The SQ has confirmed they have arrested Samantha Higgins' fiancé in connection with her death and dismemberment.
Nicholas Fontanelli, 22, appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon to face the charges after being questioned by police on Monday.
On Monday, police searched the home that Higgins shared with Fontanelli and their two young children.
Higgins, also 22, was reported missing July 6. She was last seen in LaSalle, leaving her friend Melissa Pietroniro's home sometime between midnight and 1 a.m.
Police now believe Fontanelli killed his young fiancée, dismembered her, and left her body in a bag under a bridge in Hinchinbrooke, about 70 kilometres away from where she was last seen, near the U.S. border.
“Today in court, Mr. Fontanelli appeared for first degree murder and indignity to a corpse,” said Crown prosecutor’s spokesperson Jean-Pascal Boucher.
Court documents reveal that in December 2013, Fontanelli pleaded guilty to theft, unauthorized possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose and assault.
The charges relate to an incident going back to December 2010. Fontanelli and two friends followed a man off a city bus and robbed him. Fontanelli was 18 and was armed with a Taser gun.
He pleaded guilty and avoided jail time. He received a suspended sentence and two years of probation.
Fontanelli's court appearance Tuesday was brief. He did not enter a plea and is due back in court Aug. 17.
Meanwhile, Pietroniro is in shock over the loss of her best friend.
"She was there for everything for me," said Pietroniro. "The fact that she was the most amazing person I've met is all I can say. She was so innocent."
She told CTV Montreal that Fontanelli and Higgins had a loving, stable relationship.
“It's a long time that I've known him and he's always given me good vibes. He's always showed me that he was good to her. He's never made me believe that he could do this, that he could harm her in any way shape or form,” she said.
Pietroniro had texted Higgins that night, asking if she had arrived home safely. She received an answer back, but said she was suspicious, as the reply had not used wording typical of Higgins' texts.
Pietroniro said it’s been hard knowing she and her mother were the last to see Higgins alive.
“I know that she left here and we were the last ones to say goodbye. That kills my heart, that it was from here,” she said, adding that not only are they dealing with feelings of guilt, but also a backlash on social media.
Pietroniro said people are telling her she should not have let Higgins leave their place and walk home alone after midnight.
“To her parents, I apologize for all the pain that they're going through. This is terrible. They must hate us...We never wanted this to happen to her,” she said, adding that she lights candles in her best friend’s memory every night, praying that she may rest in peace.
Despite the first-degree murder charge in the Higgins case there is still an open investigation.
The Surete du Quebec conducted a search for more evidence Tuesday in two towns near where her body was found.
Divers searched the Chateauguay River near Rural Road 10 in Howick, about 30 kilometres east of Hinchinbrooke.
The SQ helicopter was also spotted in the area Tuesday, as several police vehicles were part of the operation in Howick and Hinchinbrooke.
Police won't say exactly what led them back out Tuesday, but they questioned Higgins' fiance before charging him which may have led to new information.
The SQ said it won't comment on whatever it finds, as it is all part of the legal case now taking shape.
The family would not comment about Fontanelli's arrest when reached by CTV Montreal.
Family friends have set up two Go Fund Me websites to help them provide for Higgins' children.
“We're trying to raise some money for my grandchildren to help them with the loss of their mom, so if anybody is able to donate even $5 it's going to help with a baby, clothing diapers, anything at all,” Vanessa Higgins, Samantha's mother, said.
Higgins leaves behind a three-month-old baby and a daughter who turned 4 Wednesday. Posts wishing the little girl a happy birthday poured in on a Facebook page dedicated to her mother's memory.
The family says an open visitation will be held at Feron's funeral home on Notre Dame St. West Saturday. Anyone who would like to attend is invited to show up between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to pay their respects.
