A north Alabama man was indicted by a grand jury on abuse of corpse charges in connection with the death of a woman who disappeared five years ago in what authorities called a “significant breakthrough” in the investigation.

Orlando Javier Whiteside, of Colbert County, was arrested and taken to the county jail following the grand jury’s indictment this month, the Colbert County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Whiteside was indicted on a charge of abuse of a corpse in connection with human remains found in November 2020 that were identified in May as belonging to Courtney Vivian Staggs, who was 35 years old when she disappeared Aug. 10, 2020 in Florence.

Staggs was reported missing Aug. 13, 2020.

Her remains were found in a remote, rural area of Colbert County on Nov. 18, 2020.

In May, the remains were positively identified as belonging to Staggs.

After the remains were identified, the investigation led to a suspect in the case and Whiteside’s arrest, said Colbert County Sheriff Eric Ballantine.

The investigation into Staggs’ death is ongoing, the sheriff said.

“We remain committed to seeking justice for Courtney Staggs and her family,” Ballantine said in a statement. “This is an important step forward , but the investigation is ongoing, and we expect more arrests to come.”