(BlackburnNews.com file photo by Matt Weverink) Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More Police are investigating after human remains were found in an area east of Port Burwell. The Ontario Provincial Police said officers were called the undisclosed location on Monday after the remains were found. Residents should expect an increased police presence in the area. “At this time we are treating this as a found remains call. If the investigation turns to foul play, the public will be updated as such,” said Const. Adam Crewdson. Police said they are working with the Office of the Chief Coroner, but are not releasing any further information at this time. Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Elgin County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).<doc-sep>Residents of the small Elgin County town of Port Burwell still can't believe that human remains were found on a remote stretch of lakeside property with a lot of speculation about whether or not they were found inside a large appliance. OPP say they were called to Lakeshore Line on Monday after someone called 911 to report the discovery. Police refused to reveal if a refrigerator or freezer was found with the body, despite a large appliance being removed by helicopter Tuesday. "It's a nice little place. Friendly people. Not a lot of excitement until someone finds a freezer with a body in it," said John Day, who frequents the Beach Hut, a tiny breakfast and lunch joint not far from where police were investigating. "We started hearing about all the commotion on Monday and we weren't sure if it was gossip or what." In fact, police are saying little about their investigation, including anything about the age or sex of the victim. They do say there is no threat to public safety. The bluffs on Lakeshore Line outside Port Burwell are a popular gathering spot for camp fires. (Kate Dubinski/CBC News) "The criminal investigation branch is leading the investigation in conjunction with the chief coroner's office," said OPP Const. Adam Crewdson. "In the past we've had remains calls and we go out and they turn out to be deer remains." "All I can say is that human remains were found, and that this is Lakeshore Line, and just to the south of us is Lake Erie. So, somewhere in between there, a complainant or citizen in the area called that in." Police are keeping people well back of the scene, which is just outside of Port Burwell. The area of road had been closed in recent years because the soil is eroding significantly. The asphalt has been torn up and the road is now dirt, to prevent anyone but property owners and emergency vehicles from using it. Still, it is a popular gathering and dumping spot, with doused camp fires visible on the bluffs and home appliances and other debris dumped down below onto the sand. The bluffs on Lakeshore Line at Stafford Line outside of Port Burwell are a popular gathering for camp fires and dumping garbage. (Kate Dubinski/CBC News) The area is rural and remote, with farm fields and wind turbines dotting the landscape. That remoteness has locals speculating about who could have been in the area. "Young people go down there to have camp fires," said Cliff Dickson, who has lived in Port Burwell for a decade. "This is a shocker for a small town. You don't wish this to happen to anyone. But I guess you never know what's going on in the dead of night." Police could not confirm when they would be prepared to update the public on their investigation.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Elgin County OPP have laid a charge in connection to the discovery of human remains east of Port Burwell, Ont. earlier this week. Police say the accused, identified as Samuel Waters, 22, of Norfolk County faces a charge of indignity to human remains. READ MORE: OPP investigating discovery of human remains near Port Burwell The accused was arrested on Thursday and is set to appear in court Wednesday in St. Thomas, Ont. Few other details have been made public about the discovery Monday along Lakeshore Line near Stafford Road. The investigation is ongoing and police have said it could take weeks or months. There are no public safety concerns, police say. Story continues below advertisement Police haven’t released any information about the remains. “Further information will be made available as it becomes available,” police said. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the Elgin County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).<doc-sep>Man charged with 'indignity' to Port Burwell body, but OPP still say little PORT BURWELL — The case of human remains found with a fridge near a Lake Erie bluff remained shrouded in mystery Friday, even as police laid a charge against a man from a nearby county. Article content PORT BURWELL — The case of human remains found with a fridge near a Lake Erie bluff remained shrouded in mystery Friday, even as police laid a charge against a man from a nearby county. Four days after they were alerted to the find, Ontario Provincial Police said a Norfolk County man is charged with indignity to human remains, which under the Criminal Code means improperly or indecently interfering with or offering any indignity to a dead body or remains. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Man charged with 'indignity' to Port Burwell body, but OPP still say little Back to video How the remains ended up down the steep lakeside bluff in Port Burwell, a village southeast of St. Thomas getting ready for its busy summer season, was no closer to being publicly answered, however. The OPP wouldn’t answer questions about any relationship between the accused and the dead person. “There’s not going to be anything that evidenciary (released),” said Elgin OPP Const. Adam Crewdson. “What I can tell you right now is that (the accused) has been charged in connection to this investigation.”<doc-sep>
It's a mystery residents of Port Burwell, Ont. are anxious to have solved. But police say their investigation could take weeks, maybe even months. The Ontario Provincial Police continue to block a section of Lakeshore Line, east of Port Burwell, after human remains were found on the Lake Erie escarpment on Monday. Jim Young and his wife moved from Toronto a year ago, opting for the quiet life in Port Burwell. What they didn't expect was a large-scale suspicious death investigation so close to home, "Small town like this? No." But Young says it's also not something that's going to keep him up at night, “I'm not concerned at all, about my safety or anything like that in the area here." On Monday word spread that human remains had been discovered in a fridge or freezer on the bluffs. The next day a police helicopter was seen lifting what appeared to be a rescue stretcher and a large rectangular object from the side of the escarpment. Elgin County OPP Const. Adam Crewdson says the challenging terrain required a larger police effort than usual. "You did see a lot of police presence in here in the last few days. And that's because the OPP were going to bring in the right resources to collect the information and then move on with the investigation." Police continue to say there's no risk to public safety. Still, Herman Kolke believes those involved would have had to have some knowledge of the area, "Somebody knew what they were doing, they knew where to dump it." At the Martin’s Family Fish Market they're getting ready for another day out on the water. With five generations of commercial fisherman, Tim Martin says they're very familiar with the stretch of the escarpment where the remains were found. "We actually had fish nets, not too long ago, in on the beach for white bass." Martin says people dump trash down the embankment on regular basis, and examples were easy to spot on Wednesday. About 300 metres west of the scene of the police investigation, there was a cascade of trash down the hillside with what appeared to be a washing machine at the bottom. Martin says, with Lakeshore Line closed off because of erosion risks, it's become even more isolated, "Especially in the middle of the night, there's nobody there. There's one house down there but I don't know if anybody lives in it or not." While residents may be anxious for answers, police say they won't release any information that might compromise the investigation.