Father and daughter find body in Sudbury's Junction Creek

Morning North4:10Body found in Sudbury's Junction Creek

A frightening find... A father and daughter found human remains in Sudbury's Junction Creek while out on a walk. CBC Reporter Olivia Stefanovich caught up with Jay Redden and his 11 year old daughter Shae Duval to hear their story.

Warning - this story contains details some readers may find disturbing.

A father and daughter found human remains in Sudbury's Junction Creek on Saturday evening, in the city's west end near the intersection ofRegent Street and McLeod Street.

Jay Redden said he was filming beavers for a YouTube video when his 11-year-old daughter Shae Duval made the discovery.

"We started videotaping, and that's when my daughter looked down andshe's like, 'Dad, a dead body,'" said Redden. "My daughter was calm too and she just said, 'Dad, we have to call 911 and I'm like yes we do.'"

Redden said they ran away from the creek and called police from his mom's house around 6:30 p.m. He said the remains were lying in approximately 50 centimetresof water.

Redden said he believes the remains belong to a male around the age of 40. He said the body was decapitated and heavily bloated, wearing sweat pants and a sweater.

"I saw boots and a leg," said Duval. "I looked over and I saw the upper part of the body. And then I realized it was a person."

Duval said she's trying to forget about what she saw. She said Redden has a video of the finding, but police have told the family not to disclose it to the public.

"I've never seen a dead body, so it's pretty scary," said Duval. "It can mess up my whole happiness. It could scare me forever now."

Duval said the skull was floating nearby. She said there were floating alcohol bottles in the water.

Redden said he believes the body was there all winter because parts of it had decayed and it was very bloated.

Duval said she walked along the same stretch of creek two weeks ago and did not see the body.

Body still in creek

The remains have not been retrieved from the water yet.

"It's going to take a bit of time,"said Greater Sudbury staff sergeant CraigMaki."We have to protect the integrity of the scene.Ensure it's not captured by people who are walking their dogs. We want to protect the dignity of the person who's passed."

Makisaid police are waiting for the results from a post-mortemexam before determining how to proceed. He would not say whether investigators are considering the death a homicide.

Maki said the investigation is being headed by coroner Dr. Raymond BohdanSawkiw with the assistance of members of the Greater Sudbury Police's forensic identification unit, criminal investigations unit and traffic management unit. Scott Fairgrieve from Laurentian University's forensic science program is also assisting police with the case.

"I've been a police officer for 30 years, and I don't recall any other situations like that," said Maki about the body's discovery.

Maki would not confirm or provide any details about the body. He saidthere is no risk to public safety.

Police are asking the public to stayaway from the scene, as it is still an active investigation.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Greater Sudbury Police Service's criminal investigations unit 705-675-9171 x2300 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS.