A 40-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of a Hamilton, Ont., woman in 2018.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Hamilton police say the accused was arrested on Tuesday and has been charged with the murder of 29-year-old Monica Chisar, reported missing on Sept. 28, 2018.
Chisar’s remains were found in Southgate Township, Ont. on Christmas Eve in 2019 by a man and his son walking in a wooded area near Highway 6 and Southgate Road 10.
The victim was last seen by a friend in Hamilton in July 2018 when she was dropped off in a parking lot at Barton Street East and Parkdale Street North just after midnight.
Hamilton police took over the investigation in 2019 when detectives suspected foul play.
In a 2020 social media post, Det. Sgt. Jim Callender said Chisar didn’t have an extensive history in Hamilton but did have a “wide circle of associates” in the Toronto area and in Kitchener.
“Monica was known to be a traveller and had just returned home from Europe prior to her disappearance. It wasn’t usual for her to suspend her social media activities, which led to her family being concerned for her well-being and reported her missing in September 2018,” Callender said.
On Thursday, Det. Insp. Mary Louise Kearns of the OPP’s criminal investigation branch and Callender said Ahmet Nikci, of no fixed address, has been charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a body.
“The accused is being held in custody and is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Hamilton at a later date,” Callender said in an updated social media post on Thursday.
— with files from Rick Zamperin and Diana Goldfinger