Oliver man charged in death of Belgian woman

An Oliver man has been charged with murder in the death of a Belgian national travelling in B.C.

Sean McKenzie, 27, of Oliver has been charged with first degree murder in the death of Amelie Sakkalis, 28.

The RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says in a press release Sakkalis’s body was found north of Boston Bar near Highway 1 around 7:45 p.m. Aug. 22.

Sakkalis’s death was deemed a homicide and following a four-week investigation police were able to lay criminal charges against McKenzie, who was arrested on Sept. 14, police say. He will appear in B.C. Provincial Court on Sept. 19.

“IHIT investigators worked relentlessly to secure and compile the evidence for charge approval and today’s outcome would not have been possible without the tremendous support of our partners,” Corp. Frank Jang with the investigation team says in the release. “Amelie’s family in Belgium was notified of the developments in her case and IHIT hopes this will assist them in their healing process.”

Anyone with information, who has not already come forward to police, is asked to contact the IHIT information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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