TORONTO - Jury selection has begun in the trial of a man accused of killing a young woman in Toronto's gay village more than two years ago.

Kalen Schlatter is charged with first-degree murder in the November 2017 death of Tess Richey.

Richey, 22, was reported missing Nov. 25 after a night out with a friend in Toronto's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood.

Her body was found in a stairwell four days later by her mother, who had travelled from the family home in North Bay, Ont., to search for the young woman.

Toronto police have said Richey died of “neck compression.” The force has faced public criticism for officers' failure to find Richey in the days after she vanished.

Schlatter's trial is expected to begin next Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2020.