'We need to have our closure': Sister seeks answers for brother’s murder following arrests

The family of Jason John Brown has some closure now that two people have been charged with the Kitchener man’s kidnapping and murder, but some questions still remain.

Tara Brown spoke with CTV News Sunday about her brother and the recent arrests.

“He was a great big brother and helped us out a lot when we needed him, he was our only brother,” Tara said. “He was just very funny and he could always put you in a good mood if you were ever in a bad mood. He was just great.”

Tara has been waiting more than four years for a break in Jason’s case.

"We’re very happy to hear it and glad that people are being held accountable for what they did,” she said. “We just have a lot of questions about why and how it happened."

On March 13, 2019, the 43-year-old’s body was found at the side of Stevenson Road in Oshawa. Police said Brown had been abducted the day before near the Harriston cemetery, nearly 200 kilometres away.

The circumstances of Brown’s death have not been shared publicly.

"We want answers,” said Tara. “It's been a long time and when they made the arrests, I thought okay, we'll get some answers. But we still didn't and it's just really frustrating.”

Jason John Brown in an undated photo provided by Tara Brown.

SEARCH FOR SUSPECTS

OPP released the photos of three vehicles they believed were connected to the Brown case earlier this year.

In September, they confirmed that two of them had been located but did not reveal where.

The third vehicle, a light-coloured Chrysler 300, had still not been found.

At that time, police were still trying to determine the motive for Brown’s death.

Police are investigating the suspicious death of a Kitchener man found in Oshawa. (Mar. 2019)

With the help of the Edmonton Police Service, OPP arrested 32-year-old Joshua Alexander Drumond of Edmonton and 33-year-old Jon Walsom-Gerigs of Brantford last week.

They have both been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

“I hope that they think every day about what they did and I hope it haunts them,” Tara told CTV News Sunday.

NEXT STEPS

OPP said their work on Brown’s case isn’t over.

“There’s been some great work done by our detectives and they continue to investigate under the Criminal Investigations branch, also with the assistance of the Biker Enforcement Unit,” said Const. Jacob Unger in an interview with CTV News. “[They are] following leads, seeing if there a possibly other people to look into as well. So the investigation is not done. There’s still a lot to do.”

Jason John Brown in an undated photo provided by Tara Brown.

Due to a publication ban, OPP cannot reveal any specifics in the case.

“Motive is an important element to any criminal charge,” said Unger. “That is something the investigators are continuously assessing to try and determine what a possible motive was. They’ll be looking at what the relationship between the deceased and the accused was.”

The investigation could also turn up new leads.

“There could also possibly be other people charged in the investigation as well, we’re not ruling that out,” said Unger.

KEEPING JASON’S MEMORY ALIVE

While they hope for more answers in the future, the Brown family will continue to honour Jason’s memory.

Jason John Brown in an undated photo provided by Tara Brown.

“I talk about him all the time, he and I were very close,” said Tara. “Just because he was taken away from us doesn't mean that we're not going to continue to talk about him when he's still our brother."

Adding, she’ll always brings up his name in conversations during family gatherings.

“I got pregnant with my daughter on the one year anniversary that he passed,” Tara explained. “One of her middle names is Jaslyn, after him. I always talk to his kids too, and will always be there for them.”