THUNDER BAY, ONT.—Police in Thunder Bay, Ont., say a 22-year-old man charged in the death of an Indigenous teen whose body was found in a local park appeared in court on Saturday.

Thunder Bay police say Jonathan Yellowhead of Fort Hope, Ont., is facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of 17-year-old Braiden Jacob.

Police say the accused was arrested Friday evening with the help of officers from the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.

The 17-year-old, who had travelled to the city from remote Webequie First Nation for grief and trauma counselling, was last seen alive on Dec. 6.

His body was discovered by a passerby in Chapples Park at around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 9.

The arrest comes just days after Ontario's police watchdog issued a scathing report that said Thunder Bay's force was replete with systemic racism toward Indigenous people.

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Yellowhead's next court date is scheduled for Tuesday.