Sudbury police say a 39-year-old North Bay, Ont., man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Renee Sweeney 20 years ago.

On Tuesday, police say Robert Steven Wright, also known as Steven or Steve Wright, was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder.

Police say detectives identified Wright as a person of interest at the beginning of November. A search warrant was issued for a home in North Bay earlier on Tuesday, and the arrest was made.

In January 1998, Sweeney was working at an adult video store when she was stabbed 30 times. She died of her injuries at the scene.

Police say at the time of the offence, Wright lived in Sudbury and was an 18-year-old student at Lockerby Composite School.

Since Sweeney's death, police say, more than 2,000 tips have come in from the public.

"This horrific event rocked the community to its core then and is still very much a part of our life today," Sudbury police chief Paul Pedersen says.

Sudbury police say Robert Steven Wright was an 18-year-old high school student in Sudbury in 1998. He's been charged with first-degree murder. (Supplied/Sudbury Police)

He says Renee's sister, Kim, expressed a variety of emotions after hearing the news from police.

"At this time, she is asking everyone to respect her privacy."

Wright is scheduled to appear in bail court in Sudbury on Wednesday.