Body discovered
Man’s body found off Willowbrook Road; no word on possible connection to burned-out pickup found 10 km away
Mounties aren’t saying if they believe there’s a connection between a dead body and a burned-out pickup that were found Tuesday morning within close proximity of each other south of Penticton.
The body was found off Willowbrook Road near the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, while the truck was abandoned about 10 kilometres away as the crow flies on Highway 3A.
“At this point we can say the death is suspicious,” B.C. RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Janelle Shoihet said in an email Wednesday, noting she was not provided details of the investigation concerning the truck or much else.
She confirmed the victim was a man, but said investigators were still working to determine his identify.
Shoihet was also not provided details about the victim’s age, who found the body or how long it was suspected to have been there.
The case is being investigated by the Southeast District Major Crime Unit with assistance from a forensic identification team and dog handler.
Mounties don’t believe there’s a continuing threat to the public.
Residents in the sparsely populated area where the body was found told The Herald police descended mid-morning Tuesday and quickly moved to block Willowbrook Road, which is used by many as a shortcut to Penticton.
The northern edge of the roadblock was set up at the intersection with White Lake Road. The southern edge of the roadblock was about two kilometres down Willowbrook Road. The body was discovered in between, near White Lake.
While members of the public were still being turned away Wednesday morning, numerous unmarked police vehicles were seen entering and leaving the secure area.
Shoihet said the road was expected to be reopened by this morning.
There are two routes from the crime scene to the spot on Highway 3A where the abandoned truck was discovered: west via White Lake Road past Twin Lakes or east via White Lake Road and onto Highway 97.
The truck was found around 6 a.m. a few metres up the driveway of a home located approximately three kilometres from the junction of highways 3A and 97, according to Kaleden fire chief Darlene Bailey.
The newer model Dodge Ram was fully engulfed in flames when her team arrived.
“There was nobody around it, so that in itself seemed suspicious and that’s why we called RCMP in,” said Bailey, adding the truck was burned too badly to tell if an accelerant had been used to set it alight.
Anyone with information about the suspicious death is asked to call the Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.