The Morinville RCMP hope the public can help them find three men they suspect were involved in the fire that destroyed St. Jean Baptiste Church.
Morinville RCMP put out a notice Feb. 11 asking for help to identify three suspects in their investigation of the June 30, 2021, arson at St. Jean Baptiste Church. The fire destroyed the church, which had been a major landmark in Morinville since 1907.
Cpl. Troy Savinkoff of the Alberta RCMP Media Group said police have learned that there were three people acting suspiciously around the church prior to the fire. While the fire was almost four years past at this point, police hoped putting out this call for tips would stir some memories and help identify these suspects.
Savinkoff said police were seeking information related to three men of medium complexion seen near the church around the time of the fire. Two had long, black hair, and the third wore a ball cap. All three were last seen leaving the area in an early 1990s GMC or Chevrolet pickup with a loud muffler.
“This fire destroyed a prominent landmark in the town of Morinville and we remain steadfast in solving this crime,” Morinville RCMP Staff Sgt. Darcy McGuinigal said in the notice.
“Know that any tips received will be promptly investigated.”
Savinkoff said police have a good idea of what happened during the fire and how it started but were keeping that and other information secret to avoid compromising their investigation.
Savinkoff told Morinville town council of the existence of these three suspects and his plans to put out a call for tips on them during a Dec. 10, 2024, meeting.
Ron Cust, chair of the St. Jean Baptiste Church rebuilding committee, said catching those responsible for the church fire would help the church community move on from it.
“We’ll forgive them, but at the same time there should be some consequences.”
Crews broke ground on the construction of the replacement St. Jean Baptiste Church building in June 2024.
Cust said construction of was now 25 per cent complete, with work on the interior concrete, steeple, and bell tower scheduled to commence this month. Replacement bells, Stations of the Cross statues, and stained-glass windows were ready to be installed, and there were plans afoot to hire artists to paint murals on the building’s walls. The rebuild was on schedule, on budget, and set to be finished this December.
Anyone with information on the arson at St. Jean Baptiste Church should call Morinville RCMP at 780-939-6100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
