An 18-year-old man appeared in court Tuesday to face charges of second-degree murder in the death of his mother.

"He was arraigned on a charge of second-degree murder," Crown attorney Bruce Baxter confirmed Tuesday. "The alleged victim is his mother."

Zachary Quinn Brake turned himself in to police Monday morning and appeared in Amherst provincial court on Tuesday.

The charges stem from a homicide investigation after police discovered a woman's body inside a Mechanic Street home just before 3 a.m. Monday.

The Crown has confirmed the victim, 37-year-old Tracy Ann Rudderham, is Brake's mother and that he had been living with her in the home.

Police say the teen showed up at the police station around 3 a.m. Monday.

"He said there had been a murder that had taken place at 80 Mechanic Street," acting chief Dean Ruddick told CTV News on Monday.

Rudderham had moved to the area from Halifax within the last few months and Baxter says her son came to visit her from Moncton recently. But few details have been released about Rudderham's death.

"I can tell you it was not a firearm," Baxter tells CTV News. "That much I can tell you."

Police say they are continuing their investigation into the homicide, and an autopsy will be performed on the victim today in Halifax.

Meanwhile, many Springhill residents are on edge after the incident. This is the first murder to hit the town of roughly 4,000 people in five years and at least one neighbour is considering leaving the area.

"I just want to make sure that my family is safe, and get off this hill as soon as possible," says neighbour Amanda Aylward. "I am leaving."

"It's scary," resident John Parsons told CTV News on Monday. "It's really scary because you never know what's going to take place from day to day."

Neighbours say Rudderham wasn't well-known in the community, but her death has been felt by many.

"It's a sad thing," says resident Steve Wilson. "I guess that makes it even worse for the family…to find out that it's a family member that's accused of this."

"The community is small and (we're) trying to move it somewhere, and then you have something like this," says resident Sean Doucette. "It kind of puts everything to a stop."

The Crown has requested that Brake be kept in the Cumberland Correctional Centre to avoid a potential conflict with another incarcerated family member.

"All I can say is there's…another family member held in another correctional centre, and I just thought it was best to try to avoid potential for some sort of conflict," says Baxter.

Brake has been remanded to the correctional facility and is due back in court on November 7 for election and plea, and for the bail hearing.