Saskatoon man charged in death of woman whose body was found in snow dump

The Prince Albert Police Service has charged a third person for the killing of Taya Sinclair.

Michael Smillie, 55, was arrested in Saskatoon on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Sinclair.

Sinclair, 24, had lost contact with her family and friends in early March 2022. After several days, her mother reported her missing on March 14.

Police found her body one day later at a snow dump site in the West Hill area of Prince Albert. Police said attempts had been made to burn the remains.

Prince Albert police later issued an apology for releasing those details about Sinclair’s body to the media before her family was notified.

"Due to the sensitive nature of this information and the extreme trauma Taya’s family is suffering at this very difficult time, the public release of these details resulted in surprise and added anguish for her family,” the statement said.

Two others were already charged in the case. In January, police charged 25-year-old Stephanie Halkett-Stevenson for first-degree murder, and in March, Chelsey Crowe was charged with manslaughter.

Sinclair was Métis with roots in Green Lake, Sask. She grew up in Meadow Lake and most recently lived in Saskatoon where she was raising her two young boys, ages four and six.

-With files from Lisa Risom