Missing trucker’s body was found in his truck

RCMP made discovery in Port aux Basques on Monday after truck was brought back to Newfoundland

CORNER BROOK

The case of a Newfoundland trucker who went missing in Ontario on April 24 took a bizarre turn on Tuesday, May 7, when it was revealed that his body had actually been found in this province.

The case got even more bizarre when it was confirmed that Brian Lush’s body was found in his truck.

Lush, 51, of the Stephenville area, was last seen at a Petro-pass gas station on Country Road 27 in Summerstown, Ont., on April 24. Video surveillance from the gas station placed him there at 4:30 p.m.

Lush, who was an owner/ operator with Downhome Movers, was said to have been on his way back to Newfoundland.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) had been investigating his disappearance and early on said Lush’s personal belongings had been left in his truck.

A search of the area had been carried out and the OPP appealed to the public, especially for drivers and hunters to check their dashcams and trail cams for any video that may have helped in locating Lush.

Bill Dickson, media relations co-ordinator for the OPP East Region, did not specifically name Lush, but confirmed for The Telegram that the missing person’s remains had been located in Newfoundland.

Asked about Lush’s truck, Dickson said it had been released late last week, but he didn’t have an exact timeline on when it was picked up and taken back to Newfoundland.

Cpl. Jolene Garland, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s media relations officer, issued a statement late Tuesday afternoon that said human remains had been found on Monday, May 6, by the RCMP inside a tractortrailer unit that had been driven from Ontario to Port aux Basques.

The statement said the remains were that of a person who was reported missing in Ontario.

Garland said the chief medical examiner has been engaged in the case and the investigation is continuing. She said initial evidence supported that foul play is not suspected.

Media reports on this latest development have led to many questions about how Lush’s body would not have been found during a search of the truck.

Dickson said the OPP typically doesn’t release much information in cases where missing people are located dead, unless there foul play is suspected, which it is not in this case.

“We are conducting a review of the search and those details will be shared with the family,” said Dickson.