A 20-year-old British Columbia man is facing a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the killing of 25-year-old Adam Cormack in Whitehorse last week.
Edward James Penner made his first court appearance July 2.
He remains in custody and will appear in court again July 5.
Cormack’s body was found June 28 after someone called police to report a body outside near the Alaska Highway west of Ibex Valley.
An autopsy took place June 30 at Vancouver General Hospital.
Yukon RCMP Supt. Brian Jones wouldn’t say how police believe Cormack was killed.
“That type of information is often critical to helping solve the investigation and for that reason that information is not going to be released.”
An RCMP statement said “the incident was quickly deemed a homicide.”
RCMP’s major crime unit is investigating with the territory’s coroner. Other officers including those from the forensic identification section and police service dogs are also helping.
This is fourth homicide in Whitehorse since April. The bodies of Sarah MacIntosh, 53, and Wendy Carlick, 51, were found in the McIntyre subdivision April 19. Greg Dawson was found dead in a home in Riverdale April 6. Police have said they are investigating his death as a homicide.
No arrests have been made yet in either of those cases.
RCMP spokesperson Coralee Reid said Yukon major crime unit is “operating above capacity” so RCMP from B.C. and Alberta were called in to help with this latest case.
“We have officers from B.C. assisting us with the autopsy today in B.C. and we have officers from the special tactical operations unit from Alberta in this weekend assisting us,” she said in an email.
Anyone with information is being asked to call police at 867-667-5555.
Anonymous tips can be provided via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.crimestoppersyukon.ca.
Contact Ashley Joannou at ashleyj@yukon-news.com