**** RCMP Media Release
Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime charge man with murder
The Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit has charged a man with murder after an incident in Thorburn.
Shortly before 9 a.m. on October 30, 2023, Pictou County District RCMP responded to a report of a man attempting to break-in to a home on Greenwood St. in Thorburn, who was now running through the woods with an axe. When officers arrived at the scene, they 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. RCMP officers established that the suspect was a 61-year-old Thorburn man and an emergency alert was issued in Pictou, Antigonish and Colchester counties at approximately 10 a.m. The victim was transported to hospital by ambulance.
Colchester County District RCMP, the Nova Scotia RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT), RCMP Police Dog Services and RCMP Air Services were called the scene to assist.
At approximately 11:25 a.m., RCMP Air Services located the man, who was suffering from serious injuries, in the woods behind Greenwood St. using FLIR technology and members of RCMP ERT then safely arrested him. The man was transported to hospital by ambulance with police escort.
RCMP officers later learned that the victim had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased. The investigation has been turned over to the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit and is being assisted by the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Office.
John Douglas Cress, 61, of Thorburn, has been charged with 2nd Degree Murder. Cress has been remanded into custody and will appear in Pictou Provincial Court on November 1, 2023.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit at 902-896-5060. Should you wish to remain anonymous call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.
