Oct 30, 2008 - 11:10 PM

By Jennifer Stone and Jeff Mitchell

OSHAWA -- A man is in police custody, charged in connection with the death of a young Oshawa woman.

Police responding to reports of a marijuana grow operation in a house at 307 Bloor St. E., Tuesday evening found the body of Amber Francis Young, 21. A resident of the home has been charged.

Jason Rodgerson, 25, of Bloor Street was scheduled to appear by video in an Oshawa court Thursday afternoon. He has been charged with second degree murder; indignity to a dead body; producing marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Also facing charges in relation to the grow operation found inside the Bloor Street home is Stephen Roberts, 30, of Stevenson Road South Oshawa who was charged with producing marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Ms. Young, who has family in Oshawa and had recently been living on Albert Street downtown, was reported missing by her mother Monday evening, Durham homicide Detective Dave Henderson said.

It's believed Ms. Young died sometime between Monday and the time her body was found, Det. Henderson said. An autopsy is set for Saturday and until then a cause of death cannot be declared.

Ms. Young had not previously been acquainted with Mr. Rodgerson, a native of New Brunswick who took up residence there three months ago.

"I would suggest for all intents and purposes he was a stranger," Det. Henderson said.

Ms. Young's sister Nivek Young, 23, said her family is "devastated."

"She was the best sister ever," said a sobbing Nivek. "She was my best friend. I told her everything."

Nivek said she's not familiar with the man accused of her sister's murder. She said the family is awaiting information on when and how Ms. Young met her death.

"I want to know how my sister died and when she died," she said.

Ms. Young leaves behind a grieving family that includes a young son, Nivek said.

News of Ms. Young's death resulted in several entries on her Facebook page.

"Amber will be deepley (sic) missed and forever thought of as a great friend and a loving mother," read one entry.

"I knew Amber from Coffee Time on Ritson Rd . . . last time I saw her was Halloween last year almost one year ago. She was a great gal . . . always smiling. I'm going to miss her. I just can't understand how anyone would want to hurt her?" said another.

After the discovery of the young woman's body police set up tents covering a large part of the backyard of the property. Officers with the Drug Enforcement Unit had also been on scene to investigate a marijuana grow operation in the basement of the home.

Neighbours and even the owner of the home say they had been kept in the dark about what was going on.

When the tents went up Wednesday, police "told us they were just protecting the ground," said Erika Morra, who lives across the street from the scene.

"Two guys moved in with just plastic bags, nothing else," about a month ago, she said.

As she spoke, the owner of the property, identified only as Eugene, pulled in to her driveway. He said he had only been told there was a grow-op in the home.

The two men he had rented the house to were in their early 30s, he estimated.

"They were so good," he said. "They made a good impression, had good jobs; they were working all the time."

The two were employed as painters, he said.

Hilda Bartlett has rented living space two doors down from the scene since the beginning of August. She said hearing the body of a young woman had been found there made her feel like a "nervous wreck."

Prior to this, it had seemed like a fairly quiet neighbourhood, she said.

"But I don't think there's any safe place to live anymore," she said.