Third person charged in death of Cape Breton woman, RCMP say

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press.

BIG BRAS D’OR, N.S. — Nova Scotia RCMP have charged a third person in the death of a Cape Breton woman whose remains were found by a police dog in November. 

Police say 29-year-old Cody Alexander Russell was arrested in New Brunswick on Monday and charged with accessory to murder and indignity to human remains in connection with the disappearance and death of Natacha Leroy.

On Nov. 22, RCMP responded to a report of a possible homicide at a home on Old Route 5 in Big Bras d’Or, N.S., where they were told 48-year-old Leroy had disappeared.

Her remains were found two days later by a police dog, and the province’s medical examiner’s office declared her death a homicide.

On Nov. 30, 25-year-old Carolyn Ann Dermody from North Sydney was arrested in the Halifax area and later charged with murder and causing indignity to human remains.

The following day 28-year-old Kevin Forrest Jr. of Big Bras d’Or was charged with accessory to murder and causing indignity to human remains.

Russell has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in Port Hawkesbury provincial court on Wednesday morning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. In a previous version, the RCMP erroneously gave the age of Cody Alexander Russell as 19.

x