Arrests made in Van Diest murder
By Contributor
The RCMP Southeast District Major Crimes Unit and Armstrong RCMP, police confirmed on Thursday (April 5) that two individuals have been arrested in connection with murder of 18-yaer-old Taylor Van Diest and two other incidents that occurred in 2004 and 2005.
Today’s announcement is a result of the thousands of investigative man hours, thousands of tips and extensive forensic analysis and specialized investigative techniques and avenues, said Insp. Brendan Fitzpatrick, Operations Officer for the RCMP’s BC Major Crime Section.
Matthew Stephen Foerster, 26, a former resident of Cherryville has been charged with one count of second degree murder for the October 31 death of Van Diest.
He has also been charged with one count of sexual assault and unlawful confinement in connection with the April 12, 2005 sexual assault of a Kelowna woman.
Additional charges have been laid in connection with a home invasion that took place October 19, 2004 in Cherryville BC, in which a 19-year-old young woman was assaulted.
Shortly before 11 am (PST) on Wednesday (April 4), BC RCMP, Southeast District Major Crimes Unit arrested Matthew Stephen Foerster, on a Canada wide warrant, at a motel in Collingwood, Ontario.
The BC RCMP officers were assisted by investigators from the Collingwood O.P.P. and Ontario RCMP. The arrest was completed without incident and efforts are underway to transport him back to BC to answer to the charges.
Police also arrested Stephen Roy Foerster, 58, Matthew’s father and a current resident of Cherryville has been charged with Obstruction of Justice and Accessory After the Fact to murder in connection with the homicide death of Taylor Van Diest.
He was arrested without incident at his residence around 2:20 pm (PST) on Wednesday (April 4).
Our Southeast District Major Crime Unit took the lead on this investigation, they utilized resources from our local detachment, E Division Major Crime Section, partner agencies and many other RCMP support services to identify the suspect and bring this case before the court, said Supt. Reg Burgess, the Officer in Charge of Vernon/North Okanagan Detachment.
Although the investigation was a multifaceted joint effort, it is the leaders and teams on our Southeast District Major Crime Unit who coordinated the efforts and worked this case hard to obtain the success we have to date.”
Investigators are continuing their efforts to establish a detailed time line of Matthew Foerster’s activities on the day and night of Taylor’s murder on October 31st, 2011 and his travel and activities from December 2011 to March 2012.
