Jason Gaudreault, whose partner Tatjana Stefanski was found dead on April 14 after disappearing a day earlier, shows a photograph of her on his phone, in Lumby, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Police say the ex-husband of B.C. woman Tatjana Stefanski has been charged with her murder, more than six weeks after she went missing from her home in Lumby and was later found dead.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
June 01, 2024 - 9:00 AM
LUMBY, B.C. - Police in British Columbia say the ex-husband of Tatjana Stefanski has been charged with her murder, more than six weeks after she was reportedly abducted from her home in the village of Lumby and was later found dead.
RCMP say Vitali Stefanski is charged with second-degree murder and is in custody, pending a court appearance.
Police say Tatjana Stefanski was reported to have been taken from her home on April 13, and her body was found the next day.
RCMP say a man believed to be involved in her death was found in the vicinity of the body but was released while police continued investigating.
The release prompted weeks of concern in the Interior community of about 2,000 people, with Tatjana Stefanski's partner and two children going into hiding in fear for their safety.
Staff Sgt. Jason Smart of the RCMP Major Crime Unit says the investigation had "many challenges" before culminating in Vitali Stefanski being charged.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2024