Manitoba RCMP have arrested a third suspect in connection with the homicide of 36-year-old Tamara Benoit, whose body was found in Portage la Prairie in September.
Benoit (Norman) was found dead near Cottonwood Drive in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie on Sept. 3, 2020. She was reported missing to police in Winnipeg in July and was last seen alive in the Portage la Prairie area in May.
In a news release, RCMP said a 16-year-old boy was arrested on Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the case. The youth had previously been arrested in January, but was released without charges.
The teen is the third person now charged in the case. In January, 37-year-old Ryan Peters and 36-year-old Tova Jeanine Peters were arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
In January, Benoit’s family told Global News she was a mother of seven who had her youngest child just months before she went missing. Her mother, Sheila Norman, said the first man charged was a longtime partner of Benoit and the father to three of her children.
All three suspects remain in custody while the investigation continues.
— With files from Shane Gibson and Joe Scarpelli.