1st-degree murder charge laid in case of slain B.C. teen Makayla Chang

A man has been charged in connection with Makayla Chang's 2017 death in Nanaimo, B.C.

Steven Bacon faces a first-degree murder charge in the case.

Chang, 16, was reported missing in March2017, but it wasn't until May of that year that her body was located in Nanaimo.

Bacon who may be 60, but has given police younger ages at times was arrested in Fredericton, N.B., for an unrelated matter in Sept. 2019, about a month after Nanaimo RCMP put out a Canada-wide appeal for help locating him as a person of interest in the case.

He's been in custody in Thunder Bay, Ont. since then, according to Const. Gary O'Brien with Nanaimo RCMP, who declined to say anything about the charges Bacon faces in Ontario.

Police spoke to Bacon as early as May 2017 in Sudbury, Ont. At the time, they said Bacon was not a suspectbut that Chang may have been with him

A court date hasn't been set for Bacon's first appearance on the murder charge.

"Makayla's family, and the community of Nanaimo and of Vancouver Island as a whole have been greatly affected by the loss of this young life," O'Brien said in a written statement. "Hopefully, this charge can assist with providing answers and bringing a degree of resolution to Makayla's family."

O'Brien said at any given time since theinvestigation began in 2017, as many as 200 people have been working on this case.