Police identify homicide victim buried under garage
Human remains found buried in a pit about two metres below the concrete floor of a north Edmonton garage have been identified, Edmonton police said Tuesday.
An autopsy identified the remains as those of Derek James Winnig, 42, who went missing in May.
The case is being treated as a homicide, police said.
The remains were discovered Sept. 29 near 118th Avenue and 96th Street.
When Winnig disappeared, his family and friends feared the worst — that his drug and alcohol addiction had come back, his second cousin, Jim Winnig, said on Tuesday.
Friends put up photos on Facebook, pleading for him to come back and saying his nine-year-old son, who lives in Edmonton, needed him, Jim Winnig said.
They reported seeing him on Jasper Avenue and Whyte Avenue, but he seemed to have disappeared, he said.
The family is looking for answers in Derek Winnig’s death so they can have closure, he said.
“I knew him when he was small, and as we got older we reconnected,” Jim Winnig said. “He was very open and very close to his son. He liked cars and collected Hot Wheels. We got along quite well.”
Derek Winnig had addiction issues that just got the better of him, the second cousin said.
“To be found that way…” he said, trailing off. “It’s a shame.”
Police said they chose to release the victim’s identity and photo for investigative reasons.
The cause of death has not been released, also for investigative reasons, they said.