Two men charged with first-degree murder in death of Calgary woman

Murder charges laid in death of missing woman Two men are facing murder charges in the death of a Calgary woman who has been missing for weeks. Jordan Kanygin reports.

Calgary police have arrested two men in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of a 29-year-old woman.

Chelsea Davidenas was last seen on Feb. 17 and reported missing by her family on Feb. 27.

Investigators worked to locate her, but say based on the evidence collected it's believed she was killed.

Davidenas' death

Police allege Davidenas was lured to a home in the 5600 block of Rundlehorn Drive N.E. in the early morning hours of Feb. 17 by two men she knew.

Investigators believe she was then killed inside the home.

Police think the two men targeted Davidenas because of her history as a sex worker.

"She was called to a location on a date. When she arrived there, what she was expecting was not what was anticipated, and it ultimately ended in her death," said Staff Sgt. Mark Rahn of the Calgary Police Service homicide unit in a news conference.

Although police haven't yet found her remains, they say a "significant amount of physical and digital evidence" has been collected, leading to the arrest of two men.

Arrests

Steven Aaron Zwick, 26, of Airdrie, and Paul Joseph Rushton, 52, are both charged with first-degree murder.

Both were arrested on April 2 and both have criminal records, according to Rahn.

"After collecting a lot of digital evidence – CCTV video and cellphone records – we determined that … Zwick was known to Chelsea. They had had a previous relationship, and he became our prime suspect," Rahn said.

Search for remains

The search for Davidenas' body is ongoing and police are asking for the public's help.

Police believe her remains were removed from the Rundlehorn home on Monday, Feb. 20, and transported to a "rural, lightly treed area" southeast of Chestermere in a stolen, dark blue, low-profile, 2001 Honda Civic with white rims.

Police say the Civic has since been located.

"The area where we believe her remains may be is fairly vast, it's a very large area, so we are taking the information that we have learned and we are trying to narrow that down," Rahn said.

"We're asking rural land owners southeast of Calgary, if they're checking their properties and they notice anything out of the ordinary to please contact either the Calgary Police Service or the RCMP.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

The two accused are described as "acquaintances."

"We believe that only one individual knows where the body is," Rahn said. "The second male does not know, he was not involved in that."

Rahn says Davidenas' family has been "incredibly cooperative" with the investigation.