Edmonton police turning to landowners in effort to find woman who disappeared in 1990
Posted October 22, 2025 12:15 pm.
Last Updated October 22, 2025 7:58 pm.
Edmonton police say they are continuing to look for a woman who disappeared and is believed to have been murdered in 1990.
Wednesday, EPS provided an update on their investigation into the disappearance of 83-year-old Ruth Clarke, who was last heard from by her friends and family on Nov. 1, 1990.
Police say on Nov. 2, 1990, officers responded to Clarke’s home for a welfare check. At the time, the home was being shared by her 42-year-old son, Ronald Clarke.
EPS was unable to find Ruth and noted her disappearance was suspicious.
Over the years, the investigation turned into a homicide investigation, and numerous interviews were conducted.
“Police now believe that Ruth’s remains were hidden in a hand-dug water well in a rural area less than an hour north of St. Albert,” said EPS in a statement. “The well police are looking for is believed to be located on a farmstead where trails lead through brush to two old, hand-dug water wells approximately 50-60 feet deep, one lined with wood, the other lined with brick. One or both wells may be filled and/or covered with brush or debris.”
More recently, police have worked with Government of Alberta groundwater well specialists, as well as speaking to landowners, in an effort to search various possible well sites. Despite this, they have been unsuccessful in finding Ruth’s remains.
“Because of the vast area of land that may contain old hand-dug wells, we are reaching out to the public for assistance in hopes of finding Ruth’s remains,” says S/Sgt. Kevin Harrison, with the EPS Historical Crimes Section.
“It is our hope that locating Ruth’s remains will bring some measure of resolution to those who knew and loved her, and have suffered through decades of ambiguous loss.”
As their investigation continues, police are asking landowners and anyone else familiar with the areas approximately an hour’s drive north of St. Albert, including areas surrounding Morinville, Barrhead, Westlock, Rochester, and Redwater, to come forward if they have any information about an abandoned well. Those who have information can contact investigators by calling 780-423-4567.
