A missing poster for 12-year-old John Fulton of Grand Forks, B.C. who was found dead Monday.JOHN LEHMANN
A 42-year-old woman from Grand Forks, B.C., has been arrested in connection with the death of a 12-year-old autistic boy whose body was found just three doors down from his home.
RCMP said last night that Kimberly Ruth Noyes was "taken without incident" at around 3:50 p.m. local time. According to spokesman Corporal Dan Moskaluk, she was found after a 911 call from "an alert citizen," reporting that Ms. Noyes had been spotted near a local secondary school.
Ms. Noyes became the subject of a manhunt after the body of John David Fulton was found in her residence in the Gables community. The boy, who is a high-functioning autistic, vanished on Saturday from the front steps of his home.
"[Ms. Noyes]has been arrested in connection with the murder of John Fulton," said Cpl. Moskaluk, adding the investigation will continue.
After the arrest, the Fulton family released a statement to the media, according to the CBC, thanking the police for their efforts but also chastising them for not issuing an Amber alert. "We would … like to express our concern with the lack of an Amber Alert in this investigation. We do not know if this could have saved Johnny's life, nor do we wish to speculate, however, we feel strongly that any child with autism should automatically qualify as an Amber Alert," the release said. However, Cpl. Moskuluk said police did everything they could, noting initial searches after John went missing ran through the night and into the next morning.
Still, he acknowledged "the end result of this [case]is the worst turn of events a file can take."
He said the basics of the case did not initially fit with the criteria for issuing an amber alert, including a belief that the victim had been abducted.
Meanwhile, in the sleepy town of Grand Forks, news of the tragedy left its 4,000 residents reeling. "Certainly, the mood is shock and disbelief," said Mayor Brian Taylor Tuesday afternoon.
"Parents are walking hand in hand with their kids and they're hanging on tighter than they did before."
He later said issues around the use of the amber alert should become clearer once forensic conclusions are drawn about the time of John's death.
"What I am aware of from the RCMP's discussions with me is that they got started [with their search]as soon as they were informed," he said.
Although people in town are relieved at an arrest, they know clear answers are a long way away, he said.
"That investigation is just ramping up and will analyze what happened in that house."
Murder is a rare occurrence in the peaceful town, located near the Washington border in the Kootenay Mountains, about 500 kilometres east of Vancouver. Crime rates here are low, said Mr. Taylor, and the last murder was several years ago.
Grand Forks also has a large population of Russian Doukhobors, who settled in the town to escape persecution for their pacifist beliefs.
"We have a nice combination of historical backgrounds of people here that makes it an extremely safe and comfortable community for people to live in," Mr. Taylor said. "So this is quite a shock."
Nowhere is the shock greater felt in the town than within the Gables community, a tight-knit housing complex where both the victim and suspect lived just two doors apart. John lived there with his mother, Christal, and two sisters.
The 25-unit Gables complex is subsidized for low-income families and children playing are a common fixture along its quiet streets. But when John went missing, the neighbourhood transformed into a crime scene, its streets filling with cop cars and search teams. Investigators reportedly grew suspicious after knocks to Ms. Noyes's door went unanswered.
Gables resident Brenda Atchison lives kitty corner from unit No. 9 where Ms. Noyes lives. She said her neighbour often babysat her kids, aged five and seven.
It was a sickening realization when she realized which house police were investigating on Monday.
"I was a wreck," she said Tuesday. "It's hard knowing that it was her and I let my kids be there … it was just shocking."
For April Logan, a single mother who also lives in the Gables, she now plans on moving.
"I just don't want my daughter in this complex any more," she said. "It's horrible, it could have been anybody's kid."
Ms. Atchison said Ms. Noyes has three children of her own, with one grown-up daughter living in Texas. Other neighbours also report that Ms. Noyes had been having issues with an ex-husband and recently had her children taken away.
Teresa Taylor said Ms. Noyes had also been acting strangely recently, rarely leaving her house.
"We were concerned about her well-being," said Ms. Taylor, who is also the mayor's daughter. "The last time I saw her she was sitting on her front steps with her head in her hands, and looked like she had lost weight."
Ms. Noyes worked as a bookkeeper at Boundary Truss, a local manufacturer of roof trusses, and co-worker Kevin Thiessen described the woman as nice, friendly and quiet. He said Ms. Noyes worked at the company for six years before quitting abruptly a few months ago.
"She just sort of stopped coming," he said.
In a statement released shortly before Ms. Noyes's arrest, RCMP cautioned that she "does pose a threat to herself and possibly others due to a diagnosed state of mental health."
On Tuesday, the mayor criticized cutbacks in the province that have led to reduced services for mental health patients over the last decade. "I think what we've lost here is mental health support in the community," he said. "The community sees [this]as a health problem as much as a crime problem."
In the Gables community last night, a vigil was scheduled and a memorial set up for John Fulton. Teresa Taylor said John was a visible presence in the neighbourhood, a cute, happy boy who often sang while riding his bike.
She said she spoke with Christal Fulton shortly after John's body was found and the woman was distraught.
"[I]gave her a big hug. She just looked at me and said, 'It's my baby,'" Ms. Taylor said. "I said, 'I know.' I resonate with that. So many of us too - we're all parents here."
With files from The Canadian Press