From the left, Megan’s step-mother Debbie Gallagher, father Brian Gallagher, sister Lindsey Bishop and her husband Derek Bishop. Photo: Leanne Sanders/APTN.
Two years to the day since Megan Gallagher’s family last saw her, a 27-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in her death.
According to police, Robert “Bobby” James Thomas, 27, was arrested by members of the Saskatoon Police Service and RCMP at a home in Prince George, B.C.
Deputy police chief Randy Huisman said the police service will continue to do everything it can to locate Megan and find those responsible for her death.
“We can also announce today that we’ll be launching a search for Megan – a physical search of an area of the South Saskatchewan River, which investigators have identified as an area of interest,” he said at a news conference in Saskatoon to announce the arrest.
“This investigation is far from over, there’s many moving parts, and details of the multi-agency search will be announced in the coming days.”
Staff Sgt. Grant Obst, head of the force’s major crimes unit, said that the investigation is continuing.
“We anticipate there will be additional charges in the future, the investigation is far from over,” he said.
Police confirmed Thomas may have gang ties and connections to Saskatoon and the four other people charged in the case.
Those four accused face charges of committing an Indignity to human remains, although Police have not revealed what they believe happened to Megan.
Obst also acknowledged the Gallagher family’s involvement in the case.
“Brian and family have been with us from the beginning. We’ve had a very, very respectful and cordial relationship with them,” he said. “Without them, I’m not entirely sure we would be where we are today.”
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The Gallaghers just marked the two-year anniversary of Megan’s disappearance with an awareness walk on Sunday in Saskatoon. Her father Brian said when they heard the news this morning that an arrest had been made, words couldn’t describe his emotions.
“The reality of all of this is none of this will ever bring Megan home. It will never bring Megan back. We will never hug Megan again, we’ll never laugh with Megan again, we’ll never see her pretty smile again, and she promised me on Father’s day, we’ll never play catch again,” he said.
Gallagher said the arrest was the reason for the family’s awareness walks, and Megan’s younger sister Lindsey Bishop’s cross-Canada walk.
“It is prophetic, to say the least, that two years to the day the first arrest is made for first-degree murder – that’s 720 days,” he said. “So many times I’ve asked myself the question ‘Why does somebody take a life?’
“It’s a rabbit hole I don’t like to go down, especially when I consider it was our daughter, it was our sister, it was our cousin, it was a mother, it was so many things. Megan was a very special soul.”
The Gallagher family has believed all along that someone knows something about what happened to Megan, who was last seen alive on a convenience store surveillance tape on Sept. 21, 2020.
Later that month, the major crimes unit released an audio recording of a call made from Megan’s cellphone. A woman and man could be heard calling for a cab to pick them up. Her phone has not been found.
Police declared Gallagher’s case a homicide in the spring of 2021, but didn’t reveal any details as to why, then in June of this year four people were charged with offering an Indignity to human remains.
One appeared in court this week and remains in custody, while the three others are not.
Obst said it will be up to RCMP to arrange Thomas’s transport back to Saskatoon, but that should happen within the week.
