THUNDER BAY, Ont. -- Police in Thunder Bay, Ont., say a 22-year-old man charged in the death of an Indigenous teen whose body was found in a local park appeared in court on Saturday.
Thunder Bay police say Jonathan Yellowhead of Fort Hope, Ont., is facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of 17-year-old Braiden Jacob.
Police say the accused was arrested Friday evening with the help of officers from the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.
The 17-year-old, who had travelled to the city from remote Webequie First Nation for grief and trauma counselling, was last seen alive on Dec. 6.
His body was discovered by a passerby in Chapples Park at around 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
The arrest comes just days after Ontario's police watchdog issued a scathing report that said Thunder Bay's force was replete with systemic racism towards Indigenous people.
Yellowhead's next court date is scheduled for Tuesday.
