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Suspect in high-profile murder of Manitoba teen was arrested in Whistler

Raymond Cormier faces second-degree murder charges in relation to 2014 death of Tina Fontaine
raymondcormier
CAPTURED Contrary to initial reports, Raymond Cormier, who is accused of killing 15-year-old Winnipeg teen Tina Fontaine, was arrested in Whistler last week. Photo courtesy of the Winnipeg Police Service

A high-profile manhunt for the suspect in the 2014 death of a Manitoba teenager led investigators to Whistler last week.

Winnipeg police have confirmed that 53-year-old Raymond Cormier, a career criminal accused in the August 2014 death of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, was arrested in Whistler on Dec. 9 after "a lengthy, exhaustive" months-long investigation.

"We received a lot of assistance from the public and we were ultimately able to identify a suspect and track his whereabouts to the B.C. area, ultimately pointing to the specific Whistler area," said Cst. Jason Michalyshen, spokesperson for the Winnipeg Police Service.

It was initially reported that Cormier was captured in the Vancouver area.

Michalyshen had few details about Cormier's whereabouts leading up to his arrest.

"I don’t have a timeline as to how long he was (in Whistler), why he was there, whether it was for a short period of time or if he was just passing through," he said.

Fontaine's death captured national attention and renewed focus on the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women after her body was found in Winnipeg's Red River on Aug. 17, 2014.

Cormier was set to appear in Manitoba court today to face second-degree murder charges before his case was turned over to Jan. 8. The New Brunswick native has an extensive rap sheet, with at least 92 criminal convictions for offences that include theft, robbery and other weapons- and drug-related charges.