The BC Coroners Service is looking for the public’s help identifying human remains found in Burnaby dating back to 1975.
Every now and then, Burnaby RCMP will get a report that human remains have been found in the city.
Usually, investigators are able to identify the remains, but four such discoveries have stayed a mystery since 1975.
The coroners service launched an interactive map this week plotting out the locations of these and other discoveries of still-unidentified human remains around the province.
The tool is designed to help generate new leads from the public that could advance investigations and close cases.
There are currently just under 200 unsolved and active cases involving unidentified human remains in B.C., according to the coroners service.
Burnaby RCMP has four such cases on its books.
On Aug. 19, 1975, the remains of a 60-year-old man of unknown race were found just south of Hastings Street and west of Grove Avenue. Investigators estimated he had been dead for between one day and one week. They were able to determine the man had tuberculosis. (Case no. 197523930)
On April 8, 1997, the body of a five-foot-four Asian man between the ages of 21 and 35 was discovered in the Burrard Inlet off Barnett Marine Park. Investigators say he had also died between one day and one week before being discovered.
He was wearing an orange life jacket, a synthetic blue, red and white track suit jacket with stripes down the sleeves; blue nylon track pants; and brown suede boots.
He was found with Chinese money and may have been a stow-a-way aboard a freighter, according to the coroners service. (Case no. 1997-50716)
The remains of two infants found in the city have also yet to be identified.
On June 2, 2007, the remains of a boy less than one year old and of unknown race were found near the Burrard Inlet at Barnett Marine Park. He had died between two months and five years before being found, according investigators. (Case 2007-25685)
On Oct. 11, 2011, the remains of another boy, this one possibly up to one year old and with black hair, were found in the Fraser River, off Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park near Beedie Street. Investigators estimate the infant had died between one month and a year before being discovered. (Case no. 2011-44689)
“By reaching out and engaging members of the public with the launch of this innovative tool, it's our hope to gain new investigative leads that will lead to the identification of these unidentified individuals and bring closure to their families,” chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a press release.
Anyone with information or questions about any of the cases displayed on the map is asked to contact the special investigations unit at [email protected] and to quote the file number provided. Click here to see the map.
