Felker search ends as murder suspect makes court appearance

Search for Felker remains called off CTV Kitchener: Police say they’re satisfied they’ve found all the remains of murder victim Kelsey Felker. Art Baumunk has more.

Police say they’re no longer searching for any further remains of Kelsey Felker.

The discovery of Felker’s torso in a garbage bin outside a Kitchener apartment building last month sparked a first-degree murder charge and a weeks-long search for more remains.

Additional remains were discovered in two Kitchener parks, while 37-year-old Stephen Johnson was charged with first-degree murder and committing an indignity to a dead body.

But now, two weeks after the last discovery, police say they believe there aren’t any more remains to be found.

“The police are discontinuing any further searches at this point,” said Sgt. Chris Downey.

“We’re satisfied with the search that’s been done, with the recovery that’s been done.”

Johnson made a court appearance by video Friday. His next appearance was set for March 8.

Among those in the gallery for the brief appearance was a friend of Felker’s, who asked not to be identified.

She told CTV she wanted to be there to see justice done.

“I knew her very good,” she said.

“She stayed at my house. She was a good girl (that) had a lot of issues and got messed up in addiction.”

Police say Johnson lived in the apartment building outside which Felker’s torso was found, and that the two knew each other.

But the case is not fully closed, and police say they’re still hoping to hear from the public.

Specifically, they want to know what Felker and Johnson were doing in the weeks and days leading up to the murder.

“We continue to work on a theory toward a cause of death, but there is still some testing to be done in relation to the remains,” said Downey.