Human torso found in trash bin

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]aterloo Regional Police were called to a highrise apartment building at 250 Frederick St. shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday after citizens discovered a human torso. As of Sunday, police said only the torso had been found.

Insp. Kevin Thaler, spokesperson for the regional police, said that investigators are focused on identifying the victim.

“At this point our investigators are working on previous missing persons cases as well from our jurisdictions and other jurisdictions,” Thaler said.

“We are asking the public, anyone, if they know this person to please contact police.”

A preliminary examination of the body revealed that the torso is of a Caucasian female, however no further information on the age or identity has been determined. The torso was clothed in a black, short sleeved T-shirt with a logo in front that read, “Forget Princess I want to be a Vampire.”

The building stands at the corner of Frederick Street and Gordon Avenue, one block north of Lancaster Street East. The building’s garbage bins are kept in an outdoor alcove clearly visible from the Gordon Avenue driveway that leads to both outdoor and underground parking.

The rear of the building remains cordoned off by police. A search of the area and door-to-door canvassing of residents of both the building and neighbouring houses was conducted.

Watching the scene unfold Saturday afternoon, nearby residents were shocked by the news of a possible body found.

“That’s shocking … a little disturbed,” said Darcie Laur, a resident of Gordon Avenue, just metres away from the scene.

“I’ve got two kids, I’ve never had any worries,” Laur said of her eight years living in the area. “It’s beautifully quiet, especially being so close to downtown.”

Chris Rudorfer, 19, who has lived in 250 Frederick St. for five months, also said he feels safe in the area.

“It’s mostly families (in the area) and a lot of elderly people in this building,” he said.

Discussing the scene, Lynn Lindsay who lives in a low-rise apartment next to where the body was found, said she often sees people rummaging through the garbage bins and wasn’t surprised by the location of the discovery.

“There’s a lot of homeless (people) that go through those dumpsters all the time,” Lindsay said.

Thaler said he could not confirm if the citizens who found the remains lived in 250 Frederick St. but did not believe they were from that building.

Even the connection between the victim and the area remains unclear.

“At this point the only connection we have was that the body part was found in the bins on the property,” Thaler said.

How long the body part was there has yet to be determined.

The remains were transported to a hospital in Hamilton for a forensic autopsy that will be conducted Monday.

The bin was removed on a flatbed truck Saturday at about 6:20 p.m. by police.

The incident marks the first homicide in the region for 2013.

A number of grisly cases involving the discovery of torsos and body parts made headlines in Canada last year.

Accused killer Luka Rocco Magnotta was arrested in a Berlin internet café in June after body parts belonging to Montreal university student Jun Lin were mailed to locations in Ottawa and British Columbia.

Remains belonging to Scarborough spa owner and mother of three Guang Hua Liu were discovered last summer in Lake Ontario and in two other waterways in the Toronto area. The victim’s estranged boyfriend was charged with second-degree murder.

A torso found in the Niagara River in August belonged to a 30-year-old Niagara Falls, N.Y., woman reported missing days earlier.

Waterloo Regional Police are asking anyone who finds suspicious articles near their property to call 519-653-7700.

Anyone with information about the identity of the deceased or who witnessed suspicious activity in the area is asked to call the Homicide Branch at (519) 650-8500 ext. 8666 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.