Police continue to search for 21-year-old Abderrahmane 'Adam' Bettahar in connection to the death of a 22-year-old woman who was found behind a home in the city’s northeast on the weekend.

The woman, identified by police as Nadia El-Dib, was found dead in the backyard of a home in the 1000 block of Maitland Drive N.E at about 9:30 a.m Sunday.

Investigators say El-Dib and Bettahar had been in a relationship for a short time and it's believed the homicide happened at the home.

“We can confirm that Mr. Bettahar was associated to that residence,” said CPS Staff Sergeant Colin Chisholm. “He’s lived in Calgary for a significant period of time, yes, a number of years.”

A Canada-wide warrant for first-degree murder was issued for Bettahar on Monday afternoon and police believe he has left the Calgary area.

“Based on the investigation, based on the evidence we’ve gathered, with all our homicides, we present the evidence to the Crown prosecutor’s office and they were in agreement with us that this met the threshold of first-degree murder,” said Chisholm. “First-degree murder is planned and deliberate.”

Bettahar is described as:

183 cm (6’0”) tall

Slim build

Light skin

Brown hair

Brown eyes

Police say Bettahar is the only suspect they are looking for and that he should not be approached if anyone sees him.

“We do not believe anyone else was involved in this homicide,” said Chisholm.

An autopsy was conducted by the Officer of the Chief Medical Examiner on Tuesday but the nature of El-Dib's death has not been released.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Calgary Police Service non-emergency number at 403-266-1234, the Homicide Tip Line at 403-428-8877 or Crime Stoppers using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org