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Ottawa Citizen

Ottawa man charged with second-degree murder in femicide

An Ottawa man has been charged with second-degree murder in relation to a femicide of 54-year-old Rachelle Desrochers, who was reported missing last month. Article content Desrochers was last seen on March 14 at the McDonald's on Elgin Street, according to an Ottawa Police Service release last month. Article content On Sunday, the OPS said they have charged a man in relation to her death. Article content Joshua Blair, 35, was charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body. Article content Article content Police said he appeared in court on Sunday. Article content Article content 'While the remains of Rachelle Desrochers have not yet been recovered, investigators have reason to believe she was killed and that her body may be located in a local landfill, where search efforts are ongoing,' police said in a release. Article content Police said the murder is considered a femicide. The OPS defines a femicide as the intentional killing of women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender women and gender non-conforming individuals because of their gender. Article content 'OPS names femicide as part of its commitment to ongoing efforts to improve their response to Violence against Women (VAW) and to prevent femicide and commits to ongoing collaboration with the VAW sector. Article content 'Identifying and naming instances of femicide in Ottawa is critical to the development of more nuanced prevention initiatives and more accurate documentation of this form of violence,' the police said in an emailed statement on Sunday morning. Article content