Comox Valley RCMP are treating the death of a well-loved Hornby Island resident as a homicide based on the results of a forensic autopsy, the RCMP said Friday.

Tempest (Pest) Grace Gale, 25, was found in the water at Ford's Cove on Wednesday.

The RCMP would not release the cause of death. If it turns out to be a homicide, it would be the island's first murder since Europeans settled on this peaceful island of slightly more than 1,000 residents.

"All avenues of investigation are being explored with considerable resources working on this file," the RCMP said in a news release.

The RCMP said several other agencies are working on the case: RCMP West Coast Marine, RCMP Air Services, the RCMP Dive Team, Comox Valley General Investigation Section, the Coroners Office, RCMP Police Dog Service and Forensic Identification.

The RCMP said its victim services and specialized crisis nurses are helping the residents cope with the tragedy.

RCMP have released the man detained Wednesday in connection with Gale's death.

The detained man, described earlier by police as a "person of interest," was released Thursday.

He was picked up Wednesday after Gale's body was pulled from the water near Ford's Cove Marina on Hornby Island. She had been reported missing a short time before her body was found.

Gale, a performer, was known on the island for her circus-style performances, from riding a unicycle to reciting poetry from stilts.