Photo: RCMP

A former longtime resident of Penticton that was reported missing earlier this week in Alberta has been found dead.

The Drumheller RCMP says Candace Deleeuw, 40, was found deceased Friday in a wooded area near the community northeast of Calgary.

Police appealed to the public for information on her disappearance Thursday, saying she was last seen at the Drumheller Hospital at about 9 p.m. on September 7. She was reported missing on Sept. 16.

Deleeuw lived in Penticton for decades before losing connection with many people who knew her locally, eventually leaving the area sometime this summer. 

RCMP say they are working with the coroner to determine Deleeuw's cause of death.