The RCMP has charged a woman with second-degree murder in the death of a man missing since last summer.
Colin Focht, 25, was last seen on Aug. 31, 2018. Police say they believe he was killed on Sept. 1.
The RCMP says Taiya Alice Hudy, 19, was arrested on April 3 in relation to Focht’s disappearance. Human remains believed to be Focht were found in a rural area outside of Yorkton on April 4, police say.
The identity of the remains will be confirmed through a forensic autopsy.
On Saturday the police returned to the area where the remains were found and conducted another search.
Sheila Webster, a spokesperson for the Focht family, said that the discovery of the remains thought to be Focht bring a mix of shock and relief.
Focht had a criminal past having been convicted for sexual offences.
Webster said that she and the Focht family were aware of his past.
“[The family] realizes that Colin did commit crimes and that there’s a large segment of society that feel he deserved this. But at he same time he did go to jail for his crimes and we find his crimes reprehensible,” said Webster.
She acknowledged that Focht’s victims may be having strong emotions right now.
“I think that...getting the right kinds of help for these situations, the right kinds of counselling, the appropriate measures through the justice system do help victims of any kind of crime heal.”
A member of the Hudy family declined to be interviewed.
The investigation remains ongoing. Hudy is scheduled to appear in court again next Friday.
Hudy will make her first court appearance in Yorkton Provincial Court on Friday.
The RCMP said Focht’s family has been updated on the investigation, which is ongoing.
