Suspect may have burned evidence in case of missing mother and child, say police

Jasmine Lovett and her daughter Aaliyah Sanderson were last seen alive on April 16, 2019 (images: Calgary Police Service)

The Calgary police Forensic Unit has completed its search of a southeast condo where missing mother Jasmine Lovett lived with her 22-month-old daughter Aliyah Sanderson.

Officers spent several days searching a condo in the Cranston neighbourhood, which is owned by Robert Leeming, 34, who confirmed he was arrested Thursday and questioned by police then released the next day.

Police have said the man released remains the prime suspect in the disappearance and suspected killing of the 25-year-old mother and her 22-month-old daughter.

Calgary police searched a home in Cranston in connection with the suspected double murder of Jasmine Lovett and her daughter Aliyah Sanderson.

Investigators are now waiting for snow to melt so they can resume searching west of the city, where they had been focused on the Bragg Creek and Priddis areas for several days until a snap blizzard swept over the region on Saturday. They were led to the areas by analyzing electronic devices like cell phones, though police haven't said who those devices belong to.

Police said Monday they believe the suspect may have destroyed evidence by burning it between April 16 and 20 somewhere around Bragg Creek, Elbow Falls, Priddis, or East Kananaskis and are asking anyone who saw signs of a suspicious fire to contact them.

Leeming spoke to reporters soon after being released on Friday and said Lovett and her daughter moved into his condo in October and lived there until they went missing earlier this month. He said he was romantically involved with Lovett for a short time, but wasn’t when they disappeared.

The pair were reported missing on April 23 after failing to show up at a planned family dinner.

Source: CTV News Calgary