Police to dive for clues after woman's bones found in Rideau Canal
Last Updated: Thursday, October 19, 2006 | 5:28 PM ET
CBC News
On Thursday, police combed the banks of the Rideau Canal for evidence related to the human bones found there Tuesday. Ottawa police divers will search the waters near Dow's Lake for evidence related to the human remains found in the Rideau Canal on Tuesday.
National Capital Commission workers found the bag of human bones between Bronson Avenue and Dow's Lake, in a part of the canal adjacent to Carleton University, an Ottawa police news release said.
The workers were performing annual maintenance, draining the canal and picking up debris along it, when they made the discovery. A forensic examination of the bones on Wednesday found they belonged to an adult woman.
Ottawa police Const. Isabelle Lemieux said earlier that police suspect the remains belong to a victim of foul play. The case "is proceeding as a homicide investigation until we receive information otherwise."
Police would not describe how many bones the bag contained or what condition they were in, but they said it was not a complete skeleton. They said they also did not yet know how long the bones had been there.
Police spent Thursday combing the shoreline and wading into the canal in search of clues.
| Name | Missing since |
|---|---|
| Deborah Johanne Smith | 2005 |
| Josée Boutin | 1988 |
| Janette Brunet | 1988 |
| Lisa Jean Somerton | 1998 |
| Angela Hartmann | 1983 |
Ottawa police Const. Steven Desjourdy said investigators will continue to scour the area for the next two or three days.
"We will be looking carefully at every square metre that is under water," he added.
The adult missing person section of the Ottawa Police Service is helping the effort by homicide investigators to identify the woman.
The only woman in the Ottawa area who has disappeared recently is Deborah Smith, who was last seen in February 2005.
Police are also trying to determine whether the remains match those of missing women from other cities.
