Tenth Homicide of 2026 in Thunder Bay
THUNDER BAY — A 29-year-old woman has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a woman found critically injured at a Lanark Crescent home nearly five months ago.
Thunder Bay Police Service said Aylin Kahgee-Martin was charged Friday, Nov. 13, following an investigation by its Major Crime and Forensic Identification units.
Emergency services were called to the north-side address shortly before 12:45 a.m. on Monday, June 22, after receiving a report that someone had been injured.
Responders found a 42-year-old woman with life-threatening injuries. She was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police issued an initial notice later that day advising residents to expect a visible police presence around Lanark Crescent, but did not publicly identify the death as a homicide at the time.
Investigators subsequently identified and arrested a suspect, police said. Kahgee-Martin appeared in court and was remanded in custody.
Police have not publicly identified the victim or disclosed the alleged cause of her injuries, the relationship between the two women or the circumstances surrounding the death. The service also did not provide the accused’s next court date.
What a second-degree murder charge means
Under section 229 of the Criminal Code, the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused caused the death and either intended to cause death or intended to cause bodily harm she knew was likely to cause death and was reckless about whether death occurred.
Second-degree murder is not simply any death that was not planned. The Criminal Code classifies all murder that does not meet the legal requirements for first-degree murder as second-degree murder. First-degree murder generally includes murder that was planned and deliberate, along with certain other circumstances specifically listed in the Code.
Police have not disclosed the evidence supporting the charge or the Crown’s alleged theory of the case.
For an adult convicted of second-degree murder, life imprisonment is mandatory. A judge generally sets parole ineligibility at between 10 and 25 years, depending on the circumstances. A person previously convicted of murder generally faces 25 years before becoming eligible to apply.
Parole eligibility does not guarantee release. The Parole Board of Canada decides whether parole should be granted, and a person serving a life sentence remains under sentence and supervision for life even if eventually released.
Kahgee-Martin has not been convicted. The charge is an allegation that must be proven in court, and she is presumed innocent.
Thunder Bay homicide count reaches 10
The Lanark Crescent case appears to bring Thunder Bay’s 2026 homicide count to 10, based on a NetNewsLedger review of police statements and reported cases.
Thunder Bay police publicly confirmed eight homicides as of Aug. 10. A woman subsequently died on Aug. 17 following an alleged assault near a Dawson Road business, resulting in manslaughter charges against two people. The newly disclosed Lanark Crescent homicide raises the newsroom tally to 10.
The count does not include a July death in the Cumming Street area. Second-degree murder charges in that case were withdrawn, and police said the classification of the cause of death could change pending further pathology results.
It also does not include a Regent Street death from December 2025, although a murder charge was laid in that case during 2026.
A homicide count includes deaths classified as murder, manslaughter or another form of culpable homicide. It counts victims, not the number of accused people or charges laid.
