RCMP can’t rule out that a young woman found dead in an alley stairwell in North Kamloops is the victim of a homicide.

“I don’t want to call it a homicide, but I don’t know yet,” Staff Sgt. Garry Kerr said Monday.

The woman — who Kerr believes is in her late teens or early 20s — was found behind a vacant business on the 500 block of Tranquille Road by a man collecting bottles Sunday night.

Kerr said the victim was fully clothed and lying in a pile of garbage, her face hidden by trash. The body could have been there for an hour or a day.

Fading sunlight meant police didn’t get much time to examine the scene. If the victim met with foul play, Kerr didn’t want to rush into an investigation and risk disturbing evidence, he said.

The area was cordoned off and the stairwell covered in tarps until investigators could conduct a thorough investigation. Officers guarded the area overnight.

“There wasn’t a lot to be gained by rushing into it,” Kerr said.

Forensic investigators arrived shortly after 7 a.m. Monday and worked late into the day. Lending to the suspicious nature of the death are marks on the victim’s hands and face.

Kerr said the marks could be the result of an assault, a fall or, if she lived on the street, her lifestyle. She could have died from a drug overdose or medical condition.

The big push now is identifying the victim. Kerr said she does not match the description of a missing person and there was no identification found on the body.

“It would be good to figure out who she is. She is a lot younger than I thought she was going to be,” said Kerr.

RCMP went door-to-door talking to residents and employees at local businesses. The alley is a high traffic area frequented by transients, prostitutes and johns. People who work in the area say it is reasonably quiet by day.

Residents tell a different story. Sandra Kirkland’s house backs onto the alley. She phones RCMP three or four times a week complaining about drug deals and drunken behaviour behind her home, she said.

People do drugs in the stairwells and prostitutes walk the alley. She said johns pick them up at the corners of Elm Avenue and Oak Road.

Some business owners have blocked off their stairwells. Kirkland would like the rest to do the same, she said.

Knowing a body was found near her house is upsetting. Kirkland doesn’t think it’s fair someone ended her life in such a place.

“It’s sad,” she said.

Andrea Houssian said her roommate saw the coroner take away the body. The victim was wearing black clothing.

She hopes the death will prompt more police activity in the neighbourhood and drive the criminal element elsewhere, she said.

“There’s constant (drug) traffic on the street. It’s pretty serious,” she said, adding Our Lady of Perpetual Help School is nearby.

An autopsy is expected to take place today. Anyone with information is asked to phone Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.