Two men have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a teenager whose body was found in a field in Yamachiche, west of Trois-Rivieres.

The body of 19-year-old Ophelie Martin-Cyr was discovered by a passerby Wednesday morning, not long after she had been reported missing.

She had been shot in the back and left to die along Chemin de la Grande Riviere Nord.

On Thursday, police issued warrants for René Kegle, 38, and Francis Martel, 31, for first-degree murder.

Kegle was tracked down and arrested in Repentigny early Friday morning, while Martel was arrested in Montreal.

Sureté du Quebec officer Eloise Cossette said both men are well known to police.

“Our investigators have been able to link them to the murder and obtain search warrants for first-degree murder for both of them and one of them there’s another accusation of a murder attempt with a firearm on a 21-year-old woman who escaped from the car,” she said.

According to police, Kegle, Martel, Martin-Cyr and a 21-year-old woman were in a car on Tuesday when Kegle tried to kill one woman, firing at her multiple times with a restricted firearm.

The 21-year-old woman was able to escape by jumping out of the moving vehicle after she was shot, and although she was seriously injured she is expected to survive.

That woman is the one who reported her friend, Martin-Cyr, missing.

 

Two bodies in burned SUV

Police also say they are trying to establish a connection to that case with two bodies found in a burned-out SUV discovered Wednesday in Sainte-Marthe-du-Cap in Trois-Rivieres.

That vehicle was found on Route Bradley, about 30 kilometres east of where Martin-Cyr's body was found.

The SQ said the fire was not recent and because of the condition of the bodies, they cannot even determine if the deceased are male or female.

"We will need special equipment to investigate," said Cossette, who added that because of the damage the vehicle remained at the scene Friday, two days after it was found.

At this point police have not been able to determine if the vehicle was stolen.

Forensic examiners are at the site, trying to gather as much evidence as possible before the car is removed.

Police say they are trying to identify the victims through dental records.