A small village about an hour south of Sudbury, Britt, Ontario, has been in the news recently as a forest fire command centre,but now, it faces a new crisis as it becomes the scene of a murder investigation.
Police say the body of 36-year-old Amanda McClaskin was discovered early Saturday in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, near Parry Sound, more than a hundred kilometres from her home.
She'd been missing since August third.
One family mourning a loved one, another family grappling with one of their own now in police custody charged with murder.
Mark St. Amant, a 39-year-old man, also from Britt, has been charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a body.
CTV News spoke privately with Amanda McClaskin’s family.
Neither her father, nor her sister, wanted to appear on camera, but they invited reporter Callam Rodya into the family home to share what they could about their daughter, sister, and the horrible incident that took her from their lives too soon.
They say McClaskin had a challenging upbringing.
Her mother left the family at a young age leaving her father to raise his three daughters alone.
McClaskin took on a maternal role and her sister describes her as an early role model. She would later have two children of her own.
The family says McClaskin and St. Amant, the man charged with her murder, grew up together and for the last five years had a tumultuous relationship.
They were living together in Byng Inlet at the time of Amanda's death.
The family says St. Amant has admitted to the crime and led police to McClaskin’s body in the woods.
Her father says his daughter had recently turned a corner in her life and her sister describes her as an amazing mother who loved to socialize and sing.
Meanwhile, Mark St. Amant remains behind bars in Parry Sound awaiting his first court appearance on Thursday.
