BRIDGEWATER, N.S. — The Canadian Press Published on Friday, Feb. 15, 2008 11:03AM EST Last updated on Monday, Mar. 30, 2009 3:03PM EDT
Police have released two suspects brought in for questioning regarding the death of a 12-year-old Nova Scotia girl whose body was found buried in the snow last weekend on the outskirts of Bridgewater.
Investigators say the pair, detained late Thursday, could not be held in custody for more than 24 hours without being charged.
Earlier, the RCMP confirmed that the suspects were known to the young victim, Karissa Boudreau, but they would not release further details.
RCMP Sergeant Mark Gallagher would not identify the suspects or say how they knew the girl.
The pair were released at 10:30 a.m., and police declined to say whether they would be brought in for more questioning.
A third person – described as a ”person of interest” – was questioned earlier and released. Police stressed that person was not directly related to the investigation.
On Thursday, police described Karissa's death as an ”isolated case.”
”That's why we felt strongly to say the general public didn't have any reason to fear for their safety, because these people were certainly looked at for a period of time,” Sgt. Gallagher said.
”We had a number of investigators keeping track of their movements.”
Sgt. Gallagher said police continue to receive tips from the public.
He said an RCMP profiler from Toronto who happened to be in the area has helped with the investigation.
Karissa, a Grade 6 student, vanished from a Bridgewater grocery store parking lot on Jan. 27.
A passer-by found human remains on Saturday in nearby Conquerall Bank, but the identity was not confirmed until an autopsy was completed Wednesday.
The police have said little about their investigation, refusing to say how Karissa died or when she was killed.
The girl's body was found about two kilometres from the grocery store, in an area that police said is within walking distance of her home.
After her disappearance, Karissa's mother, Penny, made two emotional pleas for her daughter to come home.
Penny Boudreau has said she went into the grocery store after she and her daughter got into an argument in the car. When she returned, the young girl was gone.
Karissa was reported missing three hours later, at 8:30 p.m., after family members searched through the town, police said.
When she disappeared, she was wearing light clothing and pink Crocs, just before a winter storm rolled into the region. She had only $2 and was not carrying a cellphone or purse.
A few days later, ground searchers combed an area just outside of town, but found nothing, and RCMP divers searched the LaHave River three times.
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