Body found in burned vehicle in Maple Ridge, homicide investigators called
Homicide investigators have been called after a body was found in a burned vehicle in Maple Ridge Thursday night.
Ridge Meadows RCMP said in a news release Friday that they were called to the 14300 block of 256th Street around 11:15 p.m. for "a report of a vehicle fully engulfed."
After the Maple Ridge Fire Department had extinguished the blaze, police searched the vehicle and located a body.
Police towed a vehicle covered by a tarp late Friday afternoon. Burn marks could be seen on the ground along the remote gravel road where the vehicle was found.
Police described the discovery as a "suspicious death."
"It is still in the early stages of the investigation and the Ridge Meadows RCMP will be working with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT)," Mounties said in their release.
"It is unknown at this time if this is related to the Lower Mainland gang conflict."
Earlier this week, two men were fatally gunned down in Coquitlam. Police have said one of the victims, Ramin Salam, was allegedly associated with gang members. RCMP said a third victim, who survived, appears to have gang ties as well. In the last update from RCMP, police were still working to identify the second man who died.
There has been a string of violent and alarming incidents in the Lower Mainland during the past week, including a violent armed robbery that led to a shootout with police in Port Coquitlam on Tuesday. There was also a recent series of shootings and a kidnapping in the Interior city of Merritt.
The area where the vehicle fire occurred is near the north end of 256th Street, not far from the southern boundary of Golden Ears Provincial Park and about two kilometres south of Alouette Lake, according to Google Maps.
Anyone who has dash cam video recorded in Maple Ridge between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight should contact the IHIT information line at 877-551-4448, police said. Witnesses can also contact IHIT by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.