Vancouver police insist there's not much they can say publicly about their investigation into the death of missing Indigenous teen Noelle "Ellie" O'Soup, but "everything's on the table" as they work to determine how and why she died.
The 14-year-old's body was found on May 1 inside an apartment at 405 Heatley St. in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood.
The Port Coquitlam resident had been missing for nearly a year at that point, and her body was found alongside the body of another individual.
At a news conference Friday, Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin told reporters the second person found May 1 has not yet been identified.
"The (causes) of both these people's deaths – Noelle and the other person – right now, are unknown," Visintin said.
A third person – a man in his 40s – was found dead in the same apartment on Feb. 23, Visintin confirmed.
"This is very concerning," she said, when asked about the VPD's reaction to the discovery of three bodies in the same apartment in a span of just a few months.
"(It's) quite unusual as well, I'll add," Visintin continued. "So, that's why we have our Major Crime Section on this. And we're working to determine what happened here."
Asked whether police believe the deaths of O'Soup and the other individual found on May 1 are suspicious, Visintin sought clarification.
"What do you mean by suspicious?" She asked.
When the reporter clarified that he wanted to know whether police are conducting a homicide investigation, Visintin said police "haven't ruled out anything."
"Everything's on the table at this point," she said. "So, yeah, we're looking into all avenues on what caused this death – or deaths, I should say."
Noelle O'Soup was reported missing after leaving her home in Port Coquitlam on the evening of May 12, 2021.
She originally hailed from the 1,500-member Key First Nation in southern Saskatchewan, and one of the nation's band councillors told CTV News on Thursday that O'Soup was in the care of B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Coquitlam RCMP did not elaborate on the teen's living situation in any of their appeals for information on her whereabouts, saying only that "did not have permission to leave."
After the identification of her remains this week, Vancouver police took over the investigation.
"Noelle’s death will generate many questions in the community, and we are committed to finding answers," the VPD said in a statement issued Wednesday.
"If, during the course of this investigation, we determine there is a risk to public safety, we will immediately notify the public."
After a series of interest rate hikes implemented by the Bank of Canada, housing markets are now facing a 'significant' correction. CTVNews.ca spoke to Canadians who are now struggling to make the goal of purchasing a home, or selling one, a reality.
Power has been restored in Toronto's downtown core after a widespread outage caused major disruptions in the city Thursday.
Scientists are keeping an eye on the Langya virus, a new pathogen that appears to have been transmitted from animals to humans in China and causes symptoms similar to COVID-19 or the flu.
The U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal court to unseal the warrant the FBI used to search the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday, acknowledging extraordinary public interest in the case about classified records.
An armed man clad in body armour who tried to breach the FBI's Cincinnati office on Thursday was shot and killed by police after he fled the scene and engaged in an hours-long standoff in a rural part of the state, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
A Brampton, Ont. media personality who was attacked with a machete and axe in his driveway will need months of physical rehabilitation to recover, a close friend says.
The Ontario government is planning to move forward with several tax credits for residents as it formally tabled its 2022-23 budget on Tuesday.
It’s been seven days since 74-year-old Lois Chartrand went missing while mushroom picking in the forest north of Smeaton, Sask.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the nation should move away from restrictive measures such as quarantines and social distancing and focus on reducing severe disease from COVID-19.
Several Victoria restaurants that were hoping to support a local delivery service say they're out thousands of dollars since the company has failed to pay them.
A window washer had to be rescued Thursday after suffering an injury while on the side of a Victoria highrise.
The Central Saanich Firefighters Association has established a scholarship in honour of Assistant Fire Chief Forrest Owens who died from cancer in his home on June 21 at the age of 64.
Five people are facing charges after a pair of Calgary drug busts in which police seized nearly $3 million in methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The owner of a petting zoo in east Calgary says the tone has changed over one its most popular public adult-only events.
Ben Waters came to play with the Rolling Stones almost accidentally, through his obsession with the boogie-woogie style of piano played by one of the band's founding members, Ian Stewart.
Yet another delay to the opening of the Valley Line Southeast LRT has some questioning the value that public-private partnership (P3) infrastructure projects have, with the city pledging a comprehensive review into the practice.
The Edmonton Oilers shared memories of superfan Ben Stelter on Thursday. Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and head coach Jay Woodcroft held a virtual press conference to speak about the six-year-old.
The Alberta NDP has demanded resignation letters from leaders of the province's status of women department, who awarded an essay that claimed 'women are not exactly equal to men' and suggested 'foreigners' are used to 'replace' Albertans.
A man is dead and another is in serious condition after a shooting at a Richmond Hill cemetery, where they were attending a funeral on Thursday for a man who was shot and killed in Toronto earlier this week.
Power has been restored in Toronto's downtown core after a widespread outage caused major disruptions in the city Thursday.
Ontarians hoping to view the last supermoon of the year may be in luck—the forecast appears to be in their favour.
The Montreal North community is grieving after 26-year-old Jayson Colin -- a man described as "generous, affable and involved" -- was killed in a shooting Wednesday night.
The family of a man on Montreals' West Island who is suffering liver failure says he is being denied the chance of a life-saving liver transplant.
An American teenager who was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting in Laval, Que. during a family vacation three months ago was finally released from hospital, but still isn't able to walk on his own.
The City of Winnipeg is moving forward on a project aimed at fixing roads and improving safety for cyclists in Osborne Village.
Lac du Bonnet RCMP are investigating after a Winnipeg man drowned in Whiteshell Provincial Park Tuesday.
The second quarter report in 2022 for insolvency statistics in Canada shows Winnipeggers over the last three months have been filing for bankruptcy more compared to the previous quarter by nearly 47 per cent.
The suspect at the centre of Saskatchewan's recent Amber Alert was arrested in South Dakota for a possible illegal border crossing and kidnapping, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
It’s been seven days since 74-year-old Lois Chartrand went missing while mushroom picking in the forest north of Smeaton, Sask.
With less than a month to go until kids return to school, Nettie Cherniatenski is packing school bags for Ukrainian students at Baba’s Closet.
The suspect at the centre of Saskatchewan's recent Amber Alert was arrested in South Dakota for a possible illegal border crossing and kidnapping, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Saskatchewan's education ministry is appointing an administrator to oversee a Saskatoon Christian school at the centre of a criminal investigation of a proposed class action lawsuit.
Nearly half of Saskatchewan residents said the responsibility for residential schools is split between the church, government and society as a whole, according to a recent Angus Reid Institute poll.
Hazelton says breakthroughs in care are making an impact, like advancements in virtual and tele-health care and says the province should create more community nurse and nurse practitioner-led clinics to help to ease the backlog in hospitals.
A former Halifax hospital CEO convicted of fraud has been granted bail one day after being sentenced to five months in jail.
A climatologist says the wildfires that have been burning for more than two weeks in central Newfoundland could be a sign of what's to come as the province feels the impacts of climate change.
The questions keep mounting for London police about an alleged swatting incident and how officers treated a popular online transgender activist.
A search for a missing boater continues in Lake Erie after an unoccupied boat was found along the shoreline in Madison, Ohio.
London police have identified a suspect related to the homicide of a 31-year-old man.
Timmins has a new mayor -- and she's the first person of colour to hold the seat. Kristin Murray has been appointed to take over the mayor's office until the upcoming election.
A group of motorcycle enthusiasts in North Bay were victims of vandalism this week because of their support for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Two companies are building a new outdoor recreation centre in the Town of Iroquois Falls – and officials are thrilled with the news.
Ask people driving and walking in the area of the Erb St. West and Ira Needles Blvd. roundabout, and it’s not hard to find someone with concerns or the story of a close call.
Issues impacting Ontario’s healthcare system are extending beyond the hospital and into the streets as some paramedics raise concerns.
After a series of interest rate hikes implemented by the Bank of Canada, housing markets are now facing a 'significant' correction. CTVNews.ca spoke to Canadians who are now struggling to make the goal of purchasing a home, or selling one, a reality.
