British Columbia

Nanaimo woman charged with 1st degree murder in case of missing Indigenous man

Following a two-year investigation into the disappearance of Sidney Mantee, Paris Laroche, 26, has been charged with murder and indignity to human remains.

Paris Laroche, 26, charged in the disappearance and alleged murder of Sidney Mantee in 2020

Sidney Mantee, 32, went missing Nanaimo around March 2020 and has now been confirmed the victim of alleged first-degree murder. (Nanaimo RCMP handout)

A 26-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder and indignity to human remains in the alleged 2020 murder and disappearance of Sidney Mantee in Nanaimo according to the Nanaimo RCMP.

Paris Laroche of Nanaimo was arrested on Wednesday and remains in custody. She is scheduled to next appear in Nanaimo Provincial Court on March 21.

In October 2020, police issued a public appeal to help locate the 32-year-old Indigenous man.

RCMP were alerted of his disappearance by Mantee's family in Saskatchewan, who said they had uncharacteristically not heard from him since March of that same year.

Police won't say if Mantee's body was discovered or how he was killed, and weren't able to confirm if he and Laroche were in a relationship.

They say no further information will be released with the case now before the courts.

According to a release from Nanaimo RCMP, the two-year-long investigation required significant resources to search and gather evidence.