Missing N.B. man found dead in woods, case deemed a homicide

A man from Minto, N.B., who went missing at the end of January has been found dead and the RCMP is treating his death as a homicide.

Police say the New Brunswick RCMP major crime unit found a body in a wooded area off a snowmobile trail between Minto and Chipman on March 31.

The deceased has been identified as Brandon Donelan, 27, who was reported missing on Jan. 30.

In an interview, Cpl. Hans Ouellette said the major crime unit had already been in the area searching for Donelan when his body was found.

As part of the investigation, police executed a search warrant at a home on Wasson Road in nearby Newcastle Creek on Monday. A woman was arrested at the scene for an unrelated matter and was later released pending a future court appearance.

Ouellette could not provide more information about her arrest.

“Without getting into too many details, she must have had something outstanding that was not related to this … something related to the justice system,” he said.

“But there’s not much more I can say on that.”

Anyone with information about Donelan’s death is asked to contact police at 1-888-506-RCMP (7267) or Crime Stoppers.

Sexual assault

In November 2017, Donelan, then 22, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for sexual assault and sexual interference involving a minor.

The CBC reported at the time that he showed up to a party in 2015 with liquor and cocaine and assaulted an intoxicated 13-year-old girl.

He was originally supposed to be sentenced in February of that year, but skipped his court date. He ended up turning himself in to police in September 2017 after a Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued.

Ouellette could not say if Donelan’s criminal history may have been a motive in his homicide.

“We’re looking at all angles, and we’re also looking for any tips or anything the public can tell us,” he said. “We’re asking anyone from the public with information to give us a call.”