An Edmonton murder suspect who had fled to Vancouver Island is now in police custody.
Austin Mackenzie Southworth, 26, turned himself in to the Campbell River RCMP on Saturday morning, according to Edmonton Police Service spokesperson Cheryl Sheppard.
Southworth, 26, was wanted by Edmonton police in connection with the murder of 37-year-old Brad MacDonald. MacDonald's body was discovered on April 10 and the Edmonton Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma, according to a Sept. 7 release issued by the Edmonton Police Service.
Southworth faces charges of second degree murder, possession of a dangerous weapon and robbery.
Const. Josh Roda of the Ucluelet RCMP told the Westerly News police believe Southworth spent some time in the Tofino and Ucluelet area last week before making his way to Campbell River.
Sheppard would not speak to how the Edmonton Police Service knew Southworth was on Vancouver Island but told the Westerly News that once that information was received, police reached out to the public for help apprehending him.
“Sometimes the public's assistance can be crucial,” Sheppard said. “Especially when we're looking for someone that's outside the area in which they reside, we depend a lot on the public to help us identify the individual that we're looking for.”