A man arrested in connection with the death of a Japanese woman in Vancouver last month appeared in court Monday, but procedures were postponed as he has not yet selected a lawyer.
William Schneider, 48, was seen walking with Natsumi Kogawa on a surveillance video in downtown Vancouver on Sept. 8 shortly before she is believed to have died.
Kogawa, 30, of Aomori Prefecture, had been studying at a language school in Vancouver from May to July, and went missing after her last exchange of text messages with her mother on the Line messaging app on Sept. 7.
Her body was found in an empty house in the city three weeks later, on Sept. 28.
According to a court document, Schneider "on or about Sept. 8, 2016, at or near Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, did improperly or indecently interfere with, or offer an indignity to, a dead human body or human remains."
Court procedures in the case, including a decision on whether to grant bail to Schneider, were postponed until Oct. 17.