An arrest has been made in the death of a 15-year-old girl whose brutal killing in a remote Manitoba community has been shrouded in mystery for more than four years.

Manitoba RCMP announced Wednesday that a 23-year-old man from Gods Lake Narrows, Man. was arrested in connection with Leah Anderson’s death.

The man’s identity has not been released, and no charges have been laid.

Staff-Sgt Todd Doyle of RCMP Major Crime Services said on Wednesday, “This arrest is significant. Investigators have been working since January 6, 2013, to get justice for Leah.”

In a statement, he added, “She was a young girl with a bright future, which was violently stolen from her. This is far from over, but this is a good day.”

Anderson disappeared on a January night in 2013 on her way to a skating rink in the isolated fly-in reserve, located 550 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Her body was found on a snowy trail two days later, and officials initially believed the girl had been attacked by wolves or dogs.

Investigators later determined that Anderson had been brutally beaten before her body was dumped in the woods.

The arrest comes just weeks after police said they’d narrowed down the list of suspects and determined that the killer was a man who knew the teen and lived in the community.

In mid-July, RCMP urged anyone in Gods Lake Narrows with information to “come together” and reach out to investigators with any details.

"Somewhere between her door and the arena, Leah met her killer," said the RCMP at the time. "He brutally beat her and left her dead on a snowmobile/walking trail."

Investigators previously asked volunteers to submit DNA samples and undergo interviews and lie detector tests with police. One by one, the list of suspects was narrowed down.

The teenager’s death was another tragic blow to her family. Anderson’s father, Gilbert Duke, was killed when she was a child. She and her siblings were later moved into foster care, and an aunt and uncle eventually took them in.

Loved ones remembered Anderson as a bright, funny girl who was popular amongst her friends.