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Receding snow in an Edmonton nature area revealed the body of a dead man on March 18th, 2007.

Several people walking their dogs at about 2:45 p.m. along Whitemud Creek, about a kilometre south of the Snow Valley ski facility, came across a body partially buried in the snow.

Police were called to the scene and Acting Sgt. Curtis Rind said the man appeared to be a transient in his fifties.

The remains of a fire and bottles, some blankets but no shelter, were found nearby. The death was not considered suspicious.

Firefighters pulled the body, wrapped in an orange tarp, from the creek's shore by late afternoon.

Seven weeks after the man was found, authorities still didn't know who he was and appealed to the public for help.

On May 3rd, 2007 the Chief Medical Examiner of Alberta made the unusual move of releasing a photograph of the man.

Dr. Graeme Dowling decided to take the step in hopes someone might recognise him. A high-resolution version of the picture can be seen here.

"We've been somewhat surprised in that this is a fairly well dressed, fairly trim, neat looking gentleman and we had thought that someone would come forward and say that they're missing a loved one,” Dowling said.

“We always feel that usually there's someone out there who cares, and we'd just like to make every effort we can to find them.”

It was initially thought the man was homeless but investigators were no longer so sure.

“Homeless people will often carry their life's possessions around with them. But he has no worldly possessions with him. He's just there and he's passed away.”

“This is a fairly well-groomed, kind of neatly dressed gentleman,” Dowling said.

The man was balding with grey-brown to grey hair and a trim goatee. He was estimated to be in his 50s or 60s, standing 5-feet 10-inches, weighing 165 pounds and his body lacked tattoos or distinctive scars.

When found partially frozen, he was wearing a dark visored hat, a green jacket, a black sweatshirt, dark green corduroy pants and black shoes. His cause of death was not determined but wasn't considered suspicious.

Edmonton Police Service have not received a report of a missing person matching the man's description. Dowling said it was at least two years since his office had turned to the media for help in identifying a dead person.

Within 24 hours of releasing the photograph, the medical examiner's office only received three tips. The underwhelming response surprised Dowling.

Of the tips, two led authorities to persons still alive.

On May 7th, the medical examiner's office revealed new details they hoped would solve the mystery.

“It’s a little disheartening that we haven’t had any strong tips,” senior medical investigator Dennis Caufield told the Edmonton Sun.

When found, the unknown man had about $20 in cash in his pocket and near his body were approximately four empty liquor bottles – including a bottle of scotch. There was also an empty duffel bag nearby and a shot glass-like chalice made of brass.

The man had a blood-alcohol level that was over the legal driving limit, Caufield added. He was also in possession of a 14-inch chef’s knife.

“Everything suggests the guy was something other than a homeless street person,” according to Caulfield.

There was speculation within the medical examiner's office that he was from eastern Canada or the United States and just passing through the area.

If not identified, the man would be offered a non-denominational funeral through the public trustee and buried in a city cemetery.

The medical examiner's office deals with fewer than one John or Jane Doe cases a year.

“It doesn’t happen often,” Caufield told the Sun. “Only a small percentage remain unidentified.”

On June 1st, 2007 it was announced the mystery man had been identified as 60-year-old Leonard Lee Smith.

"Someone actually saw the picture in the media," said Dennis Caufield of the Medical Examiner's Office. "Once that name came up the family had to be located."

The Medical Examiner's office received several phone calls after the man's photo was released in May. The tips lead police to the man's family in Ontario. After DNA tests were done, the man's identity was confirmed.

"We're very pleased that we've been able to identify this individual," said Caufield. "Without the help of the media, it would have been much more difficult for us solicit the public's help."

“Somebody saw the picture in the paper and thought he looked familiar,” he further explained. “That person called the family in Ontario.”

Caufield said the only mystery that remains is why Smith was in the ravine.

“He had been in Edmonton for more than a year, and he ended up temporarily without a place to live. He was a fairly reclusive fellow but his family had had intermittent contact with him.”

Though he might have been temporarily homeless, Caufield said it didn't appear Smith had a camp in the area where he was found.

“We don't know what he was doing there. It wasn't like he had tent set up. It was like he had just stopped there for a time.”

The discovery of the man again brought the plight of the city's homeless into media focus.

In 2006, the body of Elaine Rowan, 41, was found May 27th near the Shaw Conference Centre.

Jodi Faithful, 19, who was 5 1/2 months pregnant with twins, slipped into the North Saskatchewan River near Louise McKinney Park and drowned on July 15th.

James Rolheiser's remains were found August 28th in a heavily bushed area on a steep hillside between 82nd and 90th Street below Jasper Avenue.

On August 22nd Raymond Langlois, 53, was sleeping in the downtown Rosie's restaurant parking lot when he was accidentally run over and killed by an RV driver.

A city park ranger told the Edmonton Sun about 350 makeshift camps for homeless people dot the city's river valley during summer.

Park rangers supervisor Darren Grove said that number drops dramatically in the winter months.

"There's still the odd person who if the weather's good will try to hold out for a while," he said.

"But it's quite rare for someone to be near the Whitemud. Usually they're closer to downtown where the social services are."

Ele Gibson of the Bissell Centre said homeless people may retreat to the river valley and city parks because homeless shelters are full.

"Or sometimes they just like their independence. They don't want to jump through the hoops of going into a hostel."

An October 17th, 2006 survey of Edmonton's streets and shelters counted 2,618 homeless people.

An Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness spokesman said homelessness or substandard housing played a role in at least 32 deaths in Edmonton in 2005.

Edmonton police also deal with 7,000 missing persons cases a year.

deadmonton 2007 - other police matters - body found near creek