Melodie Riegel was 19 when she was last seen at about 10 p.m. on September 20, 1986, in central Edmonton. Known to friends as Tasha, she had grown up in Medicine Hat and was taking a hairdressing course in Calgary. She was described as about five feet two inches tall, 100 pounds, with blonde hair, wearing a purple leather jacket, a blue-and-black turtleneck sweater, blue jeans and white boots.

Late that night a man checked into Room 320 of the Pan American Motel at 10630 Kingsway Avenue under the name Bruce Stevens, claiming to be from Grande Prairie. Investigators later concluded both the name and the claimed connection were fictitious. A chambermaid discovered Riegel’s body in Room 320 on September 21; an autopsy determined she had been strangled. The motel was later demolished.

Police identified the false registration and the unidentified renter as key leads and publicized the detail in hopes someone would remember. The investigation remained open under Edmonton Police Service file number 86-154600; renewed appeals marked the 25th anniversary in 2011 and again around the 40th anniversary in September 2026. No arrest or publicly reported charges have been announced. If anyone knew who accompanied Melodie that night or who used the Bruce Stevens registration, can you help identify that person?