About a year after two older men were attacked while visiting Vancouver's Stanley Park, local police are asking the public to come forward with what they know.
In a statement Tuesday, officers said they'd made "significant progress" in the investigations, but that they believe there are witnesses who have additional information and have yet to come forward.
The first of the attacks occurred Nov. 16, 2016. A person driving past the parking lot near Brockton Oval found an 82-year-old man alone and in distress.
Police were called to the area and found the victim suffering from serious injuries. A year later, he is still recovering, officers said.
Few details have been released about the incident, but surveillance video of a man with a limp and a tan coat was released two months after the senior was found. The man in the blurry video is seen walking in the same part of the park that morning.
Police did not call the person a suspect, saying only that they know he was in the area at the time.
About three months after that attack, 61-year-old Lubomir "Lubo" Kunick was fatally stabbed on the seawall between Second and Third beaches. His body was found by a man walking his dog in the area shortly before 11 p.m. on Feb. 1.
As part of that investigation, police obtained video shot by CTV News through a court order. The dashcam footage was shot by a cameraperson headed to the crime scene about an hour after Kunick's body was discovered, and showed a pedestrian in dark pants and a blue jacket walking on Stanley Park Drive near the Lions Gate Bridge.
It is not clear whether the individual is connected in any way to the stabbing, but police said the video would be studied closely.
Investigators said the attacks appear to be random, and that they've made progress identifying whoever is responsible. However, the VPD said detectives are aware that there are people with direct knowledge about the incidents and are again asking for them to come forward.
"Our investigators have spoken with frequent visitors to the park and people living in the West End," Const. Jason Doucette said in the statement.
"We know there are lots of rumours out there about the attacks, especially amongst those who visit the trails at night. Rumour or not, we are asking people to come forward with any information they have about either of these incidents."
Those with more information are asked to contact police at 604-717-2500 or to leave tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
Members of the public are advised not to visit Stanley Park alone at night, and to call 911 immediately to report suspicious behaviour.
