UPDATE: First-degree murder charge laid in Gallagher investigation

Saskatoon police have charged a man with first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of Megan Gallagher.

Gallagher, 30, was last seen in September of 2020. Her body has never been found, but four people previously were arrested and charged with indignity to human remains in connection with the case.

On Tuesday, police announced the first murder charge in the case, laid against 27-year-old Robert James “Bobby” Thomas, who was arrested at a home in Prince George, B.C.

“He is being transported back to Saskatoon where he will appear in Saskatoon Provincial Court later this week,” police said in a statement.

Despite the arrest and new charge, which marks a significant development in the case, Gallagher’s body has not been located, and police asked anyone with information on the case to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Gallagher’s family hosted a walk in Megan’s honour over the weekend, aiming to raise awareness about missing and murdered women and girls.

During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Saskatoon Police Staff Sgt. Grant Obst said five members of the police service’s Major Crime Section, along with RCMP, made the arrest.

“Bobby Thomas is the fifth arrest with respect to this investigation,” Obst said. “We anticipate there will be additional charges in the future. The investigation is far from over.”

He said the goal has also always been to bring Megan home. That, he said, will be the focus of a search along the South Saskatchewan River which will likely begin in the coming weeks. Obst would not reveal where that search would begin.

Megan’s father, Brian Gallagher, said words couldn’t describe his emotions when he head about the arrest.

“We will never hug Megan again. We’ll never laugh with Megan again. We’ll never see her pretty smile again. And, as she promised me on Father’s Day, we’ll never play catch again,” he said.

Megan’s father said it was prophetic that the murder charge was laid two years to the day after his daughter was last seen. He wondered why anyone would take his daughter’s life.

“It was our daughter, it was our sister, it was our cousin, it was a mother. It was so many things. Megan was a very special soul,” he said.

“How do you keep a secret for two years?” he asked. “How do you live with yourself? How do you exist?”

Brian Gallagher thanked the Saskatoon police and victim’s services for their help, along with family supporters and the media.

–With files from 650 CKOM’s Lara Fominoff