Members of the Calgary police homicide unit have so far been unable to confirm an identity or cause of death for two people whose remains were discovered in separate locations in southwest Calgary in less than a week.
The most recent discovery took place Monday evening when police got a call from some people who were out for a walk near Edworthy Park and discovered what appeared to be human remains on an island in the Bow River.
Members of the CPS homicide unit, the medical examiners office and the Calgary police helicopter were called in to assist. However, the investigation eventually had to be called off for the evening because of darkness.
Calgary police homicide investigators were called out Monday evening after some people walking near Edworthy Park discovered human remains on an island in the Bow River.
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While police don’t believe there’s any risk to the public, they planned to return to the area on Tuesday to continue their search.
“The most important thing is the identity and that tells the story around the person that we found,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson of the CPS homicide unit.
“In some cases, it could be somebody from a vulnerable community and they’ve met some bad circumstances, maybe over the winter or a lifestyle that’s led to this. In some cases, it could be somebody who doesn’t want to be found and this could be a self-inflicted incident.”
Calgary police said they don’t think there is any link between the discovery of human remains near Edworthy Park on Monday and a similar discovery on April 24, near the Shaganappi Point golf course.
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John Reid is a resident who has lived in the area for the past 50 years and spends a lot of time walking along the Bow River pathways.
While he said he hasn’t seen anything suspicious recently, he said it can be very busy with people using the river and its pathways.
“When the weather’s warm, there’s campers — I’m assuming homeless people are setting up their tents in that area — we often see tents down there,” said Reid. “There’s a lot of foliage and bushes and stuff, so it can be quite private. There’s a pile of clothes down there right now, which is kind of odd,” added Reid.
People who live near Calgary’s Edworthy Park, close to where human remains were discovered on Monday, say it’s a popular location for river and pathway users, as well as homeless camps.
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On April 24, CPS homicide investigators were also called in after a person walking in a wooded area in the community of Spruce Cliff discovered human remains.
Police later said they appeared to be from a man over the age of 25 and had been in the area “for some time,” but further examination, including by a forensic anthropologist, was needed to try to determine the person’s identity and cause of death.
On Thursday, April 24, a person walking in a wooded area in the community of Spruce Cliff, also discovered some human remains.
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Mount Royal professor of justice studies, Doug King, said the tragic reality is sometimes that’s impossible.
“Those bodies will now be in the medical examinee’s office and they will be doing dental record checks, fingerprint checks if possible, DNA checks if necessary (but) there’s only going to be a certain limit to how far they’re going to go to try and identify these individuals,” King said.
Police said, so far, there’s no evidence to suggest the two cases are related.
