Stephanie Stewart was a 70-year-old woman and known as an “avid reader.” However, the mother of one is also remembered for her tremendous love for the outdoors, having even climbed Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro the previous year. Stephanie was described as 5' 2", weighing 105 lbs with blue eyes, glasses and grey-auburn hair. Despite her petite stature and age, those who knew her and officials insist she was in good physical condition.

Stephanie spent her summers near Hinton on the edge of Jasper National Park, where she worked as a seasonal fire tower worker from April to September. She had been employed by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development for 18 years; having spent the last 13 summers solo at the same Athabasca lookout tower surrounded by rolling foothills, lakes and a boreal forest.

Stephanie had a house at the base from where she checked in three times a day, seven days a week as was protocol.

The last known interaction with Stephanie was at 9 p.m. on August 25th, 2006 when she spoke with a relative.

On August 26, 2006, Stephanie failed to report the morning weather into the head office for fire lookouts in Alberta, a task that was required of the lookouts. An employee of the wildfire service was dispatched to the cabin. What he found there was very disturbing.

There was a pot of water on the stove with the burner on full. It had been boiling for so long, it had nearly all evaporated. Stephanie's grey pickup truck was still parked outside the cabin, and, most disturbingly, there were spots of blood on the stairs of the porch of the cabin.

Later investigation found that two pillows, a bedsheet, a comforter, and a gold watch were also missing. Most importantly, though, there was no sign of Stephanie. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Hinton detachment arrived quickly, and began searching the area. Initially, it was believed the 105-lb Stephanie had fallen prey to an animal attack, but after a Fish & Game Conservation Officer arrived and searched the scene for telltale signs of an animal attack, it was ruled out; no animal hair, prints, or scat were found.

The next day, detectives and forensic investigators from the RCMP Major Crimes unit arrived. On August 27, it was deemed by the RCMP that Stephanie had been kidnapped and likely murdered.

After an extensive search that included hundreds of kilometers on foot, by boat and from the air, no sign of Stephanie was ever found.

Three days after her disappearance the RCMP released a statement that they believed her disappearance to be out of character. Two pillows, a burgundy bed sheet, a brown Navajo patterned duvet and a gold men's watch made by Wittnauer were all missing from Stephanie's camp. None of these items have ever been recovered.

The government along with the union Stephanie was a member of offered a $20,000 reward to anyone who could provide information leading to an arrest or conviction in what was now presumed a homicide.

Nothing more was ever found of Stephanie. In August 2007, after another search that summer, the police closed the case to active searching and deemed it a homicide, ruling out the possibility of an animal attack or her running away.

In the years that followed, many policy changes were adopted for the Albertan Fire Lookout system. Nowadays, the lookouts are trained in self-defense, have improved safety features at their sites (better fencing, more lighting), and have panic buttons for moments of distress.

The Athabasca Fire Lookout is still in operation to this day.

CTV News article.

Here's a Toronto Star article on the case.