Three months after Kimberly Proctor's charred body was found dumped at the foot of a Victoria-area bridge, authorities have laid four charges against a Langford, B.C., teenager, including first-degree murder and sexual assault.
RCMP investigators announced they had arrested two teenage boys, a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old, at a news conference Saturday morning. They were arrested Friday afternoon.
"We are confident that those people responsible for Kimberly's homicide are in our custody," said Cpl. Darren Lagan. "This will bring some sense of closure and return the community to a stronger sense of safety."
Mounties now confirm charges of first-degree murder, forcible confinement, sexual assault, and indignity to human remains have been laid against the younger of the two. Investigators say they are expecting similar charges against the older teen as well.
Proctor's parents, Lucia and Fred Proctor, issued a video statement posted to the B.C. RCMP's website to thank friends, family and members of the community for their support, and to describe "what kind of hell we've been living the last few months."
"This has left a huge void in our lives," Fred Proctor said in the statement, during which he paused several times to wipe away tears. "We'll never know what she could have become or would have been or what future we would have had with her."
Fred Proctor described his daughter as a "great kid with a big heart" who had been looking forward to graduating from high school and making her prom dress with her grandmother.
"All we can hope for now is for justice to be done for Kimberly," Lucia Proctor said.
Because both suspects were under 18 at the time of Proctor's murder, their names cannot be revealed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The arrests came after months of rigorous investigation following the discovery of Proctor's body near the Galloping Goose Trail in Colwood, west of Victoria , on March 19.
It took more than three days to identify the remains.
Vancouver Island RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Darren Lagan said the 40-person team investigating her murder has clocked more than 20,000 hours, and conducted more than 250 formal interviews.
"Those efforts guided investigators to discover evidence leading to the identification and arrest of these two suspects, both of whom remain in our custody," he said.
On May 26, police executed a search warrant at a home near the trail in Langford, B.C., Proctor's home town and not far from where she was found. They did not make the findings of that search public, citing their ongoing "complex investigation."
It is not yet clear if either of the two arrested teens is connected to the home.
The day after the search, police revealed they had identified suspects in the case and had determined Proctor's murder "was not a random crime." Investigators appealed to members of the community who might know the suspects or know what happened to Proctor to come forward.
On Saturday, RCMP Insp. Mark Fisher thanked members of the community, including more than 300 high school students and staff who were interviewed as part of the investigation.
"Theses types of investigations are difficult for the community, the family of the victim and our police officers," Fisher told reporters in a prepared statement.
Both teens are expected to be in court Monday morning.
Despite the arrests, police are still asking anyone with information about Proctor's death to call Westshore RCMP at 250-474-2264.
