SUSSEX, N.B. -- The RCMP has charged a 51-year-old man in Sussex, N.B., with failing to report the death of a woman who they believe passed away sometime in the past several weeks.
Police say officers found the body when they went to the home on Wednesday to do a wellness check on an 81-year-old woman after receiving a report that she had not been seen for several weeks.
They believe she died sometime between Aug. 13 and Sept. 30, and they also believe the woman was a family member of the man who lived in the home, but they did not elaborate on the relationship.
Police say although they have not yet been able to positively identify the body, it is believed to be that of the 81-year-old woman who hadn't been seen in weeks.
The Mounties say Edward James Firth appeared in Saint John provincial court on Thursday and was sent for a 30-day psychological assessment.
An autopsy has been conducted but police say the exact cause of the woman's death has not yet been determined.
