NRP silence on found body upsets Thorold neighbour
‘It is our business. We live on the street,’ he says
A neighbour wonders why it took police two days to inform the public after a body they later said was “in an advanced state of decomposition” was found inside a Thorold residence.
Officers responded to 50 Manley Cres. shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday to investigate a reported death of an adult male.
“It was really busy,” said the neighbour, who asked not to be identified.
“There were two cruisers there and the detective cars, and the forensic van pulled up. It was extremely busy.”
It wasn’t until Tuesday evening that Niagara Regional Police announced the discovery. Two women, Paulette Villamil and Tamara Bernard, both 46, were charged with neglect of a dead body.
In an update Thursday following an autopsy, police said investigators “believe there is no element of foul play” but the man’s identity and cause of death were still undetermined.
Const. Phil Gavin said there are still tests to be done that could reveal what led to the man’s death.
Investigators “have some suspicion” of the victim’s identity, he said.
The neighbour said other people in the area have been texting him looking for information, but he’s as frustrated as they are by how little they’ve been told.
“I even walked up to the police cruiser and asked them, and they said they couldn’t give any information,” the man said.
In addition to the two women who he said rent the house, he said two teenagers also lived there. A woman he believes is a
daughter visited regularly with a friend and a baby.
The man said he didn’t know the people.
“If the body’s been decomposing for so long, as you’re led to believe, everybody should have known about it,” he said.
He said officers checked through a car parked at the back of the driveway at the house.
Prior to the police update Thursday, the man said neighbours were speculating about the circumstances.
“Did the guy just accidentally die there? Why wouldn’t you report it?” he wondered.
“It is our business. We live on the street. They say there’s no danger but everybody’s going to be curious, whether you live on this street or not.”
Gavin said typically police don’t alert the public when someone dies in their home. Acknowledging the unusual circumstances in this case, he said investigators considered “is there an ongoing threat to the community?”
“At that point we deemed that there wasn’t.
“So as the investigation unfolds — and it takes time to figure some pieces out — then that’s when we will do a proper notification.”
Gavin said “a tip from a member of the public” led to the discovery.
An original police news release said the body had been inside the house “for a prolonged period of time.” On
Thursday, Gavin declined to speculate on how long.
Contacted Thursday, a man believed to be the owner of 50 Manley Cres. declined comment, saying, “I don’t want to be associated with anything in the paper.”
Many homes on the street are semi-detached. Derek Wetherell, who owns one-half of a nearby house, said “all I know is a lady lived there, (probably) a single mother with two kids … she’s been there probably five or more years.”