Hornby Island mystery: Man released from custody

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Tempest Gale's death is a mystery. Photo Myspace.Com.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – (Update) Police have released a man they were holding as a person of interest in a death on Hornby Island.

But a classic mystery is shaping up on the Island paradise in B.C. over the death of a 25-year-old local star of the rock band called Killer Bagels.

Tempest Grace Gale, a well-loved performer known for her music, poetry and stilt walking was found dead in the water on Wednesday off a dock where she lived on a boat with her boyfriend.

Police had taken a man into custody as a person of interest but subsequently released him. The tough task cops face is to determine how Gale died.

Police will have a puzzle on their hands if the autopsy shows nothing more than death by drowning, since some people have been screaming murder on the little Island that is home to 900.

Gale was apparently fished out of the water by her boyfriend. Her parents, Michael Gale and mother Jazzmyre Corrigan also live on a boat house nearby.

The picturesque, island, home to about 900, sits on the east side of Vancouver Island, in the Strait of Georgia. People say there has never been a murder on the Island in recorded history.

Police issued a statement saying: “Her family and the community are grieving and ask that the media respect their privacy at this very difficult time. This is a tragic event and our sincere condolences go out to the Gale family.”

RCMP arrived by helicopter early Wednesday to start an investigation.

“At this point, foul play has not been ruled out,” they said in a statement. “We have a “person of interest” at the detachment and are also speaking to numerous individuals about this incident.”

A press release early Thursday by the RCMP said the person had been released.

Killer Bagels was a family band with dad, mom and daughter playing alternate music.

Their myspace.com web page states: “Killer Bagels is an alternative to the mainstream. Their origins are nebulous, and are rumored to have Andromedan genes. Emerging from the surrealistic shores of B.C. it is a trio of family; mom, dad, daughter.”

“Thanks to their battery powered equipment, they’ve played in many obscure locations such as the beaches of Oregon and California, the canyons and deserts of Arizona and Nevada and often been sighted afloat off the shores of Hornby Island, their curiously eclectic electric sound subsisting solely on solar power!”

“A westcoast blend of many genres, their music is trans generational, appealing to peoples of all ages. It is at the same time soothing and rousing, simple yet complex and stimulating, with an overall welcome edge,” the page says.