A burned-out SUV found in Burnaby earlier this month had human remains inside it for more than a week after it was taken to a local tow yard, according to police.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team was called to Burnaby on Wednesday after human remains were found in a vehicle at Mundie’s Towing & Recovery at 5917 Thorne Ave.
Investigators, including integrated forensic identification services, were still on scene at the Big Bend tow yard Thursday, but police have released few details about the remains or who made the grim discovery.
As for the SUV, IHIT has confirmed the vehicle was found burned out on July 22 at about 11:30 p.m. just a few kilometres away in the 7500 block of Meadow Avenue.
“The vehicle sustained such significant damage that police were unable to immediately complete a thorough examination,” stated an IHIT press release Thursday. “The vehicle was subsequently taken to a tow yard in Burnaby, to allow the hazardous gases associated with a recently burned vehicle time to subside prior to further inspection.”
A closer examination on Wednesday revealed “evidence of human remains inside,” the release said.
“IHIT has now engaged both the integrated forensic identification services section, as well as the RCMP’s forensic search and evidence recovery team (FSERT),” Const. Harrison Mohr said. “Fire scenes present a variety of challenges for investigators, so we have called in our FSERT team, who are specialists in meticulously going through the debris piece by piece. They will be looking to try to identify the human remains found inside, and to search for any evidence left behind by the suspects.”
The BC Coroners Service is also conducting a concurrent fact-finding investigation to determine who died, as well as where, when and by what means it happened, the release said.
Based on the investigation to date, police said investigators do not consider this to be a random act and it is not believed that there is any danger to the public at this time.
Anyone with information about the case can contact IHIT at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com
