The body of alleged murder victim Roxanne Louie has been recovered, but Mounties are saying little else about the woman’s death.
Police confirmed Monday that Grace Elinor Robotti, 65, has been charged with second-degree murder, and her brother, Pier Louis Robotti, 63, has been charged with being an accessory to murder and interfering with human remains.
Penticton RCMP spokesman Sgt. Rick Dellebuur declined to provide details about where and when Louie’s body was found in order to preserve the integrity of the ongoing police investigation.
He did confirm, however, that police believe Grace Robotti is Louie’s mother-in-law.
Members of the Penticton RCMP General Investigation Section worked the case with counterparts from the RCMP Southeast District Major Crimes Unit.
Relatives told the Western News previously that Louie, 26, was last seen leaving her mother-in-law’s home early on Jan. 4 on her way to meet some unknown friends. Louie’s three-year-old son was also staying at the Robotti residence.
Penticton Search and Rescue spokesman Randy Brown said his group helped police conduct a search south of the city last weekend in connection with the investigation.
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Posted 1 p.m.:
Two people have been charged in connection with the murder of Roxanne Louie, who disappeared a week ago in Penticton.
Grace Elinor Robotti, 65, is charged with the second-degree murder of Louie between Jan. 3 and Jan. 5, 2015, at or near Penticton, according to court documents.
Her brother, Pier Louis Robotti, 61, is charged with interfering with human remains and being an accessory after the fact by helping Grace escape.
The two were brought to the Penticton courthouse Monday morning by plainclothes and uniformed police officers.
Pier is short and stocky. He was wearing a green parka and had what appeared to be several fresh scars on his face. Grace, also short and stocky, was dressed in orange prisoners’ clothing.
Neither of them appears to have a provincial court record.
Legal aid lawyers for both Robottis declined comment outside court. Both of the accused are due back in court on Thursday.
Penticton RCMP couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Louie, 26, is originally from Oliver but moved to Vancouver last year.
She was in the South Okanagan for Christmas and was last seen leaving a relative’s home early on Jan. 4.
Louie, a single mother of a three-year-old boy, was reported missing after she failed to show up for a flight from Penticton to Vancouver on Jan. 4
Relatives expressed surprise about the arrests when contacted Monday for comment.
More to come.