Police to provide update on homicide of Belgian hitchhiker in B.C.
An update on the investigation into the death of a Belgian tourist killed while hitchhiking in southern B.C. last month is being providedc today by the Lower Mainland's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
Amelie Sakkalis, 28, was found dead near Boston Bar on Aug. 22.
Sean Ryan William McKenzie was charged with first-degree murder on Saturday morning. He made his first appearance in court that day and was remanded until his next appearance on Wednesday.
Sakkalis's body was discovered after police were called to a "suspicious occurrence" near where Highway 1 meets Kahmoose Road.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Sakkalis had been hitchhiking from Penticton to Vancouver.
A man was arrested at the scene and police seized 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, B.C.
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. Her primary language was French.
Read more from CBC British Columbia
