Adam Strong, an Oshawa, Ont., man linked to two missing 18-year-old women whose remains were discovered in a basement apartment, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with their deaths, Durham Regional Police say.
The accused, 45, was initially charged with improper and indecent interference with a dead body in connection to the death of pregnant teen Rori Hache last year, though no murder-related charges were laid at that time.
Crown attorney Greg O’Driscoll told Global News the previous charge was withdrawn after Strong appeared via video in remand court in Oshawa on Thursday.
Police said in July that DNA evidence collected in the basement apartment occupied by Strong also fit the profile of Kandis Fitzpatrick, a woman who was not seen since 2008 and only reported missing by her parents two years later.
Police did not reveal where the DNA samples came from, if it was blood or from a body part.
A fisherman discovered a torso belonging to Hache in Lake Ontario in September 2017 that police linked by DNA testing to the missing teen. Police said the body showed obvious signs of trauma.
Officers found more of her remains, and a homemade explosive device, in the basement apartment on McMillan Drive in Oshawa in December. Hache’s family reported her missing in August 2017.
Police said the DNA of a third woman was also found in the apartment but that person was located alive.
Strong has been in custody since officers discovered Hache’s remains last year. He is scheduled to appear via video in bail court on Friday.
VIDEO: Mother of Rori Hache believes daughter was hunted
–With a file from Catherine McDonald