Three people have been charged in connection with a homicide in Bay Roberts last week.

Stephanie Noftall, 28, and Matthew Kavanagh, 41, both of Harbour Grace, as well as Terry Cole, 34, of Carbonear, were arrested on Saturday evening by the RCMP’s Major Crime Unit. A news conference was held Monday at RCMP headquarters in St. John’s.

At around 7:30 a.m. Sept. 30, police responded to a report of a vehicle fire on Country Road in Bay Roberts. After the fire was extinguished, human remains of a man were found inside. The RCMP announced the death was suspicious and continued with the investigation. In consultation with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner the human remains have been identified as a 42-year-old man from Spaniard’s Bay.

Late last week, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that the death was a homicide. As part of the ongoing investigation, on Saturday evening, the RCMP, along with the Explosive Disposal Unit, surrounded a home on Gardner Place in Harbour Grace. Residents were asked to shelter in place and the public were asked to avoid the area.

At around 9 p.m., three people were arrested without further incident. Noftall, who was reported missing on Sept. 30, was among the three arrested. Noftall, Kavanagh and Cole are each charged with first-degree murder and indignity to human remains.

The three remain in custody at this time and will attend court in Harbour Grace today. The investigation is continuing.

Police say the crime was initiated in broad daylight with an altercation in the parking lot of Tim Horton’s and Needs Convenience on L.T. Stick Drive in Bay Roberts. Police believe there are a number of witnesses. Officers are looking to speak with anyone who may have been at this location between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.

Anyone who may have been in this area at this time is asked to check available surveillance footage for a blue 2021 Chevrolet Colorado truck and a 4-door 2012 brownish/grey Honda Civic car, both of which were parked on the parking lot.