EDMONTON -- Mounties in Alberta say the discovery of a woman's remains in the same area where three other women have been found could mean police are dealing with a serial killer.

RCMP Insp. Stacey Talbot said Tuesday that the remains found in April on a rural property near Leduc, south of Edmonton, have been identified as those of Corrie Ottenbreit.

"We consider Corrie's death to be a homicide," Talbot said. "We do not know what happened to Corrie. We are asking for the public's assistance."

Ottenbreit, an Edmonton prostitute, was last seen in the city in May 2004. The 27-year-old disappeared after telling her husband and child she was going out to work the streets.

Police have now found the remains of four women within an eight-kilometre radius in Leduc County. "One of the investigative theories in relation to these deaths is we may be dealing with a serial predator," said Talbot.

She declined to provide specific details about where the remains were found or about the investigation.

Two of the other three women found in the area were also sex-trade workers.

The remains of Katie Ballantyne, 40, were found in a field in July 2003, less than three months after she disappeared.

Delores Brower, 33, disappeared the same month as Ottenbreit. Last April, police confirmed her remains were found on a rural property near Leduc.

Another woman, Amber Tuccaro, disappeared in August 2010 after she got into a vehicle with an unknown man south of Edmonton. The 20-year-old has just arrived from Fort McMurray with her infant son and a female friend.

Police later released an excerpt of a phone call from Tuccaro in the truck that picked up the voice of the male driver.

"You'd better not be taking me anywhere I don't want to go," she's overheard telling the driver at one point.

Her remains were found in September 2012.

A Mountie-led missing persons task force dubbed Project KARE has been investigating the deaths and disappearances of vulnerable individuals throughout Alberta since 2003.

Talbot said Ottenbreit was identified using DNA analysis of a hair sample she provided to the task force in December 2003.

Ottenbreit's family members said in a statement that she was a loving daughter, partner and sibling, and they will cherish their memories of happier times.

"Since May 2004 we have struggled with her absence from our lives," read the statement.

"Today we struggle with the sad news that we will never see her again."