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23-year-old woman dies in what Edmonton police say they believe was case of intimate partner homicide

Ritish Kumar, 22, charged with second-degree murder

Police say they believe a 23-year-old woman in Edmonton is one of the city’s most recent victims of an intimate partner homicide.

According to an Edmonton Police Service news release, officers responded on July 9, 2026, to a call about an unresponsive woman with suspicious injuries at a residence in southeast Edmonton’s Silverberry neighbourhood.

Police said emergency services responded to the call, and Damanpreet Kaur was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries. She died days later, on July 12.

Following an autopsy on July 14, the medical examiner's office determined Kaur died by strangulation and the death was ruled a homicide, EPS said.

Police said on July 22, Ritish Kumar, 22, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, and the death is considered an intimate partner homicide.

EPS said investigators are not looking for any additional suspects at this time.

In an interview with CBC News, Cat Champagne, executive director of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, spoke broadly about homicides that are typically classified as femicide.

This comes after Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, received royal assent last month, recognizing femicide as first-degree murder. Provisions under the act came into force this month.

“It's very unlikely that this is the first instance of domestic violence that that couple or that partnership has had before,” Champagne said.

“I think it's just really important that we start to recognize femicide as its own entity and that we are in a form of epidemic where we're seeing more and more women die, and these are preventable deaths, and we need to take this seriously,” she added.

A recent GoFundMe fundraiser to bring Kaur’s body back to her family in India has already raised more than $18,000 of its $20,000 goal.

Champagne said she believes more action is needed to protect women.

She added that people can turn to their local women’s shelters for support if they’re seeing violent behaviour in their own relationship or their friends', noting that shelters act as more than just a place of refuge by providing support for intervention and prevention work.

If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. If you’re affected by family or intimate partner violence, you can look for help through crisis lines and local support services. ​​

Jesmeen Gill is a reporter for CBC News in Edmonton. She is a recent graduate from Carleton University’s journalism program in Ottawa and has previously interned at The Canadian Press. You can reach her at jesmeen.gill@cbc.ca.