POLICE investigating the discovery of a body in a bushy area of Bowen Island say the remains are likely not those of missing Squamish teen Jodi Henrickson.
"We don't feel it's connected to that case," said Sgt. Jennifer Pound, spokeswoman for the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. Pound said investigators ruled out that the body was Henrickson early on, although she declined to say how police did that.
Bowen Island RCMP were called out Friday at around 2 p.m. by a local resident who had discovered the body on his land, a wooded property in the 1,000 block of Harding Road.
An autopsy is to be performed Tuesday to try to identify the victim and the likely cause of death. Suicide remains a possibility, as does the chance that the body was dumped there.
"There are no obvious signs of injury," said Pound.
So far investigators have not confirmed whether the body - which was badly decomposed - is male or female. "We believe the body was there for quite some time," said Pound.
Lloyd Harding, who lives on Harding Road, said he was walking down to his mailbox with his son's dog at the end of last week when the Jack Russell terrier tried to drag him into the bush.
Harding said he noticed a bad smell in the area. "I thought someone had hit a deer he said."
Harding said he's walked right by the area where the body was found before but didn't see anything or notice any smell in the area before last week's spell of hot weather.
Police are currently checking missing persons reports to see if they can help identify the remains.
Henrickson, then 17, disappeared three years ago on June 20, 2009 after leaving a house party on Bowen Island with her ex-boyfriend Gavin Arnott. Neither Henrickson nor any signs of her have shown up since then, despite several searches by both police and volunteers.
Police have repeatedly said they think Henrickson met with foul play and never left the island.
Harding said the quiet community is "shocked and very concerned" by Friday's discovery.
jseyd@nsnews.com
