An autopsy has confirmed the body found in a North Carolina town belongs to former Edmonton resident Nancy Cooper.
The mother of two disappeared Saturday after she left her home in Cary, North Carolina, in the early morning hours.
Her husband told police he last saw her when she left to go running.
Cary police chief Pat Bazemore said they are treating her death as a homicide. Investigators made the announcement Tuesday at a press conference. Local media report Cooper's parents and siblings were present.
Her husband, Brad Cooper, was scheduled to be there but declined to attend at the last moment. Police said he has been co-operating with investigators ever since she was reported missing.
On Monday night, a man walking his dog found Cooper's body on the banks of a storm water drain runoff. The area is close to a cul-de-sac where homes are either under construction or are occupied.
Cooper's parents, Donna and Garry Rentz, still live in Edmonton. They travelled to North Carolina last weekend to help volunteers search for their daughter.
"Gary, Khrista and I spent the early morning together with a volunteer group that are working together to bring Nancy home," Donna Rentz said to North Carolina media.
Friends told reporters Cooper was training for a half marathon at the time.
Since her disappearance, friends sent up a Facebook group dedicated to finding the missing mother of two. The group had more than 250 members by Tuesday afternoon.
Cooper's mother told local media earlier today the family is preparing themselves for the worst.
"We cannot think of a better place for our loved one to be," Rentz said.
Police in Cary said they currently have no person of interest or suspect in the case.
