The man charged in connection with the presumed murder of a 23-year-old Medicine Hat woman appeared in court Tuesday.

Jerrison Stopanski, 34, is charged with accessory after the fact to murder in relation to the disappearance of Amy Lewis.

The charge is typically laid against those who investigators suspect of assisting a killer.

Lewis was last heard from the night of June 11. Her car was later found outside a Medicine Hat motel.

Stopanski appeared via closed circuit camera Tuesday, looking distraught and distracted, leaning against a wall with his hand to his face.

Lewis’ family told CBC News the past two weeks have been extremely hard.

"We are deeply saddened by this situation, but we are also at peace because we know everything is being done to find Amy,” said Lewis’ uncle, Raymond Strom.

“The other thing is that our faith is keeping us strong."

Insp. Glen Motz said investigators are now focusing their search on the South Saskatchewan River.

"That's a long arduous effort,” Motz said. “There's significant volumes of information that has to be processed and that's what a majority of time has been spent doing."

Police remain tight-lipped about many details of the case and have not said whether Lewis and Stopanski knew each other.

Police had previously said the charges against Stopanski may change as more information about her disappearance is uncovered.

Stopanski will appear next month for a bail hearing.