News release
Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit charge man with Murder in 2017 homicide
October 2, 2025
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South Rawdon, Nova Scotia
From: Nova Scotia RCMP
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The Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit (NEN MCU) has charged a man with Murder (second-degree) in connection with the 2017 death of Laura Ross.
On April 3, 2017, the body of the 27-year-old was found in a burned-out garage at her property on Hwy. 202 in South Rawdon. Investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set and Ross’s death was ruled a homicide.
In July 2017, the NEN MCU charged Joshua Eric Crowell, then 27, of Upper Sackville, with Murder (second-degree). The charge was later withdrawn by the Crown in 2019.
On October 2, 2025, investigators re-charged Crowell, now 35, with Murder (second-degree) in Ross’s death. He was safely arrested on October 1 in Halifax.
“Over the course of this exhaustive investigation, officers collected and analyzed a substantial amount of evidence and spoke with many witnesses who shared critical information,” says Cpl. Angela McKay (retired). “We never waivered in our commitment to Ms. Ross and her loved ones despite setbacks at various times in the investigation, and new evidence has enabled us to now re-charge Crowell.”
Crowell is scheduled to appear in Shubenacadie Provincial Court today (October 2).
File # 2017-385114