A Grande Prairie man has been charged with first-degree murder after a woman from the northwestern Alberta city was reported missing.

RCMP say they have arrested 21-year-old Shane Gregory Babitsch. He is due to appear in provincial court today.

Courtney Breanna Johnstone, who was 26, was reported missing on January 30, 2014.

“Courtney’s family and friends were fast in reporting Courtney missing,” says Superintendent Ray Noble, Officer-in-Command of Grande Prairie Detachment, “This, coupled with a concentrated effort by all of our investigators, led to the arrest of the person we believe responsible for her death. We offer our sincere condolences to Courtney’s family.”
 
RCMP investigators are now searching the Aquatera Waste Management site in Grande Prairie for Johnstone's remains.