Human remains found off road to Giant
Forensic testing required to confirm identity, police say
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Human remains found in a wooded area by a hiker Monday evening off the old section of Highway 4 will require forensic testing to determine the person's identity, according to RCMP.
A resident hiking in the undisclosed area found the remains around 6:30 p.m. and called RCMP, according to a statement from police.
The old highway goes past the city's solid waste facility to the Giant Mine site.
Const. Elenore Sturko declined to disclose the exact location where the remains were found, citing an ongoing investigation in the area Tuesday morning.
Police say the body was found with personal items, though are not elaborating about what items.
It's unclear how long the body has been at the site. Sturko said further forensic testing is required to confirm the person's identity.
"It's too early for us to be able to make any move toward confirming the identity of the individual, but our investigation is ongoing and we hope to be able to make an identification as quickly as possible," Sturko said.
It's also too early to say whether the person died in suspicious circumstances, she said.
The RCMP major crimes unit is investigating along with the NWT coroner.
A message left with the coroner's office was not returned Tuesday.
There are 71 open missing person cases dating back to 1960 across the territory, according to Sturko.
Japanese tourist Atsumi Yoshikubo is among them.
Police have not said whether the remains discovered are linked to her disappearance last year.
The 45-year-old woman was last seen Oct. 22 walking along the same road near Jackfish Lake.
Despite an extensive search during the fall and this spring, Yoshikubo has not been located.
In November, police said she was presumed to be dead.
Sturko at the time told media the investigation determined Yoshikubo arrived with a plan to go into the wilderness alone and took steps to avoid being found.
Japanese media reported that Yoskikubo had sent a letter to a woman in Japan before she left for Canada, indicating she planned to commit suicide.
