First-degree murder charge laid in death of St. Albert man
Woman, 28, also stands accused of offering indignity to human remains
A 28-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a St. Albert senior reported missing over the weekend.
Ronald Worsfold, 75, was reported missing on Saturday.
His body was discovered in a rural area of Parkland County near Stony Plain after a search was launched the next day.
He worked as a gas station attendant and as a caretaker at an apartment building.
The RCMP major crimes unit arrested and charged Beryl Musila with first-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains Monday.
“I have no idea at this time of any motivation there may have been,” said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Jack Poitras.
Daughter Sandy Worsfold said she believes the accused was a tenant at the apartment building where her father was caretaker.
“My sister and I were waiting for him to come home,” she added. “As the hours dragged on and we hadn’t heard from him, we were getting more and more concerned.”
She said it was unusual for her father to go missing.
“We had our suspicions,” she said. “We suspected foul play was involved right from the start considering the circumstances.
“We’re very pleased they have somebody, that they have caught this person,” she said of the charges. “Definitely relieving.”
Poitras was unable to comment on whether the murder happened in Parkland County or if the body was moved there, though he noted that generally a charge of offering an indignity to human remains is laid when damage has been done to a body.
He could not confirm the cause of death or if a firearm was used.
Though the body was found in Stony Plain and both the victim and accused are from St. Albert, Musila is scheduled to appear in court in Sherwood Park on Wednesday morning. Poitras explained that was because no dates were available quickly enough in St. Albert.
The theft of Ronald Worsfold’s Toyota Corolla five days before his disappearance was coincidental and not connected with his death, according to the RCMP.
Poitras did not rule out further arrests