Halifax Regional police and the RCMP have laid first degree murder charges against the pair accused of stealing the car of Loretta Saunders.

Police charged 28-year-old Victoria Henneberry and 25-year-old Blake Leggette in the homicide of Saunders Thursday afternoon.

The body of Saunders was found by RCMP west of Salisbury, New Brunswick on Wednesday afternoon off Route 2 of the Trans-Canada Highway.

An autopsy is now being conducted to determine a cause of death.

Earlier Wednesday, police had said Saunders' disappearance was being treated as a homicide.

Investigators say Saunders was last seen at her apartment in the Cowie Hill Road area on Feb. 13.

Her family reported her missing on Feb. 17.

Three Ontario charges against the pair, which include possession over stolen property, possession under stolen property, and possession of used credit card, have all been stayed by the Crown.

Essex County OPP arrested Hennenberry and Leggette after the vehicle belonging to Saunders was found in Harrow, Ont. last Tuesday.

Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, Loretta has been a student at Saint Mary's University for the past three years and is an aspiring lawyer.

She recently completed a thesis on murdered and missing women.