Marissa Shephard, wanted on murder charge, arrested in Moncton

Murder suspect Marissa Shephard was arrested in Moncton on Tuesday afternoon, Codiac RCMP have confirmed.

Shephard, 20, of Moncton, has been wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for first-degree murder and arson in connection with the death of Baylee Wylie, 18, on Dec. 17.​

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Shephard was arrested at approximately 12:30 p.m. in the area of Shediac Road and Lewisville Road in the city, RCMP Staff Sgt. Mark Janes said at a media briefing.

"We got a tip from the public that she was in that region, we went to that area and we arrested her," Janes said. "We arrested her on the street."

Arrested with Shephard were two others, a man and a woman, and charges are pending against those two. All are scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

Arrests made 'without incident'

Janes told reporters the three were arrested outside and without a struggle. "At this time far as I know, it [the arrests] went down without incident," he said.

Wylie's body was discovered in the burned unit of a Moncton triplex after a December fire. RCMP described his death as an extremely violent murder.

Tyler Noel has also been charged with first-degree murder and arson in connection with Wylie's death. Noel, 18, was apprehended near Petitcodiac, N.B., on Jan. 9.

A third suspect, Devin Morningstar, 18, of Moncton, has also been charged with first-degree murder and arson in Wylie's death.

Shephard's disappearance after the murder has led to much speculation and plenty of unconfirmed sightings throughout the Maritimes. Janes was unable to say whether she had been in Moncton the whole time.

"I haven't seen her, but I'm told she looks very similar to the photos … that were released on Facebook," he said.

Betty Steeves, who works across the street from arrest area at a training and consulting business, said she and her co-workers first noticed police cars around 12:30 p.m.

"It's a bit scary, we've had some really strange events happening here, because it's a busy street," Steeves told CBC News. "You feel a little vulnerable having somebody like that right across the street from you, especially when people come and go as they please, so we're going to be locking our doors from now on."

Jeff Rogers, who was staying at a nearbyComfort Inn, said he heard a commotion around the same time.

"I heard some dogs barking and stuff like that, and I looked out my window and I seen three police going around the corner of the building with a guard dog," he said.

Rogers said RCMP officers had blocked off one room of the motel, and had also spoken with the front desk.

In the end, it was the RCMP's pleas to the public that led to Shephard's capture.

"Thank you to the public for helping us and assisting us with the information," said Janes. "We wouldn't have had, wouldn't have been able to do this without the help of the public. So we got her. We arrested her. She is wanted for murder and she's now in our custody."

Wylie's aunt, representing the family released a statement later Tuesday afternoon.  

"The family is relieved that Marissa is finally in custody and now our concentration is on justice for Baylee," Angela Wylie wrote.