Neil George Snelson, 43, of Kelowna was arrested at noon Oct. 23 without incident and charged with first degree murder of then 19-year-old Jennifer Cusworth.

On Oct. 17, 1993, Cusworth was found murdered and lying in a ditch alongside a private driveway in the 3900 block of Swamp Road in Kelowna. Capital News file stories at the time reported that police said she had been bludgeoned to death and left in a water-filled ditch. At the time it was believed that a taxi driver was the last to see her walking at Bernard and Ethel Streets.

Cusworth had moved to Kelowna in August of that year and was enrolled in the Human

Services Worker program at Okanagan University College. She was staying with her aunt and uncle.

On the evening of Oct. 15, 1993, Cusworth joined some friends at Iggy's NIght Club where they learned of an after hours party at a private residence. She and several of her friends attended the party, at 1791 Richter St., where there were about 150 people.

Cusworth was last seen at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 16, 1993.

The Kelowna Major Crimes Unit has been working on the case for 16 years, since her body was found a day after she was last seen.

Police said Monday they have been collecting evidence, interviewing persons associated to the file, exhausting leads in an effort to identify and arrest Cusworth's killer. Over the years the file has been continually reviewed to ensure that every investigative detail was covered and documented.

RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said Monday that many hundreds of tips were followed up, with hundreds of people interviewed.

Many details in the case have not been revealed, awaiting a court case.

However, Holmes did reveal that Snelson was at the house party on Oct. 16, 1993; that he was a Kelowna resident at that time; that DNA evidence was collected from the murder scene; that DNA was one component in a myriad of facts that led to the identification and arrest of Snelson.

Snelson was to appear in court Monday.

Jennifer Cusworth's parents, Jean and Terry have been advised of the arrest. Jennifer was their only daughter. They have come to Kelowna every year on the anniversary of her death to hold a press conference, visit the site where her body was found, and do whatever they could to keep the case open and active.

•••

While the RCMP offered little in the way of background information about the man charged with the murder of Jennifer Cusworth, a variety of websites sourced by the Capital News reveal more about who is Neil George Snelson.

Snelson was born in Derbyshire, England, and immigrated to Canada with his family. He is a graduate of Springvalley Senior Secondary in 1984.

He is married with four children, and is an active member of the First Lutheran Church on Lakeshore Road in Kelowna.

His profession since 2007 has been a certified blinds and drapery installer with the Michelle Smith Design firm in Kelowna. He was arrested on Friday at his employer's office.

Music also seems to play a large role in his life. He plays bass and acoustic guitar, singing both in local bands and at church services.

His profile is listed on the Christian Artists website, as Snelson calls himself a Christian country singer.

He lists is favourite groups as Pink Floyd, Metallica, all country music and generally any tunes that are not "hardcore rap."

His favourite authors are Stephen King,Isaak Asimov, Diana Gabaldon and Anne Rice. His favourite book is The Bible, and his favourite movie is The Shawshank Redemption, a film based on the book written by King.

His favourite sports teams are Manchester United, Vancouver Canucks and the B.C. Lions.