Ottawa man charged with 2nd-degree murder, indignity to a dead body in homicide of missing woman

Rachelle Desrochers, 54 (Ottawa Police Service)

An Ottawa man, 35, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the alleged homicide of a missing woman who was last seen in Centretown in March, according to the Ottawa Police Service.

On April 2, police asked the public for help in finding Rachelle Desrochers, 54, who also goes by the name Francis. She was last seen on March 14 on Elgin Street in front of the McDonald’s.

At the time, police said she was known to frequent Centre 507, The Well (275 Elgin Street) and the downtown core.

“While the remains of Rachelle Desrochers have not yet been recovered, investigators have reason to believe she was killed and that her body may be located in a local landfill, where search efforts are ongoing,” Ottawa police said in a news release Sunday.

Joshua Blair has been charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body.

He appeared in court Sunday morning.

Police are treating this homicide as a femicide.

“Femicide is defined and understood by the Ottawa Police Service as: The intentional killing of women and girls, 2 Spirit, trans women and gender non-conforming individuals because of their gender, overwhelmingly committed by men,” police said.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Ottawa Police Service Homicide Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 5493, or Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous.