Erin Howlett was reported missing by her family a few hours before her body was discovered in the Grand River, but Waterloo Regional Police want to know where she was during the previous two weeks.
Howlett, 28, was found in the river last Friday, near Riverbend Drive and the Walter Bean Trail, by a group of teens who were swimming.
Police say they believe her death to be suspicious. They want to hear from anyone who saw or talked to Howlett between June 20 and last Friday.
“Our investigators still need more information, particularly relating to her activities prior to her death,” says police spokesperson Olaf Heinzel.
Howlett was a popular waitress and the Sip & Bite restaurant in Elmira, where she had worked for the past seven years.
Her co-workers say she will be fondly remembered and dearly missed.
Her brother, Dane Howlett, says Erin could brighten up any room she was in.
“She was a ray of sunshine to always be around, a real social butterfly,” he says.
Dane Howlett says he last saw his sister over the third weekend in June.
He knew she had plans to write an exam in Toronto during the long weekend, and other friends saw her around that time.
An autopsy has been conducted, but police say the cause of death remains unknown pending the results of further forensic testing.
A funeral will take place Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Lion’s Hall on South Street West in Elmira. Visitation takes place Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, also in Elmira.
