Dozens of people gathered outside the Edson Baptist Church Monday evening in memory of a teenage girl who was murdered in broad daylight on an Edson path Saturday afternoon.

Emily Stauffer, 14, was walking down a commonly used path near a residential area on the northwest outskirts of the town when she was attacked and murdered by a lone man.

About 100 residents of the town of 8,300 people, including Emily's grandparents, attended the vigil outside the Edson Baptist Church, where the young girl's father, Terry Stauffer is a pastor.

"They understand the family's going through a lot right now so they didn't want to go to their home," Edson mayor Greg Pasychny said Tuesday during an appearance on Canada AM. "They decided to have it outside the church just so that they could show that this community is supporting them without interfering with their privacy."

Nola Gideon, one of the vigil's organizers and mother of two teenage daughters, said the community will pull together to help the grieving family.

"We wanted to show them that we care about what has happened and we feel their pain," she said.

Stauffer's body was found Saturday on a wooded trail near several homes.

Community members moved a memorial for Emily to the scene of the crime scene after police opened the trail Tuesday morning. 

Terry Lozinski, one of the first people on scene after police were called, said it looked like Emily had been strangled to death.

"They were huddled around performing CPR on her," he said. "There was a bloody rope on the trail."

Meanwhile, more than 30 RCMP officers were scouring the town for the person responsible for the slaying.

RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes says Mounties in the Edson area and across Alberta are looking for a white man about 30 years old, wearing a blue jacket and jeans.

Officers believe the man may have fled the area on an ATV or other form of transportation.

"It really is an endless possibility where the person is from and where he could be at this time," he said.

Oakes says tips from the public are key and is urging anyone who may have seen such a man in the trail area on Saturday afternoon to call police.

Investigators have also released a photo of a person of interest. The RCMP stressed Monday the man is not a suspect, just someone they would like to speak with.

Edson resident Mitch Iwanciwski said people are keeping their eyes open and no one is walking through the streets alone.

"People are scared, like how do you deal with this, this guy's an idiot," he said.

Meanwhile, Edson Mayor Greg Pasychny is trying to ward off vigilante justice.

"Leave it to the RCMP," he said. "We have over 30 extra RCMP in town. We borrowed the investigative members from our neighbouring municipalities."

The Medical Examiner completed an autopsy on Monday and has confirmed that Emily Stauffer was murdered.  The cause of death has also been determined, however investigators are not releasing those details.

With files from the Canadian Press