A 23-year-old police officer in Dominica has been charged with the murder of 16-year-old Jerbiah Paul, who was reported missing last month.

Police Constable Jean Luc-Rudy Langlais of Cotton Hill, Portsmouth, appeared before the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday and was charged with Paul’s murder.

Langlais was remanded to the Dominica State Prison and is due to return to court on October 2.

Paul was reported missing on July 25. 

A body believed to be hers was discovered down a precipice in the Capuchin area on August 12.

Police have taken samples to confirm the identity of the body.

At a news conference on Thursday, Chief of Police Lincoln Corbette said the investigation remains active despite the murder charge.

He said the police received assistance from local and international agencies, including the FBI, during the investigation.

Corbette described Paul’s death as “truly heartbreaking” and assured the family and wider public that investigators would continue pursuing all available leads.

“No stone will remain unturned,” Corbette said. “We will ensure that anyone involved in Jerbiah’s murder faces the full extent of the law.”

National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmoore commended the officers involved in the investigation, noting that Langlais was a member of the police force.

He said the investigation demonstrated that the force was not biased in pursuing cases involving its own officers and urged the public to maintain confidence in the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force.

Blackmoore also said reports of missing persons are treated with the utmost seriousness by law enforcement and urged media organisations and the public to exercise restraint while the investigation continues.