Chantelle Rikheim had died of blunt force trauma. (RCMP)

A former Thompson, Man. man has been arrested in connection with the 2005 homicide of a 16-year-old girl.

The man, 24, was arrested Thursday for second-degree murder. He cannot be named because he was a 17-year-old youth at the time of the homicide.

The victim, Chantelle Rikheim, was found inside a trailer home that was set on fire. An autopsy determined she had died of blunt force trauma.

She and the man are reported to have known each other, RCMP said on Friday.

The 24-year-old has been serving time in a Saskatchewan penitentiary on an unrelated matter. He was transferred to Winnipeg on Thursday and arrested in the Rikheim homicide.

Rikheim's father, Carl, said he has mixed feelings about the arrest. While he's relieved there will finally be some closure, the news stirs up a lot of emotions.

"You know, along with all the happiness is a lot of sadness. You know, it's really good that an arrest has been made but it's still a real hard thing to deal with," he said.