SASKATOON -- An arrest has been made in the disappearance and death of a woman whose mother last saw her more than five years ago getting into a man's car.
Police on Friday identified human remains found earlier this month as belonging to Karina Beth Ann Wolfe, who was 20 when she vanished in July 2010.
They say they received information that led them to a rural area northwest of Saskatoon, where the remains were found on Nov. 14. DNA tests confirmed Wolfe's identity and her family was contacted this week.
A 33-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains. He is to appear in Saskatoon provincial court on Monday.
Wolfe's relatives, who have held yearly vigils to remember her and to raise awareness of missing and murdered aboriginal women, are requesting privacy.
Darlene Okemaysim Sicotte is co-chair of Women Walking Together, a group that advocates for indigenous families who have missing or murdered loved ones. She said the discovery of Wolfe's remains provides closure for her mother, but it's the wrong kind of closure.
"We are going to be here for her support in the coming days and ... we really want the community to pray for strength for her," she said.
Wolfe's disappearance was considered suspicious by police because she lived what they described as a high-risk lifestyle.
Her mother said Wolfe got into a grey Corvette in front of the mother's Saskatoon home on July 2, 2010. Police were able to determine the young woman was later dropped off at an intersection and was last seen in front of a phone booth.
In July 2014, on the fourth anniversary of Wolfe's disappearance, her family led an emotional march that started at the spot where her mother last saw her.
Josephine Longneck, Wolfe's grandmother, said at the time that the family hoped the vigil would make the public take notice of missing persons cases.
"It isn't just Karina that went missing. This is a daily thing where aboriginal people are missing," she said.
Wolfe's mother, Carol, said at the same vigil that she would never stop looking for her daughter.
"The last time I saw her ... I asked Karina if she was coming home that evening and I told her that I loved her."
