Homicide investigators complete search of rural Surrey property linked to recent murder

Homicide investigators have completed their search of a rural Surrey property that they say is linked to a recent murder, but won’t say which case.

IHIT spokesperson Sgt. Timothy Pierotti confirmed to CTV News in an email that the site was cleared by police by 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.

“The search is complete and the property has been turned back over to the owners,” Pierotti said.

On Tuesday, IHIT said it was likely there would be a police presence at the property for a number of days due to the size of the site.

The five-acre property on 83 Avenue was a crime scene earlier this week. Dozens of officers were seen searching through old structures and even mounds of dirt, and a number of officers were doing so dressed in full forensic suits. Multiple tarps were also laid out by investigators.

IHIT confirmed the operation was “to advance a recent murder” investigation, but wouldn’t elaborate.

“Right now, we’re not revealing that information just to protect the integrity of the investigation and respect the privacy of those involved,” Pierotti told CTV News.

“We just want to make sure that the public knows that in this situation the response level from the police, the amount of police we have there, is more to do with the size of the property and the volume of area we need to search.”