Man arrested, charged with murder in 2023 death in Prince George, B.C.
View of downtown Prince George is seen from L.C. Gunn Park in this photo shared by the city on Dec. 1, 2023. (City of Prince George/Facebook)
A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of a woman in northern British Columbia last summer.
Court records show Clarence Lee Engstrom was charged Friday with the July 2023 murder of Lydia McFarlane in Prince George.
Mounties say Engstrom was taken into custody by the Prince George RCMP's serious crimes unit on Oct. 19, the day after the murder charge was approved and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
McFarlane's body was discovered inside her home in the 1500 block of Victoria Street on July 17, 2023.
Court records indicate she is believed to have been killed on July 14, three days before her body was found.
Her death was recorded as the seventh homicide of the year in the B.C. city with a population of approximately 77,000 people, according to Mounties.
Investigators say Engstrom emerged as a suspect soon after the McFarlane's death, however the murder charge would not be approved until more than 15 months later.
"The serious crime unit and other specialized police services have been working on this investigation since the outset in order to see this matter brought before the courts," Staff Sgt. Aaron Whitehouse said in a news release announcing the arrest Tuesday.
"Sufficient evidence was obtained to allow Crown counsel to approve the charge of second-degree murder."
Engstrom remains in police custody with his first appearance in Prince George provincial court scheduled for Wednesday.
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