A Vancouver-area man has been charged with the murder of his wife who disappeared in 2006, police announced Monday.
Gurpreet Gill, 33, vanished more than six years ago. Her relatives reported her missing when they had not heard from her. She was in an arranged marriage and lived in the Vancouver area, said police.
As the investigation unfolded, it became clear "she had likely met with foul play," said Vancouver police. They recently "found what they needed" to link a suspect to the murder.
Gill's husband, Jaswant Singh Gill, 40, was arrested on Saturday and charged with second-degree murder.
"It was a mystery that caused great sorrow to family members here and in India, and posed a major challenge for our investigators," said Sgt. Kevin McLaren on Monday.
"Even though initially there were very few clues, our investigators never gave up. They believed they owed it to the family and the victim to stay on the case until it was solved."
Also on Monday, Vancouver police highlighted last year's record-low homicide rate. The nine murders in 2012 hasn't been matched since the 1950s, said deputy chief Adam Palmer. More than half of those cases have been solved.
Almost three-quarters of the 15 homicides in Vancouver in 2011 have been solved, Palmer added.