Family, police still seeking leads in death and disappearance of Edmonton woman

Early on the morning of July 10, 2021, 23-year-old Nicole Frenchman climbed out of a cab on Whyte Avenue and vanished.

Three years later, the Edmonton woman's family and police are still trying to find out what happened next.

At a news conference Wednesday, Edmonton Police Service Det. Bryan Macauley said that despite no sign of her remains, police believe Frenchman is dead and that her death was a homicide. 

Sarah Frenchman, 28, joined Macauley for the news conference, and said the family has been struggling to cope with her sister's disappearance, and that they miss her every day.

"She was a very outgoing girl — funny. She was courageous with a lot of things," Sarah said.

She said Nicole grew up in Lac La Biche, but that she'd been living in Edmonton for about eight years at the time of her disappearance.

She said she and Nicole argued the last time they saw each other, in April 2021.

"We didn't really get to say sorry. So that's kind of hard for me," Sarah said.

The family reported Nicole missing in August 2021. 

Macauley said that during the years-long investigation that followed, police were able to trace her last known location to Whyte Avenue, between 97th Street and 99th Street, around 5 a.m. on July 10, 2021. 

Nicole and another woman were dropped off by a taxi. Macauley said police were able to track down the taxi driver and the other passenger.

He declined to share the woman's identity, but said police have spoken with her and that she's not considered a suspect at this time.

Macauley said police have reason to believe there are people out there who know more about what happened to Nicole.

"I know people, through my experience as a police officer of 19 years, are reluctant to come forward. It can have an effect on their reputation," Macauley said.

"It can even have an effect potentially on their own personal safety. But I would really encourage those people to have the bravery to come forward."

Police need help to move the case forward, Macauley said.

"We need to bring her home for her family."

Police have described Nicole Frenchman as having long black hair and brown eyes.

She had several tattoos, including a blue woman wearing a crown on her chest, a dream catcher on her right forearm, and a flower and a dollar sign on her right hand.