As police continue to comb for evidence after the fatal explosion in an apartment building in Innisfail, it’s left the entire community baffled and in shock.
Vicky Shachtay, 23, was killed in the blast leaving behind her six-year-old daughter.
Shachtay was a quadriplegic who used a wheelchair following a car accident several years ago.
Friends describe her as funny and devoted to her church.
“Such a wonderful woman, good mother,” said her pastor Dave Wiebe of the Innisfail Alliance Church.
When the explosion happened at around 9 a.m. Friday, Shachtay was home with her 30-year-old caregiver. That woman suffered minor injuries.
Explosives experts from Edmonton and Ottawa are now investigating. RCMP say a parcel delivered to the door that morning caused the explosion.
“The package just showed up at the house,” said Sgt. Patrick Webb. “As for how it got there, if someone dropped it off, all aspects of delivery are being looked into.”
Wright called the incident an "absolute tragedy," one that's shaken the small town of roughly 7,000 people, about 100 km north of Calgary.
"That just doesn't happen in Innisfail," said Wright.
Investigators are not officially calling the package a bomb, although locals were already drawing conclusions as word spread.
Speculation began swirling shortly after initial reports of the blast, said Joe Desjardins, owner of the Coffee Cottage in Innisfail.
He said unexpected doesn't begin to describe it.
"Just about everybody coming in was saying 'did you hear what happened?'
"It's quite bizarre and we're still listening to the news -- when the radio comes on to talk about that everyone's quiet to listen.
"Whoever's twisted thought that was, I hope they're caught."
Pastor Dave Wiebe of the Innisfail Alliance Church, where Shachtay volunteered with the children's ministry, said his friend's death is a huge loss.
"We're wrestling with that for sure as a church family," he said.
A strong woman with a wonderful and positive personality is how Wiebe described Shachtay, who was confined to a wheelchair following a serious car crash years ago.
He said he'll miss seeing Shachtay with her daughter, who is currently in the care of family.
The scene is still under investigation and it will be several days before apartment residents can return.
A contingent of RCMP is being called in to investigate.
"It does make me feel safer," said Desjardins.
Police ask that anybody with information about this incident call any RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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