An Ottawa River death investigation has produced a new first-degree murder charge, with a woman now facing the most serious allegation in the case of a 63-year-old man whose body was recovered from the river in May 2025.
The charge
Cathy Percey has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Robert Prévost, 63. Percey remained in custody and was scheduled to appear in court at L'Orignal on Oct. 16.
The Ontario Provincial Police said on Oct. 9 that the Crime Unit from its Russell County detachment was continuing the investigation.
How the case began
Prévost's body was found in the Ottawa River in May 2025, two months after he had been listed as a missing person.
The case has now been open for well over a year, and the charge against Percey is the latest development to be made public.
Earlier arrests
This is not the first time the OPP has announced arrests in the case. In June 2026, the OPP announced the arrests of three people in connection with the investigation. Among them, Mathew Blake of Arnprior had been charged with second-degree murder.
The information available to ottown does not detail the charges laid against the other people arrested in June, or how those cases relate to the charge against Percey. Those are matters for the court process, and ottown will not guess at them.
What is not yet known
Several things a reader would reasonably want to know have not been made public in the information available to us:
- How Prévost died.
- What police believe happened between the time he was listed as missing and the time his body was found.
- Whether further arrests are expected.
- Details of any relationship between Percey and the other people charged.
None of the allegations against Percey have been tested in court. A charge is an allegation, and she is presumed innocent unless and until a court finds otherwise.
What happens next
The next public step is Percey's scheduled court appearance at L'Orignal on Oct. 16. The OPP's Russell County Crime Unit continues to investigate, and anyone with information about the case would normally be directed to the OPP.
ottown will update this story as more is confirmed by police or by the court.
Sources: Ottawa Citizen (via Yahoo News Canada)
