HALIFAX — Homicide investigators in Halifax are interviewing a 27-year-old man taken into custody in connection with the death of a Nova Scotia police officer, but say they don't believe the murder is related to the officer's work.
Police say the body of Catherine Campbell was discovered in a wooded area east of Barrington Street at North Street near an overpass that leads to the Macdonald Bridge connecting Halifax and Dartmouth at about 12:10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Just over an hour later at 1:20 a.m., they say they took a Halifax man into custody for questioning. No charges have been laid.
Campbell was reported missing on Monday when she didn't show up for work at the Truro Police Service.
The chief of police said telling Susan and Dwight Campbell of their daughter's death at 2 a.m. Wednesday after her body was found was a painful duty.
"In my 22 years as a police officer this is the most difficult day I've had to put in," said Chief Dave MacNeil in an interview outside the Truro police force headquarters.
Officers watching him speak struggled to control their emotions, and hugged one another as he concluded his comments.
Supt. Jim Perrin of Halifax Regional Police said Campbell was last seen at a bar in downtown Halifax early on Friday morning.
Officers arrested the man in a car, which has been seized, and are also searching two homes in Halifax, said Perrin.
He said there is nothing in Campbell's work history that is a factor in their investigation.
"Catherine Campbell did nothing to cause what happened to her. Our focus is what did happen," Perrin told a news conference.
"I have no details to suggest that her being a police officer had anything to do with what ultimately happened to her."
Perrin said police believe Campbell knew the man they have in custody.
"What we don't know is how long they have known each other for, that's all part of the investigation," he added.
He wouldn't say when police believe Campbell died.
Campbell was a constable with the police department in Truro and her mother said she loved being a police officer.
"Catherine was a loving person, a dedicated police officer. ... She was conscientious," said Susan Campbell in a telephone interview.
Campbell was a volunteer member of the fire department in her hometown of Stellarton for a decade, and her mother said she'd held a variety of jobs in the community before deciding to train as a police officer, finding a job in Truro as soon as she graduated.
"She was highly thought of at the Truro police force," said Susan Campbell of her daughter's six-year career on the force as a patrol officer.
In Truro, residents left flowers and condolences around the trunk of a thick maple tree in front of the police station.
"Any loss, but especially someone who has devoted their life to serving the public, it's devastating," said Tara MacIsaac who dropped by with her five-week old daughter to leave some flowers.
"As a community, we all look forward to knowing what happened to her," she added, saying both she and her husband work in law enforcement.
Campbell's brother-in-law, Calvin Garneau, described her as "an exceptional person."
"She was very friendly, very outgoing and very outspoken," he said from his home. "She'd give anything that she had to help anybody else. That's just the type of person she is.
"Catherine was Catherine. The person she was was amazing."
Garneau, who is married to Campbell's older sister, said she loved her work as a police officer and had been with the force since 2009. He said she was not married and did not have children.
Police said an autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
Perrin said the fact Campbell was a police officer makes the case difficult for investigators in a small province like Nova Scotia where paths cross.
"The Nova Scotia police community is fairly small. Officers run across each other whether it's through investigations or training. So it is a toll," he said.
"Obviously our thoughts go out primarily to the Truro police. They are dealing with a tragedy."
