Elgin County OPP have charged a 45-year-old Norfolk County man with first-degree murder in connection with human remains found near Port Burwell, Ont. in May.
Chad Reu-Waters was also charged with indignity to a dead body in the case.
The remains were found in a fridge or freezer that was discovered on the bluffs along the edge of Lake Erie on May 6, 2019.
Police identified the remains to be that of then 33-year-old Ashley Max Domenic Pereira of Mississauga, Ont. Pereira, who was born in Uganda, disappeared on March 6, 2002.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, but police thanked the community for their patience and assistance.
OPP said the "substantial passage of time between the disappearance of the deceased and the discovery of human remains" was a challenge for investigators.
Police are continuing to appeal to the public for any information they may have in connection with the case.
The fridge-freezer was found in an area where local residents say people dump trash down the embankment on regular basis.
Reu-Waters is the second person charged in connection with the remains.
In the days immediately following the body's discovery, police arrested Reu-Waters’ 22-year-old son, Samuel, and charged him causing an indignity to a body.
Samuel Waters is currently free on bail with conditions.
