Woman charged with murder in 2021 killing in Nanaimo, B.C.

An RCMP patch is seen on the shoulder of an assistant commissioner in Surrey, B.C., on Friday, April 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Mounties say a woman has been arrested and is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of a 30-year-old man on Vancouver Island nearly four years ago.

Desiree Mosher was arrested by members of the Nanaimo RCMP’s serious crime unit on the morning of June 6, according to a statement from police on Monday.

Mosher has been charged in the death of Ryan Mosher, whose body was found during a wellness check at a Nanaimo home on Aug. 12, 2021.

The deceased had recently moved to Nanaimo from Kelowna, and police were conducting the wellness check at the request of the Kelowna RCMP.

Court documents related to the murder charge are marked with a “K” file designation, indicating a case of suspected intimate partner violence.

However, a spokesperson for the Nanaimo RCMP declined to discuss the relationship between the victim and the suspect, or the suspect’s age.

“His death was considered suspicious and the Nanaimo RCMP serious crime unit was called to take conduct of the homicide investigation with assistance from Kelowna RCMP,” the Nanaimo RCMP said in a release shortly after man’s body was discovered.

“We strongly believe Mr. Mosher’s death is an isolated incident and the general public is not considered to be at risk,” Nanaimo RCMP Const. Derek Balderston said in the release.

The suspect remains in police custody with a court appearance scheduled on June 16.