Murder charge laid in suspicious death at Vernon hotel

A woman has been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an investigation in Vernon which spanned 18 months.

Paige Courtney Howse, 28, is facing a second-degree charge in the death of Alishia Lemp, who was found dead in a Vernon hotel room in February 2020.

The B.C. Prosecution Service approved the charge on Sept. 24, according to a Vernon North Okanagan RCMP news release.

"For the past 18 months, our investigative team has worked tirelessly, through several jurisdictions, to bring the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms. Lemp’s death to this point," Cpl. David Hoekstra of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Serious Crimes Unit said in the release.

Howse was arrested in Surrey by the Vernon RCMP Serious Crime Unit and remained in custody until her court appearance today, Sept. 28.

On Feb. 28, 2020, Vernon RCMP responded to a Vernon hotel room after receiving a report of a "sudden death."

At the time, police said the General Investigative Section had taken over the investigation with help from a forensic team.

They treated the death as "suspicious in nature," but have released no further information since February 2020.


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Levi Landry

Levi is a recent graduate of the Communications, Culture, & Journalism program at Okanagan College and is now based in Kamloops. After living in the BC for over four years, he finds the blue collar and neighbourly environment in the Thompson reminds him of home in Saskatchewan. Levi, who has previously been published in Kelowna’s Daily Courier, is passionate about stories focussed on both social issues and peoples’ experiences in their local community. If you have a story or tips to share, you can reach Levi at 250 819 3723 or email LLandry@infonews.ca.

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