OTTAWA—Police say a Canadian soldier has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife.

Warrant Officer Howard Richmond, 50, appeared in an Ottawa court on Saturday morning. Police had detained and questioned him on Friday.

The body of his wife, Melissa Kelly Richmond, 28, was found in a ravine near a suburban Ottawa mall this week.

The cause of death has not been released but media reports indicate she had been stabbed several times.

Her funeral was held Saturday in Petawawa. Tribute messages were posted on the website of Neville Funeral Home by people who say they knew her. One message says that “Melissa was always a like a little ray of sunshine.”

Howard Richmond reported his wife missing after she went for a late-night drive on July 24 and never returned.

Her vehicle, with the distinctive license plate RPGGIRL, was found two days later in the mall parking lot.

Richmond did three tours with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. In an interview with the CBC shortly before his arrest, he said he was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. He spoke about his wife as being “a rock.”





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