NIPIGON, Ont. – More than two years after Alyssa Turnbull was first reported missing, an arrest has been made in connection with her disappearance.
According to court documents, 28-year-old Nicholas Charles Soos of Nipigon, Ont. was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police on Monday, June 13, 2022 and charged with committing an indignity to human remains and obstruction of justice.
The documents state that between March 23, 2020 and April 14, 2020 in the Township of Nipigon, Soos did “improperly interfere with the human remains of Alyssa Turnbull by disposing of her body.”
The obstruction of justice charge is from April 19, 2020 in the Township of Nipigon and states Soos “did willfully attempt to obstruct the course of justice by cleaning evidence of an offence.”
Soos was remanded into custody and will make another court appearance on Friday.
Turnbull, 26, of South Gillies was first reported missing on April 14, 2020 and was last seen in Nipigon between March 24 and 25, 2020.
The OPP conducted extensive searches in the Nipigon area and in 2021, a $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest in connection with the case.
In April 2022, the OPP confirmed that foul play was suspected in Turnbull’s disappearance. Over the last two years, Turnbull’s family made numerous public appeals for information into Alyssa’s disappearance.
Debra Otway, Alyssa’s mother, said learning of the arrest has been a bittersweet experience.
“It still does not bring Alyssa home and I don’t know if there is any justice that justifies me never seeing my daughter again,” she said in an interview with Dougall Media. “I am glad someone is being held accountable for this, but it doesn’t bring her home. It rekindles a lot of pain and sadness for us all, and it brings us back to spring of 2020 all over again.”
Otway added that she is grateful for the hard work of police and the investigators throughout the last two years.
“I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to the Ontario Provincial Police team that has worked so hard to bring justice for us, for our family, for Alyssa,” she said.
Otway confirmed that Alyssa's remains have still not been found. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is urged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Soos is also facing numerous other charges from unrelated incidents, the most recent taking place on June 11, 2022 when he was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime, obstructing a peace officer, and failing to comply with a release order.
