‘It was not the outcome we wanted but at least we all know’: Remains of Loretta Saunders located in N.B.

HALIFAX – The remains of a missing and pregnant Saint Mary’s University student have been found.

Const. Pierre Bourdages with Halifax Regional Police said the body of Loretta Saunders, 26, was found in a median off Trans-Canada Highway Route 2 west of Salisbury, N.B. around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Investigators were on the scene of where Loretta Saunders’ body was found Wednesday night.

Bourdages said forensics investigators from the Halifax Regional Police and the RCMP in New Brunswick were in the process of retrieving Saunders’ remains.

WATCH: Footage taken from the crime scene under investigation.

Earlier in the day, police said they were treating the disappearance of Saunders as a homicide.

“It’s a tragic loss. We have someone who has lost her life,” Bourdages said.

Saunders was reported missing to police about two weeks ago. She was last seen outside her apartment on Cowie Hill Road.

Her car was found in Ontario last week and her two roommates, Blake Leggette, 25, and Victoria Henneberry, 28, were arrested.

READ MORE: 2 arrested after Loretta Saunders’ car found in Ontario

The pair were brought back to Halifax by police and now face charges of fraud and theft of a motor vehicle.

READ MORE: Bail hearing Friday for man charged with stealing Loretta Saunders’ car

Bourdages said police have suspects in Saunders’ homicide but declined to comment on their identities.

“I can’t because no charges have been laid against them. But we are not looking for anybody else,” he said.

READ MORE: Family asks for help in search for missing Halifax student Loretta Saunders

Saunders was set to graduate from Saint Mary’s University this May and was doing her thesis on missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Volunteers who have been helping the family spoke to the media late Wednesday night.

“It was not the outcome we wanted but at least we all know,” said Cheryl Maloney, president of the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association.

Maloney was surrounded by eight other women who also volunteered in the search to find Saunders.

She declined to comment on how Saunders’ family is coping with the news.

“I’d rather just leave them in their time. They need their time,” she said.

The group said they were overwhelmed by the generosity and support of the Halifax community, many of whom help put up posters, donated time or resources and raised money for the family.

“Loretta became something to us, not just as volunteers, but to the city, the province and to the public. People really stepped up and they all fell in love with this girl,” Maloney said.

“Every poster, every act of kindness people have shown, taking on some of the pressure for the family, we shared their pain. We’re sharing their grief. They’re just an amazing group of people and it was an amazing effort the city put forth.”

Volunteer Hilary Edmunds said Saunders’ disappearance affected everyone.

“It’s like when you throw a rock in the water, it ripples. It don’t just affect one person or the family,” she said.

Maloney said Saunders’ case shows just how at risk aboriginal women are in Canada.

“She wasn’t what society expected for a missing girl, a missing aboriginal girl. She was a young university student, a young bright masters student. This is not what everyone expects but she is at risk. She is vulnerable. Every aboriginal girl in this country is vulnerable.”

Maloney called on all levels of government to recognize and acknowledge the crisis of missing aboriginal men and women.

“I’m never going to let Stephen Harper or Canadians forget about Loretta. Loretta and all the other missing and murdered aboriginal people,” she said.

Saint Mary’s University posted the following statement on its website late Wednesday night:

Saint Mary’s University sends its deepest condolences to the family of Loretta Saunders on their tragic loss. No words can express the depth of sorrow felt in the loss of Loretta from our community. She will be greatly missed.

We will continue to support Loretta’s family through this very difficult time.

Details of an event to be held on campus will be forthcoming.