Curtis Sagmoen leaves the Vernon court house Sept. 9, 2019.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

After years of speculation, police are now saying that Curtis Sagmoen was the main suspect in the suspicious death of both Nicole Bell and Traci Genereaux.

While the public has pointed the finger at Sagmoen for years, police have never given out any information about Genereaux's death or whether foul play was suspected.

That changed on June 18 after the RCMP Southeast District Major Crime Unit announced the discovery of Bell's body in a rural area outside of Salmon Arm.

Police have said Bell's death was foul play and that the "primary suspect responsible" for her death is "the same as that of Traci Genereaux."

While Sagmoen isn't named in the RCMP media release, police say there is no ongoing threat to the public as the main suspect is dead.

Sagmoen died in a Vernon motel in April. He was 44 years old.

Bell's mother, Jane Aubertin told iNFOnews.ca she wasn't up to talking but posted on social media thanking those who had supported her family over the years.

"Thank you to the RCMP for their countless hours investigating her case. Thank you to all the volunteers who went on searches and even those behind the scenes," Aubertin wrote. "Thank you to the person who reported finding her, we are grateful to be able to bring Nicole home."

Bell was living in Sicamous when she disappeared in September 2017.

Nicole Bell, 32, was last seen in Sicamous Sept. 2, 2017.

Image Credit: Facebook

She was one of five women who went missing from the Salmon River Road area in 2016 and 2017.

Caitlin Potts, was 27 years old when she was reported missing in March 2016. Police later said her disappearance was believed to be the result of foul play. Her body has never been found.

Caitlin Brandy Potts

Image Credit: Contributed

The following month in April 2016, Ashley Simpson went missing from her home on Yankee Flats Road.

Her disappearance remained a mystery for years until her body was found in late 2021. Her boyfriend, Derek Lee Matthew Favell, was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years.

Ashley Simpson posted this photo of herself on Facebook on April 11, 2016, just a couple weeks before she disappeared.

Image Credit: Facebook

In July 2016, Deanna Wertz, who was 46, went missing from her home on Yankee Flats Road. Police have said foul play was not suspected in her disappearance.

Almost a year later, in June 2017, Genereaux disappeared.

In September that year police conducted a week-long search of the Sagmoen family property and discovered Genereaux's body. No one has ever been charged in relation to her death, and police have never said how she died.

Traci Genereaux, 18, was last seen around May 29, 2017.

Image Credit: Contributed

Bell, was 32 years old when she went missing from her Sicamous home in September 2017.

Genereaux's grandmother previously told iNFOnews.ca that she was sure Sagmoen was responsible for Genereaux's death.

Sagmoen had a history of violence towards women.

In the weeks and months before police searched his property he called several sex workers to the large Salmon River Road property.

He was later convicted for driving a quad bike into one of them and ambushing another while pointing a shotgun at them, his face in a mask.

That same summer he was convicted of using a homemade spike belt to flatten the tires of a woman driving on Salmon River Road.

Another charge against him was also stayed.

One escort previously told iNFOnews.ca she'd been called to the property that summer to find Sagmoen smoking meth, acting strange and talking to himself. She promptly left unhurt.

Police also dug up an old file from 2013 and charged Sagmoen with assaulting a sex worker he'd called to his Maple Ridge home where he lived with his brother. Neighbours said they heard a woman yelling that she'd been hit with a hammer.

Police tape is wrapped around 2290 Salmon River Road where police are conducting an intensive search.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

While Sagmoen was convicted of numerous charges the longest sentence he received was two years, and with time spent behind bars prior to being convicted, he was largely out of custody after December 2019.

Police were obviously keeping a close eye on him as he was charged and convicted of multiple minor breaches of his probation.

He died in a Vernon motel in April. Being in the motel was likely a breach of his probation and it's thought he may have been there with a sex worker.

For more stories on Curtis Sagmoen go here.

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