The father of the 14-year-old girl murdered in Edson Saturday is asking the community to pray for his family as they cope with the tragic loss of their loveable teen.

Emily Joy Stauffer, 14, was killed Saturday on a wooded path in east Edson around 4:45 p.m. Police said she was approached by a man while she was walking.

Emily's father, Terry Stauffer, posted an entry on his blog Sunday to notify others of his daughter's sudden death.

"Last night at about 4:45 p.m. our precious 14-year-old daughter Emily was attacked and killed as she went out for a walk," he wrote. "We don't know a lot of details, but we know that two young men came upon the scene right away, but it was too late for Emily."

Stauffer, a pastor in Edson, also went on to say the family is turning to their faith to help them through the troubling time.

"We are realizing from the inside the value of good, Gospel theology right row," he wrote.

In her online profile for the online newspaper, the Cracked Pot, Emily said she loves playing the piano and violin, as well as a wide range of other instruments.

The 14-year-old said also loved reading, studying the Bible and hiking.

"I love rambling through the woods, taking pictures," she told the Cracked Pot in June 2008.

The teen leaves behind three siblings, two younger sisters and an older brother.

Friends and complete strangers of the family flocked to the pastor's blog Sunday, many posting comments containing condolences and prayers.

"I have no words," Dan wrote. "You're walking a path of which the very thought reduces me to tears and horror."

"We are praying for you, grieving with you," Paul and Renee wrote.

The search for the suspect continues

Two boys were riding their bikes in the woods, in the area of Willshire Estates near 17th Avenue, when they witnessed the attack and rushed home to call police.

A man who lives close to the crime scene said he was listening to his police scanner at home when he first heard the call about a teenage girl who had been attacked by man on a wooded pathway.

When he went to the pathway, he said he saw police performing CPR on the girl. He says it appeared the girl had been strangled with a rope.

She was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Meanwhile, RCMP continued their search for the attacker Sunday with both officers on the ground and in the air. About 30 investigators carefully searched for clues along pathway.

An RCMP helicopter was deployed to comb the woods of northwest Edson.

Police will not release the details on how the girl was attacked, or whether it was sexual in nature.

An autopsy has been scheduled for later this week.

Investigators described the suspect as a white man, about 30 years old, with brown hair. He was wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans at the time of the attack.

Police are pleading to the public for witnesses to come forward.

"Whatever somebody saw in relation to an adult male who was seen leaving the area, investigators would like to speak with him and that also could include someone who does not quite match this description," RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes said.

Police say the man could have fled the area on an ATV or other form of transportation.

Edson is about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton.