EDMONTON -- Edmonton police have arrested a man and charged him with second-degree murder in relation to the disappearance of Billie Johnson.
Kenneth Courtorielle, 35, was arrested in St. Albert Tuesday with the assistance of RCMP.
The 30-year-old Edmonton woman was reported missing Dec. 28 of last year.
According to an EPS news release, Johnson and Courtorielle knew one another.
“Courtorielle has been a person of interest since the beginning of this investigation,” S/Sgt. Colin Leathem of the EPS Homicide Section said in a written statement.
“Following an extensive investigation, Homicide Section has compiled overwhelming evidence based on forensics, witness interviews, and information about Billie herself – including how engaged and connected to others she was, and how very out of character her disappearance was – to conclude that she is, unfortunately, deceased, and that Kenneth Courtorielle is responsible for her death.”
The EPS Homicide Section is still searching for Johnson's body.
It asks rural landowners in the surrounding Edmonton area to check their properties and contact police at 780-423-4567 if they notice anything suspicious.
Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
