The 2023 Nova Scotia Homicide Victim List is available here

Pictou County District RCMP responded to a report of a man who attempted to break into a home on Greenwood Street in Thorburn, who was now running through the woods with an axe on October 30th at around 9:00am.

Officers arrived at the scene and began searching the area for the man. Some officers entered the suspect’s home, which is also on Greenwood St., and located a woman suffering from serious injuries. She was rushed to hospital where she died of her injuries.

RCMP officers established that the suspect was John Douglas Cress and an emergency alert was issued in Pictou, Antigonish and Colchester counties at approximately 10 a.m.

RCMP Air Services located Cress, who was suffering from serious injuries, in the woods behind Greenwood St. using FLIR technology and members of RCMP ERT then safely arrested him. He was taken to hospital with a police escort. He has since been charged with second-degree murder.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit at 902-896-5060.