A 42-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the case of a Winnipeg woman found dead 17 years ago.
Crystal Saunders, 24, was last seen alive in the city’s West End on April 18, 2007, and found dead the next morning by an off-duty RCMP officer near St. Ambroise, Man., 100 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson said Monday that Kevin Charles Queau, who had been a suspect in the case for a number of years, was arrested Saturday in British Columbia and is being held at the detachment in Surrey, B.C., awaiting transfer to Winnipeg.
Advancements in DNA technology, police said, played a key role in the arrest and in linking Queau — whose DNA was in the national system due to previous criminal convictions — to the murder.
Lasson said this case is an example of the exhaustive efforts RCMP investigators put into solving murders, but the good news of the arrest all these years later won’t bring the victim back.
“Crystal was a mother, a daughter and a friend to many that needlessly lost her life to violent crime. I want to express our sincere condolences to all of Crystal’s friends and family for your tragic loss.
“She was well liked and had many friends, but she also struggled. She was exploited and had issues with addictions. Unfortunately, Crystal was a vulnerable person and someone took advantage of that. We now have that person in custody.”
RCMP said Queau, who grew up in Winnipeg, has also spent time in numerous other provinces, including British Columbia — where he was arrested — Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Although there’s currently no evidence he’s linked to any other homicides, police say they continue to investigate. Anyone who has additional information on any matters involving Queau is asked to call the RCMP tip line at 1-888-673-3316.