RCMP Cpl. Daniela Panesar places a photo of Marrisa Shen, 13, next to a map indicating where her body was found in Central Park, during a news conference in Burnaby, B.C., on July 19, 2017.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Homicide investigators believe the death of a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a Vancouver-area park was a random act of violence, prompting police to warn the public to be vigilant and take precautions to protect themselves.
Marrisa Shen was found dead in Central Park in Burnaby, east of Vancouver, early in the morning on July 19.
In the week since, police have pleaded for tips from the public to piece together Marrisa's whereabouts before she was killed.
Police have not said how Marrisa died. They do not have any suspects and don't believe it's linked to any other violent incidents.
"A review of the evidence to date indicates Ms. Shen's murder was a random attack," said Corporal Meghan Foster of the region's RCMP-led homicide unit.
Marrisa was reported missing the night before she was found dead. Police say she had a conversation over text message at about 5 p.m. She was captured on surveillance video leaving an apartment building an hour later.
"[The video] indicates that she was okay, not distressed," Cpl. Foster said.
RCMP Superintendent Chuck McDonald said parents should talk to their children about personal safety and he said people should avoid being out alone at night.
"The Burnaby RCMP will do everything in its power to keep you safe," he said. "But it is not something we can do on our own.
"Now is the time for us to watch out for each other, to be open about where we are going and who we are with."
Supt. McDonald said anyone with information that could help investigators should contact police. He said even dash-cam videos or personal videos and photos from the area of the park could help.
"I would urge anyone who knows something or saw something that evening no matter how insignificant you think it might be, please call," Supt. McDonald said.
Cpl. Foster said Marrisa's family is devastated. "They're suffering. They're suffering from the loss of their daughter, their sister. And they're learning to cope in these hard times."
Marrisa was set to start high school in the fall.
A group of students from her school visited Central Park with flowers. "I didn't know her personally, but I know she was sweet," classmate Manya Sharma said.
Manya said she was scared and sad when she heard the news Marrisa was murdered. "This is the first time I have ever experience something like this and it happens so close to where we live. The feeling is kind of down; it's hard."
Fellow classmate Lucy Croft said the unknown details of why Marrisa was murdered makes her scared and she feels even more unsafe with the incident identified as a random attack.
"It's random so you can't really prevent it. Especially we're all girls, so there's higher risk," Lucy said. "We're younger people, so we don't feel as protected in the area."
Police said officers on foot and bike have been patrolling the park in light of the attack.