BR-Lumby-Murder

LUMBY, B.C. — A hush has fallen over the B-C Interior village of Lumby since 44-year-old Tatjana (tat-YAH'-na) Stefanski, vanished last month and was later found dead.

R-C-M-P say Stefanski was last seen on April 13 with her ex-husband before "departing unexpectedly" with him in a black Audi.

Her body was later found and while a suspect who police believed was involved in her death was arrested in the vicinity, no charges have been laid and the person was released.

Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton says "panic set in" when people found out the suspect wasn't detained.

He says the town remains on high alert more than a month later.

B-C R-C-M-P say the "investigation is in its infancy," and the threshold for charge approval is "not insignificant."

They didn't confirm the identity of the person arrested.

Stefanski's boyfriend of four years, Jason Gaudreault says he and Stefanski's kids went into hiding after her death.

Gaudreault, who was granted temporary custody, says their plight shows the province isn't doing enough to protect victims' families.

He says victim's services are insufficient and don't ensure their safety, and suggested some mechanism, such as tracking devices, should be used to help make sure suspects don't come into contact with victims or their families.

The Canadian Press