Third person arrested in connection with Saint John woman’s 2021 death

Police in Saint John, N.B., say they have made a third arrest in connection with the death of a 27-year-old woman in 2021.

A day after announcing two arrests in the death of a 27-year-old woman in Saint John, N.B., nearly five years ago, police say they have made a third arrest in the case.

In an update to the media Wednesday, Saint John Police Force Staff Sgt. Shawna Fowler confirmed a 37-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday for being an accessory after the fact and for improperly interfering with human remains in connection with the death of Courtney MacKenzie.

Police said the unnamed woman was also arrested for forcible confinement, robbery, assault causing bodily harm, and theft involving another female victim.

She was released on an undertaking with conditions and will appear in provincial court on July 27.

MacKenzie was reported missing on May 8, 2021. Police found her body at a home on Victoria Street on May 11. At the time, police said her death was suspicious, and they were investigating it as indignity to a human body.

Fowler confirmed the woman arrested Tuesday is the same person who was taken into custody in April 2023 for improperly interfering with human remains in connection with the investigation into MacKenzie’s death. However, police said she was never actually charged in the case.

At that time in 2023, she was also arrested in connection with four other investigations. It isn’t known whether the other investigations are related to one another or not.

Two other people arrested this week

The woman is the third person to be arrested in the case this week.

Terrance Keleher, 39, who is believed to be from Saint John, is facing the following charges in connection with MacKenzie’s death, and “previous incidents where she was the victim:”

• manslaughter
• improperly interfering with human remains
• kidnapping
• forcible confinement
• assault with a weapon
• assault causing bodily harm
• assault

Fowler said some of the charges are related to a different female victim, as well as alleged incidents involving MacKenzie prior to her death.

Keleher appeared in provincial court Tuesday afternoon and was remanded into custody. He is due back in court on May 19.

A 40-year-old unnamed man is facing charges of being an accessory after the fact and improperly interfering with human remains in connection with MacKenzie’s death.

Police said he will be released on an undertaking with conditions and will appear in provincial court at a later date.

MacKenzie, accused knew one another

Police were asked a number of questions by reporters, including MacKenzie’s cause of death, which Fowler declined to answer, citing the ongoing investigation and court proceedings.

Police would also not comment on how familiar officers were with the three accused.

Fowler did confirm the three accused individuals and MacKenzie were known to one another, but would not divulge the nature of their relationships.

“These investigations are complex,” Fowler noted. “They are lengthy, waiting for evidence to come back, tying up some loose ends, making sure that everything is done very thoroughly, and then there’s consultations with the Crown to review the charges, to review the file, and then making sure that we have everything that is needed for the judicial process.”

Fowler said she has not spoken with anyone from MacKenzie’s family directly since the arrests were made, but believes any time police can bring justice to a family, it helps provide some sense of relief or closure.

“Even though people don’t hear maybe from us or for a long extended period of time, it doesn’t mean that we’ve forgotten,” Fowler said. “We’re still in the backgrounds, putting in the work and making sure that we are diligent and relentless in the pursuit of justice for these people.”

Police said no further arrests are expected at this time.

With files from CTV’s News Atlantic’s Andrea Jerrett.

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