Homicide at 'no fixed address': Sometimes it's only when a person dies that they are actually seen as a person

There are definitely people who know how Chantelle Ruhl died and it’s probably eating them up inside

I never met Chantelle Ruhl but I suspect I’ve seen her dozens times, as we all see chronically homeless people moving around, sleeping in various locations around Chilliwack and the rest of the Lower Mainland.

The first time I heard her name was when the 37-year-old was found dead behind the old Canadian Tire near the blackberry bushes by the Southern Railway line some time before noon on April 21, 2025.

A few hours after that I was at the bottle depot returning empties and dropping off a 10-year-old coffee maker that finally decided it didn’t want to be a coffee maker anymore. Several other people were there with pickups and hatchbacks and loads of recyclables after cleaning out their pantries or garages of their mostly comfortable suburban homes.

There are a small group of people who are often in that parking lot, usually over by the old Canadian Tire building, presumably there because they've returned a few empties, one of the few ways extremely poor people can scrape up a few dollars. These are people who are clearly struggling in life, living on the streets, probably with trauma, almost certainly with addiction. I am not saying Chantelle Ruhl was definitely one of those people, I don’t know, but as someone described as being of "no fixed address" who was found dead just metres away, and who was "known to frequent the area," she probably was.

And she was a person. Period.

Often we ignore or look past or through, or we judge people on the streets, but they never chose that life. We don't know how they got there. As is evident from a Facebook post yesterday by her mother, childhood photos and touching remarks should remind all of us that every single person we see has people who love them no matter what their circumstances.

"Chantelle’s warmth and compassion extended far beyond her family, touching the hearts of countless friends and members of her community," Catherine Jane Goldbaum wrote in a Facebook post. "Known for her genuine kindness and unwavering support, she was the friend everyone could rely on, always eager to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. Her ability to connect with people from all walks of life created a tapestry of friendships that reflected her inclusive and loving nature."

See. She was a real person.

When I parked that afternoon, the area was marked off with police tape and two officers were walking along the tracks towards Knight Road looking for evidence.

Mounties reported finding Chantelle Ruhl's lifeless body after responding to a call to what they described in a news release as a "suspicious occurrence." I wonder who called that in.

Based on an initial assessment of the scene by the Chilliwack RCMP Serious Crimes Unit in conjunction with the Integrated Forensic Identification Service (IFIS), they suspected Chantelle was killed by someone (rather than having died by accidental overdose or suicide, for example) so the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) team was called out.

"Investigators are in the area completing an extensive ground search for evidence and canvassing for witnesses and video," according to a Chilliwack RCMP update issued Thursday (April 24, 2025).

"IHIT is identifying the victim as 37-year-old Chantelle Ruhl of Chilliwack in an effort to advance this case," the release said. "Ms. Ruhl was of no fixed address and known to frequent the area where her body was found."

IHIT is specifically asking the public to help figure out a timeline leading up to Chantelle's death. They probably want to hear from anyone who was at the bottle depot a few hours before I was. It's the only retail business so close to these tracks where people parking have direct sight lines.

"We believe there are people who have information about Ms. Ruhl’s movements between Wednesday, April 16, 2025, and Monday, April 21, 2025, and it is important for us to talk to them," said Sgt. Freda Fong of IHIT. 

People who live rough in adverse conditions talk and they all know one another. Someone knows what happened to Chantelle Ruhl, and it’s probably eating them up inside.

"Affectionately known as Chany... born on November 2, 1987, Chantelle graced the world with her caring spirit and thoughtful heart," her mother wrote.

Any witnesses or anyone with dash-camera footage who was in the area of the 7500 block of Vedder Road during this wide timeframe of April 16 to April 21 is urged to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

If you call, cite RCMP file number 2025-422.

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Paul J. Henderson
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