Man charged with murder in connection with Belgian tourist killed while hitchhiking
Sean Ryan William McKenzie was charged Saturday morning
A man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a Belgian tourist who was killed while hitchhiking in B.C. last month.
Sean Ryan William McKenzie was charged Saturday morning. The location for the charge is listed as Boston Bar, the small town about three hours northeast of Vancouver where tourist Amelie Sakkalis, 28, was found dead.
Sakkalis's body was discovered north of Boston Bar on Aug. 22 after police were called to a "suspicious occurrence" near where Highway 1 meets Kahmoose Road.
The Lower Mainland's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Sakkalis had been hitchhiking from Penticton to Vancouver.
RE: Homicide investigation of Amelie Sakkalis. There will be media availability Monday morning at 10am at BC RCMP HQ. No further details at this time.
—@HomicideTeamA man was arrested at the scene and police took possession of a white 1994 Chevy Astro van they believe was associated with the homicide.
That man, a British Columbian, was interviewed by police and then released.
The day before her body was found, Sakkalis posted a message on Facebook in French, looking for a ride. She was asking if anyone was going to Vancouver, or even Tofino, from Penticton.
On the day of her death, she posted on a Facebook group called Guide du Croutard, for French-speakers in Vancouver, asking if anyone had a place to stay because the hostels in Vancouver were full.
IHIT spokesperson Frank Jang said earlier that Sakkalis was not known to police in B.C. and had "little history" in Canada. French was her primary language.