Airdrie man charged with murder in court Monday

Ruth Degayo is seen in this photo that was released when she was reported missing in 2006.

The 47-year-old common-law husband of a missing Airdrie woman has been charged in an historical homicide case that dates back almost a decade.

Police were notified about the discovery of burned, human remains in an abandoned building near Highway 1A and 1X, near Exshaw, on January 8, 2006.

DNA testing was done on the remains and they were identified as those belonging to 40-year-old Ruth Degnadice Degayo of Airdrie.

Degayo was reported missing by her common-law husband, Duane Arthur Redelback, on the same day that her remains were found.

On Friday, Redelback was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a human body in connection to Degayo’s death.

"The historic nature and complexities in investigating these types of files is very challenging and our investigators from the RCMP Historical Homicide Unit took on this file with a determination to solve it," said Inspector Stacey Talbot, Officer in Charge of the Alberta RCMP Historical Homicides and Missing Persons Unit.  "The successes of this unit demonstrates there is no time limit for our investigators in finding out how and why someone was murdered, and to ensure that the responsible person is held accountable."

Redelback remains in custody and will appear in Calgary Provincial Court Monday morning.