Two men charged in connection with the murder of a young woman in Cape Breton made their first court appearances today in Sydney via videolink.

Robert Edwin Matheson, 49, and Brian Augustine Deruelle, 37, are charged with accessory after the fact in connection with the death of 21-year-old Laura Jessome, whose remains were found in a hockey bag, floating on the Mira River near Marion Bridge on May 25.

Both men are from the Glace Bay area.

Matheson was arrested Friday in nearby Dominion after police surrounded his home, while Deruelle was arrested Sunday at his Glace Bay home.

“Well, you’re always shocked right? But I think if we knew exactly what was going on behind closed doors, I think we’d find out there’s a lot,” says area resident Yvonne O’Handley.

So far, no one has been charged with Jessome’s murder, but police say they expect to make more arrests in the gruesome case.

“We’re not going to rest, and our team is not going to rest,” says Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Peter McIsaac.

“They’re dedicated, committed, tenacious on this, and we’re not going to rest until we have every person who has been involved in this incident arrested and brought before the courts.”

McIsaac won’t say how many other suspects police are looking for, but he feels there could be another break in the case soon.

“I’m confident. As a matter of fact, I know we’re on the right track,” he says. “This stuff takes time to solve. Our folks are doing everything they possibly can, and I know at the end of the day, we’ll have success here.”

In court today, Matheson and Deruelle were ordered to have no contact with five other people, including Deruelle’s girlfriend.

“They’re potential witnesses, or potential co-accused,” says chief Crown attorney Dan MacRury. “In these circumstances, we don’t want any interference with witnesses, given the serious nature of the offences.”

The people include Tom Barrett of Glace Bay - who is currently in custody on an unrelated charge of attempted murder of another woman – and Morgan MacNeil of Glace Bay, who was charged with robbing a Sydney bank and a jewelry story in May.

Matheson and Deruelle will remain in custody until January, when they are due back in court for election and plea.

They can apply for bail, but the Crown is opposing their release.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald