Homicide victim found near Okanagan high school was not a student: RCMP

Penticton Secondary School is seen in an image from Google Street View.

VANCOUVER -

A recent homicide victim who was found in a field near an Okanagan high school was not a student, but his identity remains unknown.

Police said the person was found unresponsive early Sunday morning in a field by Penticton Secondary School.

The deceased, who was pronounced dead in hospital, was described by officials as a "young man."

He has still not been identified, Mounties said Tuesday.

However, the Penticton RCMP detachment said in a statement that investigators, in consultation with the BC Coroners Service, are sure that the victim was "not a youth," and not a student of the local school district.

"An autopsy is being scheduled with the coroner with the aim of determining the cause of death and identity confirmation," Const. James Grandy said in the statement.

Grandy said the RCMP appreciates the community's concern, given the location and that the victim was found shortly before the first day of school.

"We want to ease these concerns by informing this does not appear to be a random act, and we do not believe there is a threat to the general public, and in particular students headed back for school," he said.

No further information has been provided.

Anyone who knows what happened or witnessed something before the victim was found at 6 a.m. Sunday is asked to contact police.