A man aged 51 from Sussex has been formally accused of manslaughter in connection with the death of a 54-year-old man in Saint John during the spring of last year. Andrew Alexander Ryder is facing charges in the death of Mark Lynch around May 9, 2024, as per court records. Ryder made an appearance in provincial court on October 3, where he was charged and subsequently released under specific conditions.
The Saint John Police Force revealed details about the homicide for the first time in a news release on Thursday. The delay in the announcement was partly due to the extended period required for an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death, according to Staff Sgt. Shawna Fowler. Authorities responded to a report of a deceased individual found inside a residence in the 650-block of Brunswick Drive in the city center on May 14, 2024, at approximately 11 a.m.
Fowler disclosed that following a postmortem report and an investigation conducted by the Major Crime Unit, it was determined that the death was a homicide and that both the victim and the suspect were acquainted with each other. Initially treated as a sudden death, it wasn’t until May 2025 when the post-mortem results confirmed the cause of death as blunt-force trauma that the case was reclassified as a homicide.
Regarding the delay in publicizing the case as a homicide, Fowler explained that the investigation was originally treated as a sudden death until the cause of death was established. The delay in announcing the arrest and charges in the case was attributed to a lag in information reaching her. Lynch, survived by siblings and several nieces and nephews, was discovered deceased by a friend who then notified the authorities.
Ryder has been released on conditions including weekly check-ins with the police, prompt reporting of any address or employment changes, surrendering his passport, and avoiding contact with the victim’s family and others. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 31 for the election proceedings.