A 40-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the homicide of Brandon Donelan of Minto, N.B.
Donelan’s body was discovered on March 31, 2022, in a wooded area off a snowmobile trail between Minto and Chipman. The 27-year-old had been reported missing on Jan. 30 of that year.
In a release Thursday, the RCMP said officers executed a search warrant at a home on Wasson Road in Newcastle Creek, near Minto. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
A 25-year-old man was also at the residence and was arrested in relation to a Canada-wide warrant for parole violation in an unrelated case.
The woman, Erica Blyth, was charged with first-degree murder. She remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 6.
Deceased had sexually assaulted a minor
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.
In an interview Thursday, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Stephane Esculier would not say if Donelan’s criminal history may have been a motive in his killing.
“At this point, the investigation is still ongoing, so I can’t really comment on any kind of motive,” he said.
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