The RCMPs Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken over the investigation of a body found in North Vancouvers Lower Capilano neighbourhood, after investigators turned up evidence of foul play.
Police were called to the scene at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday after a neighbour noticed a foul smell and reported it to the North Vancouver RCMP. Investigators searched the area and found the remains in a wooded area off a gravel foot path that links Curling Road with Belle Isle Place, just west of Capilano Road.
It did appear that somebody attempted to conceal the body, and at that point it was deemed suspicious, and that was the reason the IHIT team was called in, said Sgt. Jennifer Pound, a spokeswoman for the unit.
Regular users of the trail wouldnt have been able to spot the body without venturing into the woods, Pound said, but she could not say in what way the body appeared to have been hidden.
The remains were in a state of decomposition, a process that had likely been sped up by warm weather, she said.
A lot of the answers that were looking for are going to have to come through further testing. At this point, we dont know how long the remains have been there. We dont have a gender, and were asking anyone who has information to contact the IHIT tip line, said Pound. Our priority right now is to determine who the victim is in that location, locate the family and let the family know whats going on and delve into what happened and what brought that person to this area.
Along with IHIT, the B.C. Coroners Service, an entomologist and the integrated forensic identification team are on the scene searching for evidence.
The path will be closed for the next two days while the area is cordoned off as a potential crime scene.
Pound said investigators will also be canvassing the nearby homes to see if anyone else may have noticed anything suspicious.
Neighbours in the area have complained recently that dilapidated buildings and abandoned lots nearby have been a magnet for crime.
Anyone with information that could help in the case is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448.
