Two men charged with first-degree murder in relation to Calgary woman’s disappearance

Two men were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in relation to the disappearance of a Calgary woman in February, the Calgary Police Service said Wednesday.

Chelsea Davidenas, 29, was last seen on Saturday, Feb. 17, and was reported missing by her family on Tuesday, Feb. 27, after they weren’t able to get in touch with her. Since then, police said they received multiple tips and have taken “several investigative steps” to try and locate Davidenas.

Police said after considering the evidence that they have, investigators believe that foul play was involved and Davidenas was a victim of a homicide.

According to the news release, Davidenas was allegedly lured into a residence located in the 5600 block of Rundlehorn Drive Northeast in the early hours of Saturday, Feb. 17 by two men she knew.

CPS said it believes Davidenas was killed hours after her disappearance in the same residence but her body has not yet been found. The news release also said police believe Davidenas was targeted because of her history as a sex worker and investigators do not believe that this case is connected to any other missing persons case in Calgary.

Police said two men were taken into custody on Tuesday based on “a significant amount of physical and digital evidence” that was collected.

Officers are still trying to locate Davidenas’ body and are asking anyone with information to call police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers. CPS said investigators believe that her body was removed from the residence on Monday, Feb. 20 and transported in a stolen dark blue, low-profile 2001 Honda Civic with white rims to a rural, lightly treed area southeast of Chestermere.

“Our missing persons team and homicide unit investigators have been working tirelessly over the last month in an effort to locate Chelsea,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Rahn of the CPS homicide unit in a statement on Wednesday.

“Tragically, this is not the update that we’d hope to make. We are committed to finding answers for Chelsea’s family and will not rest until her remains have been located.”

Steven Aaron Zwick, 26, of Airdrie, and Paul Joseph Rushton, 52, of Calgary, have each been charged with one count of first-degree murder. They are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

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