing in the time between her leaving her home at 7 p.m. and being discovered on the path at 4 a.m.

"She wasn't with anyone when she left (her home), we know that. We've spoken to people that she knows and people she was living with.

"I think it's very important to determine anybody she may have been with on Sunday night leading into Monday morning, those are the people we'd like to talk with."

Gregson said evidence suggests Maschki's injuries happened not long before she was found.

"There's not a lot of cameras in that area, it's a little bit remote, so we've tried to canvas (the neighbourhood) as much as we can, but we're not coming up with much."

When asked if police had a person of interest, or had taken anybody into custody, Gregson said investigators spoke with one person on Monday.

"That person has since been released," he said. 

Gregson said everything from an overdose to a slip and fall – or even a combination of both – is being considered.

"Following an autopsy, it takes months before we get the toxicology reports back," he said. "We're not ruling that out, but we can't definitively say that either.

"We're looking at all potential possibilities."

Organ donation

Family of Maschki say the young woman was able to donate several of her organs after her tragic death this week.

Speaking to CTV News, Maschki's great aunt Karin Watson said her death wasn't in vain.

"Jelisa was able to donate her kidneys, liver and lungs to some very special people so that something good comes out of this horrendous incident," she said in a statement.

Friends and family are trying to make sense of the loss, including Desteny Hiebert, 24, who has known Maschki since the pair were in their early teens but lost touch with her friend over the past year.

"She has always been a kind, loving person who would do anything for her friends, family and the ones she loved. She didn't have a mean bone in her body," she said.

"I love her and I hope she knows she had people that loved and cared about her regardless of the situation she was in. I miss her a lot. I wish I could have been there for her more."

Investigators are asking anyone who saw any suspicious activity along the Nose Creek Pathway, near Fox Hollow Golf Course, in the early morning hours on Monday, Dec. 9 to call them at 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers.