Body found, 2 youths arrested in eastern P.E.I.

Human remains have been found in eastern P.E.I. and two young people have been arrested in the case, RCMP announced Wednesday morning.

Police said the teenagers were taken into custody on Tuesday evening and remained in custody. They said several charges — including homicide — were expected to be laid.

RCMP Supt. Kevin Lewis said officers were working closely with the victim's family,  the provincial Victim Services team, and the school the victim attended.

"I'd like to thank the public that assisted with this investigation over the past week. My condolences go out to the ... family — this is not the outcome we had hoped for," he said.

In light of this case and another recent tragedy in eastern P.E.I., Lewis urged anyone struggling with grief to contact 988 or the Mobile Mental Health Response Service.

"The past few weeks have obviously been very difficult, as we recently had the fatal ... accident in Marshfield that claimed four lives, and now this tragedy," said Lewis.

"These types of incidents have a deep and difficult impact on the individuals, communities and the families. Times like this make you realize that we need to hold our loved ones tight." 

The Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits anyone from publishing the identity of people under the age of 18 who are charged with a crime. The identities of victims under 18 when a youth is charged with a crime are also protected. RCMP initially shared the victim's name on Wednesday, saying the parents had consented to the teen's name being released, but on Thursday stopped identifying the victim after the changes had been laid. CBC updated this story to reflect that.

In Canada, homicide charges range from manslaughter to first-degree murder, depending on the amount of intent and pre-planning justice officials believe was involved.